For present-day Africans, the enigmatic neocolonial situation that has resulted from the demise of direct colonial rule is the necessary point of departure for any meaningful philosophic engagement. Contemporary African philosophy originates precisely at this point, i.e. the interface of lived-life and reflective thought. The author presents an exposition of contemporary African philosophy in view of the historicopolitical horizon out of which this discourse is presently being produced. He first examines the contemporary African situation and the aftereffects of colonialism, i.e. its estranged and estranging legacy. He then discusses contemporary African philosophy as a reflective introspection within the horizon of present-day Africa. Finally, he considers the vocation of contemporary African philosophy as a theoretic reflection on the postcolonial effort to ‘return to the source’ and inaugurate the possibility of an autonomous and free Africa in the context of the contemporary world. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. in French (p. 92).
