BEING QUA BELONGINGNESS: TOWARDS AN AFRICAN CULTURAL REDEFINITION

Abstract

Iroegbu‟s concept of being as belongingness answers the question of: “what is being?” from an African perspective. The philosophy of belongingness is one that touches virtually on every aspect of the human life, be it political, economic, social, ethics, etc, and demands an inextricable reciprocity with the act of acting, relating and communing . It is also one that identifies with the categories of the African people. As an idea, it is substantive, egalitarian, communalistic, transcendental and yet concrete. At a time when globalization with its weapon of individuality, among others, is eating deep into Africa and her values, the philosophy of belongingness is in tandem with the call for an African cultural renaissance. Above all, the philosophy of belongingness answers the fundamental question of the reason for existence, not just abstractly but concretely: the reason to be is belongingness.