ABSTRACT
The nexus between ontology and epistemology is an important aspect in the quest for the justification of knowledge claims. However, the view that epistemic claims are grounded in ontology has not been seriously explored. Yet the notion of being or existence in African ontology cannot be isolated from epistemic theorising. In this chapter, I consider how the question of African ontology could be considered as being relevant to epistemological theorising within the broader African metaphysical context. In particular, after drawing attention to how the quest for knowledge is approached from an ontological Afro-communitarian perspective, I reveal what such an approach entails to African epistemology. Although it is sometimes highly contestable, I make reference to the African hierarchy of existence that stretches from the Supreme Being down to the individual person and analyse its epistemic import. In that regard, I analyse the place and role of the epistemic agent together with the various beings in the African hierarchy of existence. In the end, I flesh out reasons why such an approach to knowledge could be considered as grounding African epistemology.
