ABSTRACT
This chapter surveys contributions to the philosophy of nonviolence and nonviolent strategies for social change in Africa. It focuses on conflict resolution, cessation of personal violence and war, notions of positive peace, and prevention of escalation of conflict. The chapter uses the continental definition of Africa, and discusses ancient Egypt and North Africa, where the oldest written texts can be found, and includes sub-Saharan Africa. Africa as a continent has influenced and has been influenced by regional and international developments. The chapter covers Africa in this larger and interactive context. Histories of philosophy written up until the time of Kant usually incorporated ancient Egypt, Africa, and Asia in general into their historical narratives. As African countries gained independence in the 1950s and ’60s, African scholars rushed to explore African philosophical ideas, values, history, and culture so as to fill a void in Eurocentric academic studies inherited from the colonizers.
