ABSTRACT
This chapter aims at exploring traditions as well as finding out their relevance to contemporary African social and political thought. It calls for more attention to neglected African ways of making and thinking politics. The relationship between social and political philosophy and literature conveys a great debate regarding the capacity of creative writers to produce philosophical discourse in accordance with the African context. Analyzing the political legacy of African precolonial times, Mazrui outlines a set of paradigms serving as theoretical background to the behaviour of various African leaders: the elders' tradition, the warrior's tradition, the wisdom tradition, and the monarchical trend. Gordon paid close attention to the urbanization and configuration of African cities. African music constitutes the aesthetic background of African daily life. The chapter explores a range of often neglected sources of contemporary African social and political philosophy. It examines the role of religion as a ferment of social and political change.
