ABSTRACT
This chapter relies on the premise that those antecedents represent a relevant background to the understanding of major trends characterizing contemporary African social and political philosophy today. It explores a range of values and practices of African precolonial societies viewed as being of interest for contemporary Africa, including ideas such as political participation, consensus, and communitarian mind. Democracy is commonly considered as the rule of the people by the people and for the people. According to Senghor, for example, the communitarian spirit represents the very nature of Negro-African societies. Nyerere considers socialism as being anchored in precolonial African societies. The idea of consensus is often evoked as characterizing African precolonial societies. Contributions of thinkers such as Crummel, Africanus J. B. Horton, Edward W. Blyden and Casely Hayford are still relevant even for today's African social and political debate. The chapter stands on the premise that contemporary African social and political philosophy doesn't emerge ex nihilo.
