TRADITION AND MODERNITY IN AFRICAN THOUGHT: RECONCILING INDIGENOUS VALUES WITH CONTEMPORARY ETHICAL CHALLENGES

Abstract

The dialogue between tradition and modernity remains one of the most enduring questions in African philosophy. For many African societies, modernity arrived not as a gradual internal evolution but as a disruptive encounter shaped by colonialism, missionary influence, and Western ideals. The moral task is therefore not simply to recover tradition or imitate modernity, but to think through their entanglement in ways that preserve dignity and ethical coherence. Drawing on thinkers such as Wiredu (1996), Gyekye (1997), Hountondji (2002), and Eboh (2019), this paper explores how African philosophy can negotiate the demands of contemporary existence without losing its moral center. It argues that tradition, when critically interpreted, becomes a living moral resource capable of renewal, while modernity, when ethically grounded, can deepen rather than erode communal life. The paper considers the tension between cultural authenticity and innovation, the erosion of moral authority in postcolonial societies, and the prospects for a human-centered model of development. It concludes that African thought offers a distinctive vision of progress one that values harmony, memory, and relational responsibility as the true measures of civilization.