BEYOND THE VEIL: EXPLORING THE NATURE OF ANCESTORS AND AFTERLIFE IN AFRICAN THOUGHT

Abstract

Beyond the Veil: Exploring the Nature of Ancestors and Afterlife in African Thought, is a thought-provoking topic that delves into the spiritual, philosophical and metaphysical aspect of life after death, and nature of ancestors within the African worldview. But often reduced to mere folklore, obscuring their philosophical and ethical implications. This study addresses this gap by arguing that ancestral veneration constitutes a sophisticated metaphysical system crucial for social and moral order. The study employs a hermeneutic-phenomenological framework to achieve this. While existing scholarship has established foundational concepts of the "living-dead," vital force, and communal personhood, this paper contributes to the discourse by demonstrating how these philosophical frameworks converge and diverge in explanations of ancestral agency and moral authority. Specifically, this work addresses the problem of how different African philosophical traditions negotiate the tension between individual moral achievement and communal recognition in determining ancestral status. Explores the rich and enormous tapestry of African notion of the afterlife, nature of ancestors and beliefs, highlighting the significance of ancestral veneration, the cyclical nature of existence, and the interconnectedness of all beings.