Alexis Kagame Quotes on Knowledge
Alexis Kagame (1912–1981), the Rwandan Catholic priest, philosopher, and historian, gave African philosophy one of its founding modern statements in La philosophie bantu-rwandaise de l'être (1956) — a systematic reconstruction, conducted through the linguistic structures of Kinyarwanda, of the categorial framework underlying Bantu thought. The doctrine of muntu (intelligent being), kintu (thing), hantu (place-time), and kuntu (modality) presents a four-fold categorial scheme that Kagame defended as a genuine philosophical ontology continuous with — and competitive with — the Aristotelian and Thomist categories within which he had been trained.
Quotes
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Attributed to Alexis Kagame:
“Bantu thought distinguishes four categories: the human, the thing, the place-and-time, the modal.”
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Attributed to Alexis Kagame:
“Language preserves the philosophy of a people across centuries.”
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Attributed to Alexis Kagame:
“African philosophy can be reconstructed from the structure of Bantu languages.”
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Attributed to Alexis Kagame:
“The recovery of indigenous thought is a labor of dignity.”
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“Ifoto y’Urwibutso: Musenyeri Alexis Kagame; umwanditsi w’ikirenga mu mateka y’u Rwanda Igicumbi news (2020)”
He published in 1943 a history of Rwanda in Kinyarwanda called Inganji Karinga , drawing on information from the royal Abiru . -
“He translated the New Testament into Kinyarwanda, wrote the Missal books, and other liturgical books; he also wrote many essays, poems, and philosophical works”
Ifoto y’Urwibutso: Musenyeri Alexis Kagame; umwanditsi w’ikirenga mu mateka y’u Rwanda Igicumbi news (2020) -
“Ifoto y’Urwibutso: Musenyeri Alexis Kagame; umwanditsi w’ikirenga mu mateka y’u Rwanda Igicumbi news (2020)”
He translated the New Testament into Kinyarwanda, wrote the Missal books, and other liturgical books; he also wrote many essays, poems, and philosophical works -
“He was known for his commitment to promoting the Kinyarwanda language and Rwandan culture through his writings.”
Ifoto y’Urwibutso: Musenyeri Alexis Kagame; umwanditsi w’ikirenga mu mateka y’u Rwanda Igicumbi news (2020) -
“Ifoto y’Urwibutso: Musenyeri Alexis Kagame; umwanditsi w’ikirenga mu mateka y’u Rwanda Igicumbi news (2020)”
He was known for his commitment to promoting the Kinyarwanda language and Rwandan culture through his writings.