Africa must stop treating its knowledge systems as backwards and start building an educational future rooted in its heritage, language, and philosophy. This was the main thrust of a powerful call by Prof. Oseni Taiwo Afisi, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics) of Lagos State University (LASU), during the university’s 108th Inaugural Lecture held at the Buba Marwa Auditorium, Ojo campus.
Speaking on the topic, “The Oracle and the Open Society,” Prof. Afisi said African universities must stop depending on foreign theories and intellectual models that ignore the continent’s identity. He said replacing traditional systems like Ifá with Western philosophies has led to what he called “epistemic displacement”, a loss of self-worth in African knowledge. “Our students learn more about European thinkers than their own culture. This creates an inferiority complex,” he noted. He blamed this mindset on colonial education systems that dismissed African knowledge as superstition. According to him, this has led to political, economic, and mental dependency on the West.
Prof. Afisi called for a bold shift: African knowledge systems must be taught in schools, reflected in public policy, and used to guide leadership. He urged the inclusion of Philosophy in pre-university courses like JUPEB and for African thinkers to be involved in policymaking. “Africa’s future must be built by Africans, with their minds, history, and values leading the way,” he concluded. The event had top LASU officials, including Vice Chancellor Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, in attendance.
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