To Be Is Not to Be Alone: Interrogating Exclusivism from an African Context

Abstract

In this chapter, we posit that if the social ontology of humans suggests that to be is not to be alone, then it is both unsound and counterproductive for any individual or group of individuals to act in a manner that negates or ignores the rights and well-being of others. We buttress this position through a careful study of the challenge of exclusivism from the perspective of a theory in African philosophy called Ibuanyidanda or complementary ontology. Ibuanyidanda ontology buttresses the presupposition that to be is not to be alone. In line with this presupposition, Ibuanyidanda ontology would maintain that any exclusionist policy or action that tends to negate or ignore the rights or well-being of a specific individual or group of individuals is inherently unsound and counterproductive. This chapter exposes the nature of Ibuanyidanda ontology and the role it plays in bridging the gap between the self and the other. It submits that Ibuanyidanda ontology proffers a valid repudiation of exclusivism from the African place.