By Igbotako Nowinta
As we know, slavery, colonialism and imperialism echoed bloodily through history, where the worst kind of savagery and distortions has been mercilessly carried out against Africa and Africans by cruel external forces from Europe and North America. It is therefore heartwarming that Prof. Ngamen Kouassi belongs to an insightful school of thought using the philosophy of “Monkeyism'” and “De-monkeyism” answer, to fiercely counter the fallacious claims against the continent. In his philosophy, he has refused stoutly to be imprisoned by irrational beliefs, deliberate lies and superstitious knowledge based on absolute western democratic capitalism cum liberalism.
“I humbly submit that it is high time for present day Africans to go beyond the blame game attitude because Africa is not the only continent that has been colonized. The Koreans, Vietnamese, Chinese, French, to mention a few, were also colonized, but look at where they are today in terms of genuine development! Why should our own case be different? Africa must wake up. The above-mentioned countries dreamt and woke up to realize their dreams. It is high time for Africa to follow suit. We must re-decolonize our current mentality, invent and innovate according to our specific areas of specialization and strength because there lies the hope of Africa.” – Prof Ngamen Kouassi
Recently, we decided to examine Prof Ngamen Kouassi’s philosophy of Monkeyism and De-momkeyism for the benefit of our readers. And it goes like this:
“Apes obey,” was one of the most tragic demeaning phrases used by slave owners in the cotton fields in United States during the era of slavery. It is unimaginable that Africans forcibly tortured and shipped to the western hemisphere could be addressed as ‘apes’; could be described as ‘sub- humans.’
According to Cambridge dictionary, Ape is a ‘mammal that has long arms and no tail or a short tail and that is related to monkeys.’
Slavery is the most humiliating savagery ever inflicted on man by man, while colonialism was used by European powers to cripple and bastardize African peoples and their priceless natural endowment.
Using ethnicity, the colonial masters ferociously scattered the fortunes of Africa and Africans, making them to be most miserable politically, economically, and socially even till today.
In the face of persistent neo-colonialism and imperialistic bombardment against the African continent, one courageous Cameroonian scholar, Prof. Cyrille Ngamen Kouassi has chosen to be a harsh enemy of intellectual slavery, by personifying the attitudes of self-discovery, academic ingenuity and responsibility.
By embracing and enhancing human reason to take proper charge, to direct the destiny of Africans towards intellectual liberty, this man has used criticism: the exercises of autonomous creative intellectual faculty independent of the vestiges of Western democratic capitalism to prove a great point.
Using “Monkeyism'” theory and “De-monkeyism’ answer, this man carrying a fervent desire and an uncompromising spirit has developed and is playing an active part in promoting understanding of the painful realities working catastrophically against African continent.
Prof. Ngamen Kouassi has taken a more concerted and coordinated stance against unacceptable and acutely biased levels of external influence from Europe and North America.
What is “Monkeyism” theory and “De-monkeyism answer? Firstly, it is imperative to know the meaning of the word, “monkey.”
Monkey according to Cambridge dictionary is ‘an animal that lives in hot countries, has a long tail, and climbs trees. Monkeys are primates, the group of animals that are most like humans.’
According to Prof. Cyrille Ngamen Kouassi: “Monkeyism” is a philosophical concept that refers to the tendency of humans to imitate others without critically evaluating their actions or beliefs. It involves blindly following the crowd, conforming to societal norms, and embracing dominant ideologies without questioning or challenging them.
In his work, Kouassi argues that “Monkeyism” is a form of intellectual laziness and a barrier to genuine freedom and autonomy. He contends that individuals must break free from this tendency and engage in critical thinking, reflection, and self-awareness to achieve true liberation and fulfillment.
The “De-monkeyism” answer, on the other hand, refers to the process of overcoming this tendency and embracing a more authentic, autonomous, and critically engaged existence. It involves developing a sense of individuality, questioning dominant narratives, and taking responsibility for one’s beliefs and actions.
Kouassi’s concept of “Monkeyism” and “De-monkeyism” offers a fresh perspective on human nature, social conformity, and the pursuit of freedom and autonomy.
In becoming a reference point in the field of intellectual battles, consequently, this makes him the founding father of the coinage: “Monkeyism'” theory and ” De-monkeyism’ answer.
As we know, slavery, colonialism and imperialism echoed bloodily through history, where the worst kind of savagery and distortions has been mercilessly carried out against Africa and Africans by cruel external forces from Europe and North America.
It is therefore heartwarming that Prof. Ngamen Kouassi belongs to an insightful school of thought using the philosophy of “Monkeyism'” and “De-monkeyism” answer, to fiercely counter the fallacious claims against the continent.
In his philosophy, he has refused stoutly to be imprisoned by irrational beliefs, deliberate lies and superstitious knowledge based on absolute western democratic capitalism cum liberalism.
During the 4th Inaugural Lecture of the Glorious Vision University, Ogwa, Edo State, Nigeria on July 7, 2022, and titled: “Western Fallacies and The “monkeyism” Theory: A Philosophical Enquiry into Why Some Men are not Humans”, Prof. Ngamen Kouassi was very clear when he posited as follows:
“The Western perception that some men are not humans most especially the black race or people of colour is what I mean by “monkeyism” theory ” the ”demonstration of the fallacious notion of West vis-à-vis the black race or people of colour is what I call’ de-monkeyism’ answer…It is on record that Westerners came to Africa with the mandate to completely annex the mentality and concepts of the black people.
“In their opinion, African people were of the different race and culture…White men alleged that the black man intelligence quotient was low, his vocabulary had no abstract nouns, he was incapable of abstract thinking, he has no philosophy, he did not understand natural phenomena, he had no idea about causality. His mind was full of magical notions.”
The vibrant scholar emphasized further: “Rather it is simply an animal with unreason or a monkey! In white men understanding and interpretation of Aristotle’s definition of man, black men were animals with unreason. So, the line between reason and unreason was drawn to differentiate between white and black.
“White men became animals with reason while black men remained animals with unreason or monkey-like. This line indicated not only the boundary between reason and unreason, it also assigned competences, rights and obligations in agreements with reason and unreason respectively “.
In rubbishing the wild claims of the white men, Prof. Ngamen Kouassi provided fantastic evidence thus: “It is also on record that in 1953 under the auspices of UNESCO, anthropologists, archaeologists and sociologists gathered to discuss the question of race and they all consented that no race was “inferior” or “superior” to another.
“Lieris Michel, one of the eminent French anthropologists put it this way: “It is fruitless to seek in the biology of a race an explanation of the difference observable between the cultural achievements of the various peoples”.
Challenging white men’s religious superiority over that of the black men, the scholar was a delight in his arguments: “One of the salient points to note here is that even as far as the original religion is concerned, black men have nothing to learn from the white man. In fact, till today, Africa remains the only continent where genuine spirituality for religion is being practiced.
“So, African traditional religion instead of being discarded and criticized today should rather be the leading model as far as authentic spirituality and genuine respect for God are concerned.
“Christianity and Islam are un-African and this poses serious problems in the ways and manners Africans go about their daily spiritual life”.
Taking a critical look at Western democratic import, the scholar noted: “I argue that the present efforts by the West to make democracy amenable to the vagaries of the African condition will never yield positive result unless such a quest draws on the valuable assets in the indigenous practice of democracy in pre-colonial African societies.
“It is on record that African cultural heritage is rich in ideas, precepts and values that define good governance and that to lay the foundation for sustainable democratic politics and culture, these values and precepts must be taken into serious consideration”.
For Africa and Africans to move on to technological glory in the face of a new tool recently invented by Western democratic capitalists: artificial intelligence, Prof. Ngamen Kouassi has a word of advice: “Consequently, and as a matter of urgency, the African philosopher should also advance his own social theories which should express both African values and aspirations. This is what in a way justifies my humble use of the concepts of “monkeyism” theory and the “de-monkeyism” answer or ideology.”
On the way forward out of the present precarious situation in Africa, Prof. Ngamen Kouassi had counselled thus: “In the quest for the de-monkeyism’ answer, African peoples should, as a matter of urgency and necessity, re-decolonize their current mentality vis-à- vis the West…It has now become a fact that all the technical and scientific theories, all the analyses of cultures and races, all the attempts to establish the innate inferiority of the black man are vain efforts and there – after, fallacious. In order words, the good news is that despite all efforts to prove that the black man belonged to a lower species than the whites, it was too much to be an ape”.
The intellectual giant finally hit the nail on the head thus: “I humbly submit that it is high time for present day Africans to go beyond the blame game attitude because Africa is not the only continent that has been colonized.
“The Koreans, Vietnamese, Chinese, French, to mention a few, were also colonized, but look at where they are today in terms of genuine development! Why should our own case be different? Africa must wake up.
“The above-mentioned countries dreamt and woke up to realize their dreams. It is high time for Africa to follow suit. We must re-decolonize our current mentality, invent and innovate according to our specific areas of specialization and strength because there lies the hope of Africa”.
As Africa grapples with new economic and technological realities and given the fact that many African government’s official policies are seriously marred by poor financial decisions making and deep-rooted corruption, Prof. Ngamen Kouassi is championing a resounding rejection of western initiated intellectual fiat. He holds a PhD in Philosophy of the University of Port-Harcourt; he is the Dean, Postgraduate Studies, Glorious Vision University, Ogwa, Edo State, Nigeria.
His research interests include Ethics, Cultural and Political Philosophy, Existentialism and Phenomenology, and Metaphysics/Ontology, while his works such as Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking; Nigerian Peoples and Cultures; Is There such Thing as African Culture in the 21st Century?; A Philosophical Appraisal; Modern Nigeria and the Roots of Corruption: A Historic -Philosophical Analysis; The State, Nationhood, Ethno-politics and Democracy in Modern Africa,
The above references speak volumes about his intellectual sagacity, resourcefulness and composure and a man who extols the virtues of non- conformity and self-reliance.
Consistent and tenacious in his realistic appraisal of the African academic environment, Prof. Ngamen Kouassi is a sufficient and objective evidence of a world class intellectual powerhouse. And with cloud and class he is one of the emerging African intellectuals who has attracted the cosmic to intervene in the interest of African intellectual liberty.
Cyrille Ngamen Kouassi’s qualifications, experience, and expertise in philosophy and logic make him a strong candidate for teaching positions in Western universities, even as he has demonstrated his deep scholarship at the National Open University of Nigeria, lgbinedion University, Okada, and University of Benin, Benin City, as course writer/developer and external examiner.
Kouassi’s huge expertise in African philosophy, cultural studies, and logic could be an asset to Western universities seeking to diversify their faculty and curriculum. One thing is undisputably clear here, Prof. Ngamen Kouassi is the classical father of “Monkeyism” and “De-Monkeyism” answer.
Nowinta Igbotako, is a serial author, media/research consultant, & international conflict resolution expert @ Nigeria Good Governance Research Centre, Abuja.
