Africa and Environmental Ethics Justin Sobion

Children get your culture…. And don’t stay there and gesture – Bob

Marley

As a descendant from the continent of Africa I admit that sometimes I get distracted – or better yet – d r o w n e d o u t by the din of the outside world. The Western media, the wasteful consumption nor do my German Adidas footwear reflect anything of my cultural lineage. A prominent political theorist described “sovereignty” as closet-Eurocentric since the concepts of “sovereignty” and “territorial borders” are premised on the Peace of Westphalia, 1648 Later, during the Berlin Conference (1884-1885), the African continent was divided into colonial sovereign outposts. Today Africa could never be 55 sovereign states. Africa is one mighty continent! We should never bow to divide and rule.

As a continent, African philosophy has much to offer in terms of how to live sustainably The myopic culture of the “Wild Wild West” only teaches us to pump, process, consume, waste, and repeat This culture is not concerned about the welfare of the Earth and future generations. Why care when you have oil lining the pockets of your trousers, staining your fine linen socks? Our ancestors have taught us that land cannot be owned and that it belongs to the community, which comprises past, present, and future generations Dig deep into the African roots and culture and you will find environmental ethics – rules on how to care and nurture planet Earth. As the aphorism goes – we do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, We borrow it for our children.