ABSTRACT
This paper will argue that there are many wise sages in Africa who merit further study by philosophers and others. H. Odera Oruka of the University of Nairobi was motivated to record the sages' wisdom, which had been passed down locally and orally, so that the larger philosophical community could become aware of them and benefit from their knowledge. In academic circles, Odera Oruka's project, called "sage philosophy," became embroiled in the larger controversy over whether there was philosophy in Africa. In fact, critics such as Dismas Masolo and Paulin Hountondji suggest that the entire sage philosophy project started off on the wrong foot insofar as it was a defensive reaction to European claims, as well as the claims of negritude thinkers like Senghor, that Africa was innocent of rational thought and philosophy.1 Questions arise about the mixed motivation of the project-was it really to share the wisdom of the sages, or just to tell scoffers "you are wrong about Africa"? Several direct quotes from Odera Oruka himself show that the project started back in I977 as a reaction to a challenge from skeptics. However, considering the sustained growth of the movement, it has surely survived and outgrown its initial external instigation.2
