Big Questions, Bigger Insights

From September 27–29, the ANSA Conference will be the place where philosophy comes down from the ivory tower and lands squarely in the middle of everyday life. Old mates, new faces, fresh debates, and hopefully fewer PowerPoint slides than you fear. Because philosophy, after all, isn’t just about asking “Why?”—it’s about asking it together. Frankfurt, get ready. ANSA 2024 is coming.

Keynote Spotlights:

• Dr. Abosede Ipadeola takes us straight to the heart of humanity. Her talk explores African existential perspectives on what it means to be human—because if the 21st century has taught us anything, it’s that our crises aren’t just about technology or politics, but about identity, existence, and survival.
• Prof. Dr. José P. Castiano and Queeneth N. Mkabela-Castiano dive into Ubuntu and Ancestry. Forget buzzwords—this is philosophy in action: how sayings, proverbs, and ancestral narratives actually shape our education, politics, and economies today. (Spoiler: Ubuntu isn’t just a software system, it’s a way of life).

Participants Bringing the Fire (and the Brains)

Of course, a conference is only as rich as the voices in the room, and this year’s lineup is pure gold:

• Osée N´tcha zooms into Mudimbe’s intercultural philosophy, reminding us that philosophy has always been about crossing borders—sometimes literally. Ancient Greeks learned in Egypt, modern thinkers wrestle with colonial legacies, and today’s questions demand intercultural answers.
• Dr. Christopher Boafo brings the conversation to the everyday struggles and triumphs of African academics in Germany. His interactive workshop will dig into identity, belonging, and how Africanness is both a challenge and a superpower in higher education abroad.
• Eduardo F. Buanaissa unpacks Habermas’ Communicative Rationality in a postcolonial lens. Translation: How do we talk (and listen!) across the Global South and North without falling back into old power games? Heavy stuff, but exactly what philosophy is meant to tackle.
• Innocent Muhwezi draws bold parallels between Ubuntu and Existentialism. Think Sartre meets community values, Heidegger meets collective well-being. The result? Fresh insights on how freedom, responsibility, and togetherness might just save our daily lives.

The ANSA Conference 2024 isn’t just about African and European philosophies—it’s about showing how ideas shape how we eat, work, argue, forgive, build, and dream. It’s about weaving traditions together, challenging stereotypes, and finding common ground in a world that often feels more divided than united. So pack your notebooks, your curiosity, and maybe a proverb or two from home. Whether you’re a seasoned scholar, a philosophy newbie, or just someone who’s ever wondered, “What does it really mean to be human?”, this conference will give you food for thought—and probably actual good food, too (Frankfurt knows what’s up). SEE YOU THERE!

Bild Source: https://www.goodthingsguy.com/opinion/ubuntu-the-philosophy-we-need-to-all-follow-right-now/