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AFRICAN LEGAL PHILOSOPHY
African Legal Philosophy (ALP) like all philosophies it is still developing and evolving, but it is an important part of the decolonisation of Africa to be actively involved in this development.

The nature of legal philosopy
In the first place there are those who from a Eurocentric viewpoint, argue that African Legal Philosophy does not exist at all. this is mostly based on the fact that ALP does not have a written tradition and has its origin in communal thinking. African philosophers reject this idea and point out that the continued survival and thriving of African societies indicates the presence of sophisticated concepts and ides. In the second place, there are those who argue that there might be something like ALP but that it's impossible to determine its content or substance. In this view legal rules in Africa are indistinguishable from customs and therefore, there is no legal system on which to base a philosophy. The third attitude towards this is that there is such a thing as ALP but it is not really all that different from Western legal philosophy. The last approach to this debate, and the one we prefer, is that there is a distinctive African philosophy of law. ALP will give expression to the desire for independence, authenticity and a postcolonial African identity. What is being put forward now is a diverse and alternative reality, while the narrative(storytelling) element in African philosophy is increasingly emphasised. '''Types of legal philosophy Ethnophilosophy is philosophy based on communal thought and collective wisdom that is traditionally orally transferred. It relies on metaphysical assumptions and traditional African wisdom and tends to combine philosophy, mysticism and religion while reason and critical analysis take a back seat. ALP regards sage philosophers as being responsible for addressing the fundamental issues relevant to their society. Nationalistic-ideological philosophy produce a unique political theory based on traditional African socialism. this type of philosophy can be found in the ideas of Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyere, Yomo Kenyatta and Leopold Senghor. This kind of Philosophy is closely related to ideas like Black Consciousness. '''Themes in African Legal Philosophy ALP is influenced by the ontological assumptions of African society. And that is determined by the integrated view that permeates through society. That view is based on the fact that religion, ethics, law and customs are closely intertwined and determine one another. Communitarianism The idea of communitarianism is very strong in ALP. In political theory it is tied to what can be called African Socialism. In ALP law is regarded as the safeguard of social existence.