Professor Kwasi Wiredu, the renowned African philosopher and academic from Ghana, has passed on, aged 90.

Hailed as one of Africa’s greatest philosophers, Professor Wiredu’s work explored ideas on “logic, language, truth, personhood, ethics, and the nature of philosophy.” His writings argued for “conceptual decolonization” in African philosophy, while calling for the the inclusion of “folk knowledge from African culture” into philosophy.

Born in Kumasi in 1931, Wiredu attended the Anglican-run Adisadel College, where he first discovered philosophy through the works of Plato. Upon graduation in 1952, he enrolled in the University of Ghana, and later the University College, Oxford, earning a bachelors degree in Philosophy in 1960. After a brief position at the University College North Staffordshire, he returned to Ghana and took a position at his alma mater, where he would spend the next two decades lecturing in the department of Philosophy.

During this time, Wiredu authored several books and articles. One of his most famous essays is titled “How Not to Compare African Traditional Thought with Western Thought,” in which he emphasizes the need for a distinctive approach in dealing with African philosophy as opposed to the west. He is regarded as a pioneering figure in the area of African philosophical thought.

From 1987 until he retired, he was an Emeritus Professor at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

Follow this link to learn more about his books.

May his soul Rest In Peace.