Scientific enquiry and African culture: Exploring trajectories, nature and form

Anthony Yinzie ORCID iD & Ernest Owusu ORCID iD

Issue: Vol. 12 No.6 2026 Issue Article 4 pp.254 – 263
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/erats.20261264 Published online 31st  July 2026.
© 2026 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Views: 110
26 Downloads

DOWNLOAD PDF

Africa has rich cultural diversity, with indigenous knowledge at different levels serving as tools for its socio-economic development. While there seems to be some tension between scientific exploration and religio-cultural ontology, it is worth noting that science has long been part of African Culture, albeit indigenous in nature, making the African approach to science different from the Eurocentric approach. Therefore, this article examines African culture and traditions to showcase its appreciation of science, however, within its own worldview. Relying solely on secondary sources of data, it seeks to ascertain the relationship between African culture and scientific enquiry. This article contributes to the discourse on African epistemology by arguing that the African approach to science integrates what it observed in everyday life with broad philosophical ideas that can contribute to the global scientific discourse. It concludes that a well-developed outline for an African scientific approach is critical in Africa’s effort to engage in scientific dialogue between its culture and global science.

Keywords: Culture, Science, Scientific Enquiry, African Culture.

Afisi, Oseni Taiwo. “Is African Science True Science? Reflections on the Methods of African Science.” Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 5, no. 1 (2016): 59–75.

Akinnawonu, Benson Monehin, and O F Bolarinwa. “Science, Technology and Change: Implications to African Cultural Development,” n.d.

Akpan, Ikpe Justice, Onyebuchi Felix Offodile, Aloysius Chris Akpanobong, and Yawo Mamoua Kobara. “A Comparative Analysis of Virtual Education Technology, e-Learning Systems Research Advances, and Digital Divide in the Global South.” In Informatics, 11:53. MDPI, 2024.

Alem, Aderajew. “African Systems of Thought and Scientific Knowledge.” Addis Ababa University, 2016.

Alifa, Samuel. “African Traditional Religion and Its Relationship with Nature.” Njiko: A Multi-Disciplinary Journal of Humanities, Law, Education and Social Sciences 1, no. 1 (2023): 81–93.

Asira, E, and P Bisong. “Western and African Conception of Cause and Effect: Impact on Scientific Development.” International Journal of Research in Arts and Social Sciences 8, no. 1 (2015): 24–29.

Awolalu, Joseph Omosade. “What Is African Traditional Religion?” Studies in Comparative Religion 10, no. 2 (1976): 1–10.

Barbour, Ian G. “Experiencing and Interpreting Nature in Science and Religion.” Zygon® 29, no. 4 (1994): 457–87.

Becker, Howard. “Science, Culture, and Society.” Philosophy of Science 19, no. 4 (1952): 273–87.

Chukwuka, Ebele C. “African Contextual Hermeneutics.” Verbum et Ecclesia 43, no. 1 (April 19, 2022). https://doi.org/10.4102/ve.v43i1.2406.

Creswell, John W, and J David Creswell. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. Sage Publications, 2017.

Dei, George J Sefa. “Rethinking the Role of Indigenous Knowledges in the Academy.” International Journal of Inclusive Education 4, no. 2 (2000): 111–32.

Ezedike, E O. “African Culture and the African Personality: From Footmarks to Landmarks on African Philosophy.” Somolu: Obaroh and Ogbinaka Publishers, 455 (2009).

Hallen, Barry, and Kwasi Wiredu. “Science and African Culture.” In Princeton Workshop Papers. Available Online: Https://Citeseerx. Ist. Psu. Edu/Document, 2013.

Harding, Sandra. Is Science Multicultural?: Postcolonialisms, Feminisms, and Epistemologies. Indiana University Press, 1998.

Hountondji, Paulin J. African Philosophy: Myth and Reality. Indiana University Press, 1996.

Idang, Gabriel E. “African Culture and Values.” Phronimon 16, no. 2 (2015): 97–111.

Ijekeye, Julius. “The Future of African Science in a Global Context: A Philosophical Analysis.” In Leadership, Education and Innovation: Shaping Africa’s Role in Global Stability and Development Proceedings of the 2024 International Conference of APAS, 68, 2024.

Kuhn, Thomas S. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Vol. 962. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1997.

M’Bow, Amadou-Mahtar. “Culture, Integration and African Renaissance.” International Journal of African Renaissance Studies – Multi-, Inter- and Transdisciplinarity 2, no. 1 (July 2007): 101–6. https://doi.org/10.1080/18186870701384293.

Nieminen, Petteri, Juuso Loikkanen, Esko Ryökäs, and Anne-Mari Mustonen. “Nature of Evidence in Religion and Natural Science.” Theology and Science 18, no. 3 (July 2, 2020): 448–74. https://doi.org/10.1080/14746700.2020.1786221.

Nyamnjoh, Francis B. “Blinded by Sight: Divining the Future of Anthropology in Africa.” Africa Spectrum 47, no. 2–3 (2012): 63–92.

Ogungbure, Adebayo Anthony. “African Indigenous Knowledge: Scientific or Unscientific?” Inkanyiso 5, no. 1 (2013): 12–20.

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. “‘Religion and Science.’ ,” 2022.

Tosam, Mbih Jerome, and Kizitor Mbuwir. “Peter Singer and the Deification of Modern Science: An Ethical Exploration.” Open Journal of Philosophy 5, no. 01 (2015): 87–95.

Unah, Jim. “‘Ontologico–Epistemological Background to Authentic African Socio-Economic and Political Institutions.” Footmarks on African Philosophy, 1995, 107–23.

Vatsyayan, Kapila. “Science and Culture. World Affairs.” The Journal of International Issues 14, no. 4 (2010): 149–56.

Wiredu, Kwasi. Cultural Universals and Particulars: An African Perspective. Indiana University Press, 1996.

Anthony Yinzie is a rising scholar whose research cuts across religion, culture and human development. His research interests span African Traditional Religion, Christianity, Biblical Studies, Practical Theology, and Public Theology. He is currently an MPhil student at the Department of Religion and Human Development, KNUST, where his research explores the interaction between the Christian faith and indigenous African culture in the Frankadua community of Ghana. He is also pursuing an MA in Biblical Studies and Practical Theology at the University of Gold Coast, Accra. His work seeks to contribute to conversations on faith, culture and development in contemporary Africa.

Ernest Owusu is an emerging researcher whose work cuts across multiple disciplines. He has a strong interest in the fields of Sustainable Development, African Traditional Religion, Ecumenical Studies, Practical Theology, and Eco-theology. He is a published author with one of his works published in six international languages. He recently completed his PhD thesis at KNUST, which examined the Christian response to climate change and poverty in the Bekwai Municipality of Ghana. He is currently a graduate research assistant in the Department of Protestant Studies at the University of Bonn, Germany.

Yinzie, Anthony and Ernest Owusu. “Scientific enquiry and African culture: Exploring trajectories, nature and form.” E-Journal of Religious and Theological Studies 12, no.6 (2026): 254 – 263. https://doi.org/10.38159/erats.20261264

© 2026 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Articles in this Issue

About Journal