Conceptions of “Child” among Traditional Africans: A Philosophical Purview

Abstract

In this paper, the researchers present a theoretical discussion of the notion of “child” in traditional African communities. The researchers’ premise is that different societies have unique conceptions of child and childhood hence each group of people have a peculiar philosophical outlook of a ‘child’ notwithstanding some similarities in places. While the researchers acknowledge that there is a multiple range of socio-cultural communities present in Africa, they submit that there are common threads that connect the African worldview. Their thesis is founded on their Shona background although they attempt to make comparisons with other African cultures. The researchers survey the different conceptions of the notion of child in traditional Africa from a historico-philosophical perspective.