The concept of the Person among the African people.

In his book African Religions, Benjamin C. Ray indicates that African people will always be thought of first of all as a member of a particular family and will be defined through that lineage.[1] Mbiti agrees with him when he says: “The individual is conscious of himself in terms of ‘I am because we are and since we are, therefore we are.’”[2] I agree with this because when I am at home I will always be called by more than one name. There is an African proverb that says, ‘a beautiful child has more than one name’, a clear indication that those names help to show your lineage and connections within your family.  I would normally be called Irungu wa Mwangi na Waithira kuma mbari ya acera muhiriga wa aciku (Irungu son of Mwangi and Waithira from the clan of Acera in the lineage of aciku). Benjamin compares this view with the Western concept of identity and points out a major difference. He says from a Western view someone’s identity is defined by a private self, which is independent of family bonds and local roots.[3]

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[1] Benjamin C. Ray,Africa Religions,2007,92

[2] Mbiti, African Religions and Philosophy,282

[3] Benjamin C. Ray,Africa Religions,2007, 92