https://doi.org/10.1177/0959354317742204 Theory & Psychology 2018, Vol. 28(1) 38–64 © The Author(s) 2017 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0959354317742204 journals.sagepub.com/home/tap African psychology and the emergence of the Madiban tradition Augustine Nwoye University of KwaZulu-Natal Abstract The recent welcome inclusion of the study of African psychology within the psychology degree curriculum of some forward-thinking African universities has been lauded as a great positive drive in the right direction. In the past, the practices that prevailed were those of mainstream Western psychology imported to Africa. This awkward situation originated during the period of colonialism and the emergence of missionary Christianity in Africa. This article proposes that if the current positive attitude toward African psychology is to last and bear fruit, there is a need to formally inaugurate a new order or tradition (referred to in this paper as the Madiban tradition) that would anchor and open up the study of psychology in African universities towards a new future: a future in which the progressive arm of both Western and African approaches to psychology would coexist and enjoy enduring mutual respect and equitable participatory presence in these programmes. This paper highlights the theoretical framework undergirding this vision and the challenges to be faced and new shifts to be made in implementing such a vision. Keywords African-centred psychology, African psychology, Black psychology, Madiban tradition, Psychology in Africa Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter. (Chinua Achebe, as cited in Brooks, 1994, p. 3) Every man has what is his: do not bypass him to enter his compound. (Achebe, 1987, p. 123) Corresponding author: Augustine Nwoye, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg Campus, Pietermaritzburg 3209, South Africa. Email: nwoye@ukzn.ac.za 742204TAP 0 0 10.1177/0959354317742204Theory & PsychologyNwoye research-article 2017 Article