Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 159 Race, Ethnicity and a Post-racial/ethnic Future: A Philosophical Reflection https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ft.v10i2.10 Submission: March 12, 2021 Acceptance: September 5, 2021 Ovett NWOSIMIRI Department of Philosophy, University of Kwa-Zulu Natal Email: ovettmore@gmail.com ORCID: 0000-0003-3596-0717 Abstract Ethnicity and racial identity formation are elements of our social world. In recent years, there has been numerous works on ethnicity and race. Both concepts are controversial in different disciplines. The controversies around these concepts have been heated up by scholars who have devoted their time to the discourse of ethnicity and race, and to understand the ascription of both concepts. Ethnicity and race have been causes of conflict, prejudice and discrimination among various ethnic and racial groups around the world. Thus, this paper is an attempt to discuss and critically reflect about race, ethnicity and a post-racial/ethnic future in line with Emmanuel Chukwudi Eze’s idea of the post-racial future. Keywords: Ethnicity, Nigeria, Post-racial future, Race, South Africa Introduction Ethnicity and race are issues that have edged to the forefront of social sciences and philosophical debate, respectively. Both concepts are endemic in today’s world and certain historical events like colonialism and apartheid have led to the heated debate about both concepts. Nigeria and South Africa’s history of development reveals the grip of historical exigencies connected to ethnicity and race in both countries. In this paper, I will use Nigeria and South Africa as examples. My reason for this is that both countries are good paradigms for the discourse of ethnicity and race. In spite of many years of independence from colonial rule, ethnicity and race remain a big source of problem and conflict in both Nigeria and South Africa. More specifically, Nigeria experienced ethnic conflict because of ethnic and religious differences, while South Africa experienced race conflict because of racial and socio-economic differences. Consequently, I would like to underscore that what I have witnessed in both countries are the reason behind this reflection. This paper is divided into three sections. In the first section, I will briefly define ethnicity and race, and show that both concepts are akin to the idea of community in Africa. In the second section, I will attempt to show, very briefly, how certain historical events like colonialism and apartheid have caused past exigencies that have led to ethnic and racial divisions in Nigeria and South Africa. I will also argue that in view of the definition of ethnicity in the first section, ethnicity, ethnic conflict, prejudice and discrimination; and race, racial conflict, prejudice and discrimination are not synonymous or equivalent. In the third section, in line with Emmanuel Chukwudi Eze’s idea of the post-racial future, I will discuss and critically reflect about race, ethnicity and a post-racial/ethnic future.