Scientific Journal of Arts, Humanities and Social Science Abbreviated Key Title: Sci Jr Art Huma Soc Sci ISSN 2788-9416 (Print) ISSN 2788-9424 (Online) Volume-1 | Issue-3 | Oct-Nov-2021 | Quick Response Code Journal homepage: https://isrpgroup.org/sjahss/ Copyright @ 2021 IARCON, All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means as per the standard guidelines of fair use. Creative Commons License Open Access by IARCON is licensed under Creative Commons License a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Article History Received: 10.11.2021 Accepted: 20.11.2021 Published: 30.11.2021 1 DOI: 10.47310/srjhss.2021.v01i03.001 Review Article Rethinking African Philosophy and Traditional Value System amidst Modernity Deezia, Burabari Sunday *1 and Dr. Grace Lawrence-Hart 2 1 Department of Religious and Cultural Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria 2 PhD, Department of Religious and Cultural Studies, Faculty of Humanities, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education Rumuolemini, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria *Corresponding Author DEEZIA BURABARI SUNDAY Abstract: For centuries African philosophy and value system were denied; African philosophers, schools of thoughts, and traditions were not recognized as part of world philosophy; as a result, pre-colonial African cultures, and societies were labeled “ahistorical,” “primitive,” “paganistic,” “savage,” and “juju,” among other terms. Africans were thought to be unable to think critically an d to lack the kind of consciousness or mentality that promotes development. This condemnation ideology, which defines everything “good to be white” and everything “bad to be black”, provided the western audience the moral ground for the destruction of the African so ciety in all forms and manifestations. This study therefore focuses on the place of African philosophy and value system amidst modernity. It adopts the modernization theory of Max Weber and Talcott Parsons. Using the descriptive method, the study revealed that African philosophy, religion, value system and civilization have all been misinterpreted, misrepresented and completely misunderstood. The study argues that cultural features, worldviews, and belief systems have a significant impact on science and technology, philosophy and values, priorities and ideas, skills and ethics. This implies that all societies, even the modern world, are traditional societies. As such, African worldview and thought pattern constitute their philosophy. The paper maintains that African philosophy must transcend abstract reflection. That is to say, now that African philosophy has attained global recognition, there is the need for scholars to apply its principles toward person-oriented development. Keywords: Modernity, African Philosophy, African Value System. INTRODUCTION The cultural expressions of African traditional civilization touch deep responsive chords in the people. This is owing to the fact that they draw on an authentic legacy to help define the shared image of self and community, resulting in a collectivity that is distinct from other human societies. This is because, regardless of race or color, a person‟s worldview and environment forms and influences his thought pattern, which may be viewed as their own philosophy, and thus defines their common values. Consequently, the thought pattern or world view of a people constitutes their philosophy; thus, in layman‟s terms, African philosophy can be defined as African way of thinking and rationalizing situations around them. This dynamic philosophy is as old as the African race and was acquired through years of migration, interaction, experience, and environment. It is expressed in every sphere of their live, including but not limited to African value system, epistemology, logic, metaphysics, ethics, and so on. However, with the advent of western expansion, western-oriented manner of behavior and knowledge; Africans were denied of history, philosophy, religion, civilization, culture, and a value system. Follon, in his view, dismisses African philosophy as little more than “that philosophy” which his colleagues, Placide Frans and Tempel, initiated (Asiegbu, 2009). In a poignant way, the foregoing remark highlights the relevance of African philosophy. In other words, if philosophy is not western-that is, if philosophy is not a study of European and American philosophies- it is considered “false” and “unreal” by western and some African researchers, and is frequently categorized as part of African Traditional