The Dao of the Dusty Foot Philosopher - Reflections on African Mysticism

Is there an African mysticism?

If so, in what way is it African? 

Can the one presented in the book "The Dao of the Dusty Foot Philosopher" be called an African mysticism?

African or not, why do we need mysticism anyways?

By way of answering these questions, allow me to briefly introduce "The Dao (the Way) of the Dusty Foot Philosopher):  

“Mystic wayfaring is not a luxury, nor only an engagement of the elite. Each human is created with a soul. That places a mystic thirst of one kind or another in each one. Mystic wayfaring is a journey [of personal fulfillment] that everyone, everywhere, takes, at all stages of one’s development and throughout humanity’s history. Only, some may consciously live it while others may not...” (O Pulto: A Thousand Versions of Love. P. Xiii)

One of the implications of the above assertion is that, any culture may have consciously or unconsciously developed its own form of mysticism, however much rudimentary. The stages of mystic quest or personal journey I present in the book “The Dao (Way) of the Dusty Foot Philosopher” are inspired by ancient Chinese stories. However, the Way as a whole is not a Chinese way of life. It is Africanized or made more generally applicable to any person of any culture. However, I prefer to call it an African mysticism for many reasons.

        

The way I see it, an African mysticism is a practical mysticism - a way of life Africans lived and achieved; achieved and are living it as it is a kind of mysticism where the process is not detached from the result. It cannot be purely African, for there is no such thing as pure culture - a culture untainted by other cultures. It doesn’t adhere to any particular philosophy or way of life either. Africans have seen many of humanity’s mental and spiritual experiments; probably more so than any other people. Contrary to the popular notion, we Africans are not resistant to change. We might be slow in the taking. That could be our way.

The feet of the African wayfarer are dirty, for s/he has been through a lot. Not only dirt though, s/he also picked the select nectars of every garden her/his weary feet carried her/him to. If we agree that there is an African mysticism, it is at best the distillation of all these experiences – a distillation in the African pot of holism (a way of life that knows no dichotomy between material and spiritual, life before death and life after death, etc, as can be exemplified by the Ubuntu philosophy.). And, it is not a finished product. As it is a lived and living philosophy, it keeps on evolving. So, The Dao of the Dusty Foot Philosopher could be one of these kinds of mysticism. 

Due to the pinches and rushes of the time, many indigenous communities in Africa are fast losing their traditional way. The irony is that this is the time we badly need it. All would agree that, to shape a generation that knows harmonious coexistence beyond the principles of tolerance, and to create citizens and institutions free from all kinds of corruption, the work should be started today and from every home. I believe African culture is a deeply spiritual culture. To motivate and sustain such a positive change, any approach to development, material as well as immaterial, should address this aspect of our culture as well. We need a holistic, consistent and evolving philosophy and way of life rooted in our tradition. The Dao of the Dusty Foot Philosopher is an attempt to construct such a framework.

(Source: O Pulto, The Dao of the Dusty Foot Philosopher –Born Out of a Thousand Versions of Love, P. 101 – 104. Modified for Blog)