‘IGWEBUIKE’ AS A CONCEPTUALIZATION OF IGBO-AFRICAN WORLDVIEW

Abstract 

The relationships in the African universe point to the fact of the dynamics of a personal and  universal  world,  and  the  reality  that  the  human  person  is  a  composition  of  lived embodiment with the world while at the same time experiencing his/her own body. This interaction between the personal world of the human person and the universal world is possible because, just as the heart of the human person is in the body, so is the body of the human person in the world. As a being in the world, the human person nourishes the world  through  creativity,  while  the  world  nourishes  and  sustains  the  human  person. This interaction between the personal and universal worlds is a very important element in the understanding of the dynamics in the African worldview. It is in this regard that the  African  worldview  can  be  described  as  an  inter-subjective  and  complementary universe.  It  is  a  universe  that  remains  in  being  by  maintaining  a  balance  in  the relationships  between  complementary  realities.  This complementary  and  relational nature  of  the  universe  affects  the  way  the  African  understands  and  interprets  reality around him/her . This notwithstanding, with the recent studies in the area of Igwebuike philosophy and theology, the present researcher makes a co-relation between Igwebuike and the African worldview. This work discovered that Igwebuike is a conceptualization of the African worldview. It, therefore, understands Igwebuike as the African worldview, and the African worldview as Igwebuike. For the purpose of this research, the Igwebuike complementary approach would be employed.  

Keywords: Igwebuike, Complementarity, Inter-subjectivity, Worldview, Universe, African