By Prof. Januarius J. Asongu (Originally published in the peer-reviewed journal, Lefem: A Multidisciplinary Journal of Transformation Education, Vul. II, No. 1, 2024, pp. 3-10.)
Reflecting on the life of late Professor Andrew Bongasu Tanla-Kishani is like going back to the golden age of Greek philosophy (the 5th century BC), where ideas rioted upon the earth and the great philosophers were kings.
As a scholar of international repute, “King” Bongasu governed his subjects, scattered across the globe, in both poetry and prose, and in languages as diverse as English, French, Italian, Spanish, German…, and most importantly, his native Lamnso. Like many prophets, but unlike another son of Nso, Prof. Bernard Nsokika Fonlon (Shufai Ntoondrev) who was famously described as “Socrates in Cameroon,” Bongasu’s kingship was never officially recognized in his Nso homeland with a “Shufaiship.”
Yet, Bongasu’s reign will endure forever in his books, which included Konglanjo: Spears of Love Without Ill-Fortune (1988/2010) and A Basket of Kola Nuts (2009) both written in English, and Kpu e Go’ e Njem (1998) and Mfi’ Se Tan (1999) both written in his native Lamnso. While the aforementioned texts highlight his poetic ingenuity, his articles in such reputable journals as Présence Africaine (where he was an editor), Loquitur, Quest: Philosophical Discussions, African Studies Review, Abbia: Cameroon Cultural Review, among others, took him beyond literary flamboyance to the realm of philosophy, where he established a bona fide reputation as an African philosopher.
I was not surprised to learn that weeks before he passed on to eternity, he was attempting to update an article, originally written in Spanish, and published in the 1980s on the topic of eugenics. This not only reveals that he remained a philosopher even unto death, but that his philosophy, though Afro-centric was universal in appeal. Although I haven’t had the privilege of reading the article, eugenics is an area of mutual interest as bioethicists. It aims at improving the genetic quality of a human population, and historically, eugenicists have attempted to alter human gene pools by excluding people and groups judged to be inferior or promoting those judged to be superior. The concept predates the term, as Plato (c400 BC) is known to have suggested the selective breeding to humans. Today, eugenics is closely associated with scientific racism, while modern bioethicists who advocate new eugenics characterize it as a way of enhancing individual traits, regardless of group membership. Eugenics has seen a revival in bioethical discussions on the usage of new technologies such as Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) and genetic screening, with heated debate around whether these technologies should be considered eugenics or not. These were the type of discussions I used to have with him over thirty years ago in the Anselmian spirit of faith seeking understanding.
I am humbled to be counted among Prof. Bongasu Tanla-Kishani’s students. I first encountered this eccentric, but versatile character on the pages of Abbia in 1990, while I was studying for the Catholic priesthood at St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary, Bambui. I was inspired by the fact that he was a former seminarian who had studied at Bigard Memorial Seminary, Enugu, Nigeria, and one of the pontifical universities in Rome. I then quickly familiarized myself with his vast contributions to philosophy and literature. I also took advantage of the fact that he was on the faculty of the nearby School of Education in Bambili (popularly known as ENS) to establish a personal relationship with him. The dividends of our friendship have been enormous, despite the age gap of 26 years – born in 1944 he is about my dad’s age! I am privileged to call him my mentor and friend, although we were separated by distance and had not communicated since 2015.
Prof. Bongasu Tanla-Kishani accepted and diligently guided me as an unofficial supervisor of my Bachelor of Philosophy dissertation from the Pontifical Urbanian University entitled The Problem of National Unity in Cameroon: A Politico-Philosophical Appraisal (1993). Out of profound respect for his intellectual and moral integrity, I named him the President of Saint Monica University (SMU), Buea, during the inception phase in 2012. However, following its official creation in 2013, and my decision to return to Buea to personally run the university, we agreed to swap positions, where he became the Chancellor and Chair of the Board of Regents, while I became the President and Chief Executive Officer. He then served as the pioneer Chancellor of SMU from 2013-2015. In recognition of his scholarship and contribution to SMU, the university will be renaming its Presidential Scholarship as the Prof. Bongasu Tanla-Kishani Scholarship.
Although it was his philosophical ideas that endeared me to him, I had no doubts that I was communing with an African literary giant, having won the 1990 Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) award for his 1988 collection of poems, Konglanjo. Like other African writers born during the colonial era such as Kenjo wan Jumbam, Wole Soyinka, Ngugi wa Thiongo, Chinua Achebe, Linus T. Asong, Mbella Sonne Dipoko, Sankie Maimo, Bernard Fonlon etc., Bangasu’s literature draws heavily on indigenous African oral traditions, highlighting African values while castigating some of the ills introduced to Africa through Western colonial influences. However, Bongasu’s literature and even the choice of language is heavily influenced by his philosophy.
Prof. Bongasu Tanla-Kishani join other notable scholars like Joseph Ki-Zerbo, Burkinabé former seminarian, historian, politician, and writer; Jacob Festus Adeniyi Ajayi, one of the fathers of African history; and Fr. Placide Temples whose pioneering work, Bantu Philosophy, was a practical afront on Hegel’s claim that Africans were incapable of a philosophy, theology and even history. However, Bongasu’s unique contribution is in the field of the philosophy of language, where he defended a two-volume, 829-page doctoral thesis entitled “Les philosophies d'expression orale chez les Nso' du Cameroun: essai sur la pluralité Culturelle” at the prestigious University of Paris I, Sorbonne. I had the distinguished pleasure of reading the work in 1990 and found it overwhelming for two reasons – as a first-year undergraduate student of philosophy, I had not studied philosophy enough to fully comprehend a highly nuanced doctoral thesis in philosophy; and the thesis was in French, a language that I have never claimed competency in. The good news is that he verbally answered whatever questions I had. Though I have never sat behind a desk in any of his classrooms, I learned from him more than I have ever learned from any of my philosophy professors – thus I consider myself his student.
His writings have addressed many philosophical questions, from ethical issues like eugenics, to linguistics, gender issues, decolonization, education, culture, and even naming protocols and ultimately the philosophy of language. In analytic philosophy, the philosophy of language investigates the nature of language and the relations between language, language users, and the world. Focusing on Lamnso, Prof. Bongasu Tanla-Kishani investigated the nature of meaning, intentionality, reference, the constitution of sentences, concepts, learning, and thought. He did for an African language (Lamnso), what pivotal figures like Bertrand Russell and Ludwig Wittgenstein did in Western Europe. With regards to the naming protocol, he was critical of the Western naming formula, and suggested a new formula inspired, but not limited to Nso culture. The latter resulted in him changing his name from Andrew Bongasu Kishani to Bongasu Tanla-Kishani, with Tanla being his mother’s name and Kishani, his dad’s. Although I have not changed my name, he influenced the way I named my three children – they each carry both their mom and my name as their compound “last name.”
My major divergence with Prof. Bongasu Tanla-Kishani has been that I don’t define African philosophy as necessarily a defense of African ideas and values. For me, an African philosopher is an African who philosophizes (like Bongasu himself) or anyone (including none-Africans) who philosophizes on issues of value to Africans (like the Belgian priest, Fr. Temples). For instance, while I consider myself an American and African philosopher, I have adopted an eclectic approach to philosophy and can be very critical of certain anachronistic African “values.” I am also critical of “communal philosophy,” given that philosophy is often the result of an individual’s critical thoughts, even when they are influenced by his/her lived reality, community, or worldview. At the center of my philosophy is my epistemological approach, which is anchored on Karl Popper, whom I was first introduced to in 1992 by another son of Nso, Prof. Godfrey B. Tangwa.
As a bilingual Sub-editor of Presence Africaine in Paris 1975-1981, Bongasu Tanla-Kishani organized the 1977 “Seminar for African and African-American Diaspora Writers” in London. He died while servings as the President of the Nso’ Literate Language Organization (NLLO) since 2008 after having served in the same function from 1989-1996. Under his leadership, NLLO initiated an annual Lamnso journal, Ñgoèn Nso’ in 2010. In addition, he taught philosophy at the University of Yaounde, Cameroun, for over a generation, retiring as an Associate Professor, and was a Fulbright Senior Research Scholar in the Department of Philosophy at Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA, United States of America. Prof. Bongasu Tanla-Kishani was a very humble man, never self-promoting! Unfortunately, this resulted in him not receiving the honors he deserved.
As a faithful Catholic Christian who trained for the Catholic priesthood, but wasn’t ordained, Prof. Bongasu Tanla-Kishani was not just acquainted with disappointments, but also familiar with the Good Friday “Reproaches,” or Improperia, which are among the most unsettling prayers of the Church’s liturgical tradition. They are fitting for one of the most unsettling personalities from Nso who has passed into eternity during this season of lent (February 23, 2024). While the humble professor will dare not challenge his people with “Popule meus, quid feci tibi?”, being unencumbered with any of the trappings of the Nso culture, I will dare to rewrite the Reproaches for Prof. Bongasu Tanla-Kishani:
My people, what have I done to you?
How have I offended you? Answer me!
I spotted Ngonnso at the Ethnological Museum in Dahlem, Berlin,
Brought global attention to it, leading to its planned repatriation to Nso.
The Nso goddess will be yours again; but I won’t be counted among your lords!
I led the transformation of Lamnso from an oral to a written language;
Wrote poems in Lamnso; and translated the Cameroun anthem from English to Lamnso;
But you won’t compose a single song to celebrate me!
I was one of the pioneer tutors at St. Augustine College, Nso,
Putting a pulse on my academic journey upon graduation from St. Joseph College, Sasse;
But you let me die in near obscurity.
My people, what have I done to you?
How have I offended you? Answer me!
Holy is God! Holy and strong! Holy immortal One, have mercy on us!
While extending my deepest condolences to his family and friends, it is my sincere prayer that more people would come to know and appreciate Prof. Andrew Bongasu Tanla-Kishani, even in death. May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace. Amen!