The decolonisation of knowledge emerges as an urgent epistemological task in the face of persistent global hierarchies that naturalise the supremacy of the Eurocentric paradigm. It is a radical critique of the perpetuation of hegemonic structures of power and knowledge. The concept of the coloniality of knowledge, formulated by Aníbal Quijano, demonstrates how colonialism, even after its formal political end, consolidated an epistemic hierarchy that marginalises and silences non-Western forms of knowing. Within this framework, African epistemologies were marginalised and subjected to epistemicide, that is, the symbolic and material annihilation of knowledge systems, cosmologies, and indigenous philosophies.
Decolonial thought goes beyond mere denunciation: it represents an affirmative project aimed at restoring the ontological and methodological validity of African knowledge. Intellectuals from the continent and the diaspora have, for decades, questioned the invisibilisation of their cognitive matrices and asserted their legitimacy. This movement does not merely seek to insert subaltern voices into the Western academic canon, but to reconfigure the very foundations of knowledge production, validation, and dissemination.
Overcoming the coloniality of knowledge requires dismantling the epistemic racism that devalues African intellectual productions. It entails recognising that reason and science are not monopolies of the West, and that other universes of meaning, rooted in distinct logics and ontologies, possess an equal capacity to generate valid knowledge. The valorisation of indigenous philosophies, non-hegemonic historical narratives, and methodologies grounded in African societies is crucial for building a pluralist scientific paradigm.
Yet the decolonisation of knowledge is not limited to theory; it requires concrete actions. Cultural restitution, for instance, holds a central place. The return of artefacts and objects looted during colonisation is not merely an act of historical justice, but also a symbolic and practical step towards the reconstruction of fragmented identities. More than objects, what is restored are memories, narratives, and knowledge, enabling communities of origin to re-signify their histories.
Equally necessary are institutional and political practices. The promotion of transnational intercultural dialogues, which acknowledge the coexistence of multiple rationalities, constitutes a pathway towards cognitive justice. Reformulating academic curricula and valuing research aligned with non-Western perspectives is essential to freeing academia from its colonial constraints. Ultimately, the decolonisation of knowledge is not solely an intellectual exercise: it is a civilisational project that restores Africa’s role as an active subject of history and thought, contributing to the construction of a more just and plural world.