Philosophy in the African cultural landscape is destined to be a practical, political task - a destiny imposed by the tragedies of history: slavery, colonialism, despotism, capitalism's indifference to the poor, and the lack of technology to combat disease, hunger, and poverty. This rich collection brings together many of the leading authorities on African political philosophy to present a variety of perspectives on this rapidly growing field. They seek to show that African philosophy can serve African people as a moral activity guided by the principles of practical reason in addressing problems of the basic structures of social, political, and economic institutions. Going beyond contemporary attempts to articulate a "defining essence" of African philosophy, they explore important new ideas about democracy, cultural traditions, oral traditions as philosophy, civil society, chieftancy, and political prability.