About The Book

Over a quarter of a century has passed since Muntu was first published in English, but this landmark examination still provides one of the most in-depth looks at African and neo-African culture. In his insightful study, Janheinz Jahn surveys the whole range of traditional and modern African thought expressed in religion, language, philosophy, literature, art, music and dance. He demonstrates that African culture, far from being doomed to destruction or homogenization under the onslaught of the West, is evolving into a rich and independent civilization that is capable of incorporating those elements of the West that do not threaten its basic values. Muntu (the Bantu word for “human”) presents an invaluable insight into the foundations of the unique and vital tapestry of cultures that compromise Africa today.

Praise

“I got my first effective understanding of what it means to be African when I read Janheinz Jahn’s remarkable book. Muntu provided my first grounding in the primary assumptions, principles and concepts upon which African culture and world view are structured, and which constitute the philosophy of existence in which African feelings are born and nurtured.” –Calvin C. Hernton, from the Introduction

“A rare piece of scholarship.” –The New York Times Book Review