Paper short abstract:

In this paper, we discuss the ways in which autochthonous beliefs and social, political institutions interact in post-colonial Africa, from the standpoint of the possible role of knowledge in shaping social life in the African countries now and in the future.

Paper long abstract:

In this paper, we discuss the ways in which autochthonous beliefs and social, political institutions interact in post-colonial Africa. We look at Africa's pre-colonial and colonial past as a substantial background for it's current socio-political situation. In particular, we discuss the situation in Liberia, Tanzania, and Zambia. We focus on the impact of autochthonous beliefs on, and their functions in the systems of modern social institutions, their adaptation to post-colonial society and state, as well as on the emergence of new phenomena related to these beliefs. We discuss them from the standpoint of the possible role of knowledge in shaping social life in the African countries now and in the future. In particular, an important problem is the relationship between knowledge and beliefs in comprehension of the power of traditional rulers. Another instance is a big number of cases of witchcraft accusations in many African countries, which also raises the question of the place of knowledge in Africans' social life today.