By Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Mimi Mefo Info
Published on 2024-02-02 14:29:04
The 82-year-old man succumbed to an illness that took him away, even though his followers in Africa thought he still had more to give.
We will no longer see Paulin Hountondji. One of Africa’s most well-known thinkers passed away this morning at the age of 82 due to an illness. According to the president of the Association of Journalists and Communicators of the Methodist Protestant Church of Benin (Ajcpmb), who spoke to the Bénin Intelligent newspaper, he “answered the call of the heavenly father this Friday, February 2, 2024.
Among the most important academic figures nationally and internationally, Paulin Hountondji taught philosophy at the University of Abomey-Calavi for almost 50 years. In addition to philosophy, Paulin Hountondji was also a politician, as after the National Forum of the Forces of the Nation, President Nicéphore Soglo called upon him to join his government where he was appointed Minister of Education (1990-1991) and then Minister of Culture and Communications (1991-1993). Appointed as a special adviser to President Soglo, Paulin Hountondji stepped down in October 1994.
According to Etienne Houessou, the death of Professor Hountondji, a Methodist Protestant Christian, occurred on a very symbolic day as the academic was supposed to participate in the General Assembly of the laity of the Church that very day. It is a meeting aimed at resolving the current crisis, as reported by the newspaper.
A founding member of the Inter-African Council for Philosophy (CIAP) whose scientific journal Consequences only had one issue, Professor Hountondji received the Prince Claus Award from the Netherlands. He was born in 1942 in Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire). The deceased has published several works including “African Philosophy” and “Economy and Society in Benin.” The philosophy graduate was honored as a Grand Officer of the Order of Benin and made a Commander of Academic Palms. A former student of the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, a philosophy graduate, and a Doctor of Letters. Apart from the UAC, he taught at the universities of Besançon, Kinshasa, and Lubumbashi.
Albert Atangana
Read the original article(French) on Mimi Mefo Info
