Teilhard de Chardin and Senghor on the civilization of the universal

IV.3. The Civilization of the Universal: Myth or Reality?

The Civilization of the Universal lays the principles or the interaction of civilizations, the dialogue of cultures. Above all, in a world which is convergent and fast becoming a planetary village, it is difficult to conceive such a village without the chief of the village. This is why the Civilization of the Universal appears unrealistic and even as a utopia. It remains an ideal as the war of classes in society will never end, it will continue to change in form: master/slave, bourgeois/servant, the western world/the third world. The first words of the Manifeste du parti communiste of KARL MARX describe this situation of inequalities in society, which appear to be natural. In the rendez-vous of giving and receiving, there are certainly many inequalities but this is not the end, much could still be done in order to build a dialogue which is not only balanced, but also just.

In the final analysis, although it may seem utopical and unrealistic, the Civilization of the Universal has been gradually taking place in our days under the form of globalisation. TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, from his examination of the past as a geologist and palaeontologist, could postulate this movement of totalisation. In Europe, it has been taking roots: cultures are becoming aware of their duties towards one another. The European Union is an example of unity in diversity. In Africa, much still needs to be done as far as the African Union is concerned. SENGHOR has raised our awareness to the fact that through our traditional values, we have something to offer in this process of the Civilization of the Universal. Nevertheless, his Négritude movement proves to be mostly theoretical because it seems to overlook the present situation of Africa, the challenges of our days: poverty and underdevelopment. Despite this fact, this movement remains meaningful. Any important action must arise from an ideal or an ideology. Our work is just an attempt to consider the complementarity of civilizations, showing that no civilization is supposed to consider itself as the universal civilization. There is no civilization be it African or Western which is to claim superiority over others, all civilizations are called to come together in synthesis acknowledging their differences and admiring reciprocally their values. This is why as we condemn abortion and homosexuality legalised in most of the Western rich countries, we also condemn excision which is still practised in African countries in the name of tradition. Our world today seems to be running fast towards its westernisation, through the ideology of neoliberalism in politics and economy, destabilising poor countries. The world certainly needs a better form of globalisation, one which respects the sovereignty of states, their autonomy and their specificities. We would like in this vein to end with these words of Hubert MONO NDJANA:

La leçon est donc entendue, à savoir la nécessité d'échapper à l'hégémonie occidentale. Non en toute spontanéité et en toute inconscience, mais en connaissance de cause : pour reconstruire l'identité perdue de l'Afrique et la faire entrer ainsi, en parfait équilibre, en toute indépendance et en toute souveraineté, dans la civilisation du Troisième millénaire. ^115(*)

* ¹¹⁵ Hubert Mono Ndjana, Beauté et vertu du savoir, (leçon inaugurale), Yaoundé, 1999, p. 139.