Culture and religion are basic to every human society, and the history of a people always sustains her cultural and religious values.
The global reaction toward the killing of George Floyd in USA, defying all fears of the COVID-19, intensifies the argument that a culture which qualifies one race as being superior over another has to be reexamined and radically eradicated and replaced by authentic humanism..
The major difference that we noticed between the Thomistic-Christian ideas and those of the Africans is that while Jacques Maritain appeals for Thomistic humanism to grow from the formal classrooms and the books into the streets and the fields, Ki-Zerbo explains that African humanism has always existed in the streets and in the fields; it might never even have existed in the books and in the classrooms.
Shifting from all mediocre standards of culture which are based on relativism, supported by Postmodern thinkers, there is a need to get back to the original culture that is based on authentic and objective standards.
Only such a culture can make the future of humankind essentially meaningful and interesting.
Both thinkers consider that in the midst of multiculturalism and globalization, authentic humanism or personalism that is based on the sacredness of the human person should be endorsed as a new civilization or culture.
However, while examining some prominent world Cultures and Religions (in a comparative manner), our major focus is on the Christian-Thomistic culture/religion as illustrated by Jacques Maritain in comparison with the African culture/religion as expressed by Joseph Ki-Zerbo.
We decided to use the African culture and religion as our departing point for the mere fact that Africa is generally considered as the cradle of civilization, and it is a very historic and controversial continent.
Culture and religion are basic to every human society, and the history of a people always sustains her cultural and religious values
