Baobab Epistemology and Mysticism : A Critical Response to Toyin Falola on the Baobab as Epistemic Metaphor
Image Above Massive Baobab "An icon of the African savannah. These trees represent the oldest living organisms in Africa and are the biggest and longest living flowering trees anywhere. Some have been around since before the time of the ancient Greeks. The baobab tree can live to be 3,000 years old and can grow as wide as the length of a bus measuring a girth of 53 meters and a height of 22 metres.” Image and verbal text: CNN and Guardian Abstract This essay maps the nature of baobab epistemology and mysticism and the manner of their development by myself as interpretations of the tree, the baobab, in terms of systems of knowledge. These interpretations are inspired by Toyin Falola's use of a baobab centred proverb in arguing for the integration of various forms of knowing in order to maximize human cognitive potential within the necessary inadequacies of all cognitive systems. The expository essay is complemented by a photo essay integrated wi