Anton Wilhelm Amo
1992; SAGE Publishing; Volume: 23; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1177/002193479202300202
ISSN1552-4566
Autores Tópico(s)African cultural and philosophical studies
ResumoIn the former German Democratic Republic, where a statue has been erected in his honor at the University of Halle Wittenberg, Anton Wilhelm Amo is known as the African philosopher of the 18th century who became one of the greatest German thinkers at a time when his brother was a slave in Surinam. Amo is known as the Black thinker who, in spite of his exalted status, never came to feel quite at home in 18th century Europe. Consequently, in the latter part of his life, he returned to his native Ghana, where he worked as a goldsmith. After providing a summary of his biography, in which I shall draw a parallel between him and Abram Hannibal, I shall examine the influence of prominent Enlightenment figures on Amo and the extent to which Amo worked as an independent thinker. The conclusion will attempt to evaluate Amo's legacy. Neither Buchhardt Brentjes nor W. E. Abraham, the two leading scholars who have conducted research on Anton Wilheim Amo, has established the African philosopher's date of birth. These two scholars agree that Amo was most likely born in the year 1703. The following facts, however, are confirmed: Born in Akonu in Ghana, Amo was presented as a gift to the Dukes August Wilhelm and Ludwig Rudolf von Wolfenbuttel by the Dutch West India Company in the year 1707. According to church records: On the 29th of July 1707, a young Mohr was baptized in the chapel of the Salzthal castle and named Anton Wilhelm Amo. He was named after Anton Ulrich von Wolfenbuttel and his first son, Wilhelm August. The name Amo is Ghanaian. This suggests that Amo was at least a toddler, and therefore knew his name, when he arrived in
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