The Bantu Philosophy refers to the philosophy, religious worldview and ethical principles of the Bantu people articulated by the first generation of Afrikan intellectuals and founders of contemporary Afrikan philosophy and theology. Originally it referred to research done on traditional culture between 1950 and 1990 in Central Afrika and more specifically in the Democratic Republic of the Kongo, Rawnda and Uganda by philosophers and theologians such as Mulago Gwa Cikara Musharamina, Alexis Kagame, John Mbiti, Mutuza Kabe.

This research was part of the process of decolonisation of knowledge that began with the collapse of European colonial empires in the wake of the first and second world wars. This research intended to rediscover the ancestral philosophical worldview and spiritual values that had been denigrated and distorted by the colonial education. This goal was accomplished by analyzing Afrikan proverbs; the structure of Bantu languages, songs art and music; and various customs and social institutions.

In so doing, “Bantu Philosophy” scholars defined the criteria needed for a philosophy or theology to be Afrikan”. These criteria involved the use of Afrikan languages and an Afrikan worldview. It is documented that this method of philosophising and theologising was inaugurated in 1910 by Stephane (or Stefano) Kaoze, the first Kongolese to gain a substantial training in modern philosophy.