The African Origins of Rhetoric

Blake identifies core ethical and moral principles derived from African rhetorical tradition as found in The Instruction of Ptah-Hotep from about 3100 BCE. The central thrust of the ancient African text is on rhetoric and governance, he says, with a particular emphasis on the moral and ethical foundations upon which African could stand as they discussed among themselves and others how to fashion their model of governance. Writing for scholars and practitioners of communication and development, he locates the principles revealed within the global debate on African national development and models of government. Africans have their own tradition of governance, he argues, and need not adopt one from elsewhere. Annotation c2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Cecil Blake is Chair of the Africana Studies Department at the University of Pittsburgh. He is the author or editor of many books, including Handbook of Intercultural Communication, Through the Prism of African Nationalism, and Intercultural Communication: Roots and Routes.