Professor Ebénézer Njoh-Mouellé
Ebénézer Njoh-Mouellé, Ph.D. is a Cameroonian Philosopher, Transhumanist, Retired Professor, and President of the Scientific Council of the Doctoral Research Unit for Arts, Languages, and Culture at the Faculty of Arts, Letters, and Social Sciences of the University of Yaoundé I. He is University Author of several philosophical essays, a politician, a former member of the Executive Council of UNESCO, and a Former Deputy and Former Minister. He was born in 1938 in Wouri-Bossoua, Cameroon. He is known for his work on the development of Africa, and for his advocacy for a more just and equitable world.
Ebénézer earned his Baccalaureate in 1959 at the Général-Leclerc high school in Yaoundé. With the help of a scholarship from the United Nations Special Fund, he continued his higher education in France. He enrolled at the Lycée de Garçons du Mans (later known as Lycée Montesquieu) between 1959 and 1960 and then at the Lycée Henri-IV in Paris between 1960 and 1962, in order to prepare for the entrance exam to the Normale Sup. de St. Cloud.
Ebénézer earned his Licence ès Lettres in Philosophy in 1964 from the Faculté de la Sorbonne. He earned his DES (Diplôme d’Études Supérieures) in Philosophy in 1965 with his first Academic work devoted to the study of the fourth chapter of Creative Evolution and was titled Bergson and the idea of nothingness (Bergson et l’idée de néant).
Ebénézer earned his Doctorat de 3°Cycle (3rd Cycle Doctorate, prior to the Bologne system in Europe) in 1967 with his second, more extensive academic work Bergson and the idea of depth (Bergson et l’idée de profondeur).
Upon returning to Cameroon in October 1967, he was recruited as a teaching assistant at the École Normale Supérieure in Yaoundé. From 1968 to 1972, he served as the Director of Studies at this institution.
He quickly gained fame with his first book From Mediocrity to Excellence (1970), where he analyzed the obstacles to Cameroon’s development and the means to overcome them in the long run. His arguments are supported by a broad culture rooted in Greek, Roman, and European philosophy. This book is currently part of the high school curriculum in Cameroon and is published by the Cameroonian publisher, Éditions CLE.
From 1972 to 1973, he held the Director of Higher Education position at MINEDUC. From 1973 to 1981, he served as the Secretary-General of the University of Yaoundé, and from 1981 to 1984, he was the Director of the École Normale Supérieure in Yaoundé.
Ebénézer earned his Doctorat d’État (Ph.D.) in Humanities from the Faculté de la Sorbonne in 1981.
From 1984 to 1987, he assumed the role of General Director of the University Center of Douala.
The popularity of his work among the literate circles led Ebénézer to be offered, first to become a substitute member of the Central Committee, then the position of Secretary-General of the Democratic Rally of the Cameroonian People (RDPC), Paul Biya’s party, in 1990 until 1992.
During the legislative elections on March 1, 1992, he experienced an electoral setback related to acquiring the sole seat in the Nkam department.
He ran for parliament in 1997 as an RDPC candidate. His election, the unexpected challenges he encountered, and his parliamentary experience led him to publish a book in 2002 titled Député de la Nation, which provides a bitter assessment of clientelism and personal wealth in Cameroonian politics.
In 2004, during the 35th International Day of the Francophonie, Ebénézer spoke out in favor of a more equitable relationship between the rich and poor countries of the Francophonie. He argued that the Francophonie should be a force for good in the world and that it should work to promote development and equality, aiming for a genuine “solidarity space for sustainable development,” in line with the theme chosen for the Francophonie Summit in Ouagadougou in November 2004.
Ebénézer also served as a Technical Advisor to the President of the Republic between 1986 and 1999, as RDPC Deputy for Nkam in the National Assembly between 1997 and 2002, and as Minister of Communication between 2006 and 2007.
From November 1995 to November 1999 and from November 2015 to November 2019, Ebénézer was elected to the Executive Committee of UNESCO and he served as the President of the Jury for the 2017 edition of the Grand Prix of Literary Associations.
His book, Clivages Ethniques en Afrique (2011), is a study of the ethnic divisions in Africa. The book argues that ethnic divisions are a major obstacle to development in Africa and that they need to be addressed in order to achieve a more just and equitable continent.
His published works by Éditions CLE include: From Mediocrity to Excellence: An Essay on the Human Significance of Development (1970), Milestones: The Search for a New Mentality (1971), and Milestones II: Africanism Today (1976), Current Considerations on Africa (1983), and The philosophy and interpretations of globalization in Africa (2009).
In his philosophical work on Transhumanism, Ebénézer published Transhumanism, science merchants and the future of man, Lignes rouges “éthiques” de l’intelligence artificielle (“Ethical” red lines of artificial intelligence), What ethics for transhumanism? “Enhanced Men” and “Posthumans” soon in Africa?, De l’humain au transhumain? Réflexions sur le transhumanisme, Elixir, and Conferences on Transhumanism and Artificial intelligence (2017–2022).
In Conferences on Transhumanism, Ebénézer presents his ideas developed in his works between 2017 and 2022. Each of the conferences gathered here allowed him to refine his understanding of the transhumanist ideology, to specify and clarify his position on transhumanist proposals, whether it is “the increase of capacities”, of the indefinite extension of human life on earth or the search for the perfect child through genetic manipulation of embryos. Read Njoh Mouellé et le transhumanisme en Afrique.
In 2022, Ebénézer was invited by the French Transhumanist Association to the Transhumanist Movement Conference TransVision Paris 22. This was the first time Africa was present and its representatives took the opportunity to say that while adhering to everything that represents the improvement of human capabilities, they remain quite reserved and he expressed that Transhumanism should remain above all a Humanist movement. Watch Ces livres qui chantent/ Ebenezer Njoh mouelle (with auto translated captions).
In addition to his writing, Ebénézer has also been active in promoting philosophy and education in Cameroon. He has organized conferences and workshops on philosophy, and has given lectures at universities and schools throughout the country.
In August of 2023, he was an invited speaker at the International Longevity Summit, a Biotech and Longevity Conference in South Africa organized by TAFFD’s.
Watch Njoh Mouelle’s reaction to the request for a pause by AI development professionals, Are we sure we want to live forever?, and Transhumanism, Merchants of Science and the Future of Man.
Visit his Homepage, PhilPapers page, Live Forever Club profile, and LinkedIn profile. Follow his YouTube channel. Follow his publications on Google Books. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
