THE AFROCENTRIC-EUROCENTRIC DEBATE IN AFRICA - FROM A FRUITLESS DICHOTOMY TO CRITICAL DIALOGUE (BRIEF COMMUNICATION)

The ''Afrocentric-Eurocentric approaches'' dichotomy is strangely out- of-place in an African context and is curiously out-of-touch with the issues that are significant in library and information work. In its pr edominant perception of itself as a ''counter-offensive'' to Eurocentr ism, the Afrocentric approach is drawn into a struggle that can only e ntrench contrary positions and serve divisive interests. More importan tly, and as a challenge to information science theorists, Afrocentrism requires an examination of both its overt Pan-Africanist overtones an d its covert potentially racist undercurrents. It is proposed that the Afrocentrism vs Eurocentrism duality needs to be deconstructed. The d ebate is better-suited as a vehicle to sharpen concepts in the design of library and information services that recognize universal continuit ies.