Posthuman Knowledge as Prohuman: PosthumanistExpressions in a Contemporary Ghanaian Film Narrative

Abstract

Posthumanism has often been framed as a Western theoretical intervention that challenges Enlightenment humanism by decentring the human subject and foregrounding human-non-human entanglements. However, such framings frequently overlook indigenous epistemologies that have long articulated relational, non-anthropocentric worldviews. This study examines posthumanism through anAfrican philosophical lens by analyzing the Ghanaian folk film Gonda Sheje (2014)as a culturally situated case study. Drawing on posthumanist theory, African cosmology, and cultural studies, the research employs qualitative textual analysis and the concept of synergy to explore how meaning, morality, and agency emerge through interactions between human and non-human entities, including deities, spiritual entities and the natural environment. The analysis reveals that Gonda Shejere presents humanity as embedded within a network of reciprocal relations ratherthan as an autonomous or dominant agent. Human actions are shown to have ethical, spiritual, and ecological consequences that extend beyond the individual, underscoring a relational moral framework grounded in care, humility, and communal responsibility. Through these representations, the film articulates posthumanist expressions which resonate strongly with African indigenous worldviews. The study argues that posthumanism, as articulated within this African cinematic context, is fundamentally pro-human. Rather than negating humanity, it critiques anthropocentrism and colonial humanism while reaffirming ethical responsibility, social cohesion, and human dignity. By positioning African cinemaas a site of theoretical production, the paper contributes to decolonial debates in posthumanism and highlights the importance of indigenous knowledge systems in reimagining what it means to be human in an interconnected world. The study provides a conceptual foundation for policies that are culturally rooted, ethically relational, and socially inclusive.