Placide Tempels originated the claim that Africans have a philosophy

Evidence

Tempels is credited with being the first to argue that Africans have a philosophy. Even though he was neither an African by birth nor a professional philosopher, he had a huge influence on African philosophy. It is widely acknowledged that current discussions about African philosophy are in some way a reaction to Tempels’s book (Serequeberhan, 1991b, p. xix). Tempels is both hero and villain in the story of African philosophy. — Frans Dokman, Beyond Bantu Philosophy_…, 501