Tempels sought to understand Bantu thought only after missionary conversion failed

Evidence

We know that during the colonial era, African thought or philosophy, as Tempels called it, was considered by the colonisers to be pre-logical and incoherent. It seems that this consideration can sometimes be linked to the pastoral experience which the author of Bantu Philosophy was living. In fact, he gradually observed that missionary work among the Bantu was turning out to be a complete failure. He wondered in Bantu Philosophy whether Christianity failed in its civilizing mission to the Bantu. — Frans Dokman, Beyond Bantu Philosophy_…, 206

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the pattern of colonial scholars engaging indigenous thought only when their own projects failed.