Achille Mbembe (b. 1957, Cameroon) will be awarded the 2025 Spinozalens Prize in November, jury chairman Prof. Huub Dijstelbloem (UvA) announced this evening during a meeting of Filosofie in Den Haag (philosophy in The Hague). The jury praised the rigorous, innovative and comprehensive way in which Mbembe’s oeuvre addresses the theme ‘future-proof solidarity’.
In its report, the jury described Mbembe’s oeuvre as ‘powerful’ and ‘constantly evolving’. He expresses his ideas on neocolonialism, digitalization, climate change and racism ‘with barely contained anger’ and holds up a mirror to us Europeans. But, according to the jury, he also articulates a message of hope, ‘hope that comes from the African continent’. The African Archive, as Mbembe calls the tradition of his continent, offers inspiration for a new relationship with each other, with other living beings and with the planet. And this is urgent because, according to Mbembe, the future of life, reason and the earth are at stake.
During the announcement, Mbembe addressed the audience in a short video message and thanked the jury for the award.
