Zamani – Reflections on African Thinkers as Philosophers of Human Experience

In his article in the October 2026 edition of Therapy Today, ‘Zamani’, William Njoki explores how our present-day experiences can carry echoes of family, culture and history across generations. Drawing on his own Kenyan family history, the work of African philosopher John S Mbiti, and his person-centred training, he considers how therapists might make space for these wider influences without imposing meaning on a client’s experience.

Key Information

Creators

William Njoki

Editors

Therapy Today (BACP)

Date

October 2026

Subjects

Experience, Intergenerational Trauma

Extract

In his article in the October 2026 edition of Therapy Today, ‘Zamani’, William Njoki explores how our present-day experiences can carry echoes of family, culture and history across generations. Drawing on his own Kenyan family history, the work of African philosopher John S Mbiti, and his person-centred training, he considers how therapists might make space for these wider influences without imposing meaning on a client’s experience.

‘The idea that the effects of collective trauma may reverberate beyond the generation that directly experienced it is not new… Could therapy remain firmly rooted in the present experience while also making room for the family, cultural and historical past surrounding it?’