There are two crucial and specific limitations of the label ‘African psychology’ that are worth accentuating.

First, unless your desire is to contort yourself like a circus freak, all psychology regarding Africa and Africans on the continent and in the diaspora has to be counted in the body of what is seen as African psychology. This seems a straightforward characterisation – except when it is not.

Second, the problem with the name ‘African psychology’ arises from the fact that debates about African psychology reference, usually implicitly, other debates about histories of slavery, colonialism and racism. African psychology partakes in existential, ontological and political contests such as those about who can be African, and whose home is Africa, besides those issues of who can teach about Africa, who is entitled to teach Africans, and who can do psychological repair work among Africans. An implication of all these broad and specific contests and debates is that it is hard for African psychology not to be political, even when it wishes to remain neutral, as these issues derive from the politics in African countries.