In this book, we pay particular attention to a son of Africa who opened up to reflection, research and ""armed himself with science to the teeth"", to restore to Africa--without complacency or false modesty--its true image: Engelbert Mveng. Our approach, which focuses solely on his theory of anthropological pauperization, can be in our humble opinion--and probably is--a path for philosophical reflection on the ntu. Anthropological pauperization is a reflection of the African man, of the ntu, on his being-there and on his becoming.