how can so many of us join in the perpetuation of such a curriculum myth
about Lincoln freeing Africans from slavery and also believing in the political equality of
“the races,” and still be certain that we can be real when we approach the design of
education/socialization for our children? Are we habituated to myths? Can we see the
true condition of our people, the masses of them? Can we see, as Carter G. Woodson
saw, the miseducated though highly schooled among us, whose orientation is “alien self”
or even “anti-self” as Dr. Naim Akbar has said? What is the state of African education?
There are also some potent common myths about African learners, myths about
low ability, cultural deprivation, myths about poverty causing learning problems, and
myths that school treatments are equitable for all children. These myths persist and are
even adopted by many members of the African community, even though we are a
community with a long history of creating powerful transforming educational and
socialization institutions, both in Africa and in the diaspora. We above all ought to be
able to detect myths right away.
To grasp the real state of education of African people everywhere, including in
America, we must examine the intersection of culture and power. A global system of
power distribution has dictated and continues to dictate the nature of the education and
socialization processes. Slavery, colonization, apartheid/segregation and the rationalizing
ideology of white supremacy are centuries old challenges, really aspects of a global
hegemonic system. That system interrupted and largely destroyed the flow of thousand 3
of years of powerful and independent African education/socialization excellence, about
which most of us are totally uninformed.
Above all, we must understand that the structure of society and the embedded
structure of education/socialization systems in hegemonic societies are designed to
maintain hegemony. It is the structure, including especially its ideological foundation
that controls possibilities for African education/socialization, even today. Hegemonic
structures and ideologies cannot acknowledge or respect our traditions in
education/socialization, profound though they are. Moreover they shape the beliefs and
the behaviors that guide miseducation, while blaming victims. No matter how much
progress we appear to have made, more degrees and higher paying jobs for a few of us,
there has been no shift in the power structure at all, anywhere in the African world. Even
“liberated” and “independent” African nations, lack control over real economic and
military power. Few even have more than minimal control over their education
institutions. These institutions still mimic those of former colonial masters in most cases.
Some still have governance of education in the hands of former colonial masters.
Posted By: DAVID JOHNSON
Tuesday, January 7th 2014 at 6:17PM
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