Towards an Africa Philosophy of Education for Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Africa

Edmore Mutekwe

Vaal University of Technology, Vanderbijlpark, South Africa.

DOI: 10.4236/ce.2015.612129                

Abstract

The argument in this conceptual paper is that the advent of modern type western education has resulted in the dearth of the importance of indigenous forms of knowledge in Africa. The paper unfolds by highlighting some of the areas in which the modern Eurocentric philosophy of education has alienated and affected some of Africa’s indigenous education systems. Using the modernization paradigm as the framework, the paper’s contention is that following missionary excursions in Africa and the subsequent colonisation, modern forms of schooling were introduced and expanded phenomenally and with it came notions of cultural imperialism, which tended to denigrate many if not all forms of indigenous knowledge education systems. Some indigenous knowledge systems were regarded as primitive, pagan and heathenish. Some forms of such indigenous knowledge were even de-campaigned as non-knowledge. The research question the paper seeks to address is how can indigenous knowledge education systems be used to foster an Afrocentric philosophy of Education? Pursuant to this question, the modernization theory is examined, unpacked and critiqued for equating modernisation with Westernization culminating in the promotion of cultural imperialist sentiments that had an alienating effect on some African institutions and practices.

Keywords

Afrocentrism, Centre, Periphery, Heathen, Indigenous Knowledge Systems, Modernity, Ubuntu

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	Adam, J. S., & Stamps, D. (Eds.) (2003). King James Version: Life in the Spirit Study Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[2]	Alexander, J. (2001). Analytic Auto-Ethnography. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 35, 373-395.
[3]	Atkinson, N. (2003). Teaching Rhodesians: A History of Educational Policy in Rhodesia. London: Longman
[4]	Aronowitz, S., & Giroux, H.A. (2005). Education under Siege: The Conservative, Liberal and Radical Debate over Schooling. London: Routledge & Kegan
[5]	Barnes, T., Mutwira, R., & Drew, M. (1994). People Making History, Book 4. Harare: Zimbabwe Publishing House.
[6]	Blackledge, D., & Hunt, B. (2005). Sociological Interpretations of Education. London: Routledge.
[7]	Bourdieu, P. (2002). The School as a Conservative Force: Scholastic and Cultural Inequalities. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
[8]	Brokensha, D., Warren, D. M., & Werner, O. (Eds.) (2000). Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Development. Washington, DC: University Press of America.
[9]	Challis, R. (1980). The European Educational System in Southern Rhodesia, 1890-1930. Zambezia, 1, 1-11.
[10]	Chavunduka, M. (2005). The Missing Links. Keynote Address to the Workshop on the Study and Promotion of Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Sustainable Natural Resources Management in Southern Africa. Midmar, KwaZulu-Nata l, 24 April.
[11]	Cheater, G., Dorsey, B., Mothobi, D., & Murphree, M. (1975). Education, Race and Employment in Rhodesia. Salisbury: Association of Round Tables in Central Africa, Centre for Inter-Racial Studies.
[12]	Chivaura, V. G. (2014). Progress on Meeting SADC Education Targets. Zimbabwean, 4, 19-25.
[13]	Christie, P. (2008). Changing Schools in South Africa: Opening the Doors of Learning. Johannesburg: Heinemann.
[14]	Christie, P., & Collins, C. (1990). Bantu Education: Apartheid Ideology or Labour Reproduction? Comparative Education, 18, 59-75. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0305006820180107
[15]	Christie, P. (1992). Reforming the Racial Curriculum: Curriculum Change in Desegregated Schools in South Africa. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 11, 37-48. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0142569900110103
[16]	Crossman, A. (2012). Sociological Theories. London: Methuen.
[17]	Du Plessis, P. (2007). Understanding Cultural Diversity in Schools. Journal of Social sciences, 15, 47-59.
[18]	Durkheim, E. (1960). School and Society. New York: Polity Press.
[19]	Flavier, J. M., De Jesus, A., & Mavarro, S. (2009). Regional Program for the Promotion of Indigenous Knowledge in Asia. In D. M. Warren, L. J. Slikkerveer, & D. Brokensha (Eds.), The Cultural Dimension of Development: Indigenous Knowledge Systems (pp. 69-73). London: SRP, Exeter.
[20]	Fortune, G. (1980). The Bantu Languages of the Federation: A Preliminary Survey. Cape Town: Juta.
[21]	Frank, A. G. (1972). Re-Orient: Global Economy in the Asian Age. New Deli: Amazon
[22]	Geertz, C. (1993). The Interpretation of Cultures. New York: Basic Books.
[23]	Gettier, J. (1963). Review of the Value of Indigenous Knowledge Education Systems. Journal of Social Development in Africa, 23, 121-123.
[24]	Gordon, R. (1995). Educational Policy and Gender in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe Journal of Educational Research, 13, 10-18.
[25]	Green, E. (2006). Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Health Promotion in Mozambique. In H. Norman, I. Snyman, & M. Cohen (Eds.), Indigenous Knowledge and Its Use (pp. 107-109). London: SRP, Exeter.
[26]	Higgs, P., & Van Niekerk, M. P. (2003). The Programme for Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) and Higher Educational Discourse in South Africa: A Critical Reflection. South African Journal of Higher Education, 16, 38-49. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/sajhe.v16i3.25215
[27]	Horsthemke, K. (2004). Indigenous Knowledge: Conceptions and Misconceptions. Journal of Education, 32, 31-35.
[28]	Hountondji, P. (2002). Knowledge Appropriation in a Post-Colonial Context. In C. Odora-Hoppers (Ed.), Indigenous Knowledge and the Integration of Knowledge Systems: Towards a Philosophy of Articulation (pp. 137-142). Claremont, South Africa: New Africa Books.
[29]	Hountondji, P. (2005). African Philosophy: Myth and Reality. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
[30]	Jansen, J. (2003). What Education Scholars Write about Curriculum in Namibia & Zimbabwe. In W. Pinar (Ed.), International Handbook of Curriculum Research (pp. 78-84). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
[31]	Jenkins, R. (2006). Social Identity. London: Routledge.
[32]	Jansen, J. (2008). Knowledge in the Blood. Cape Town: UCT Press.
[33]	Judges Commission (1974). Government Report for the Southern Rhodesia Commission of Inquiry into Education and Training for Africans (pp. 41-45). Salisbury: Government Printers.
[34]	Kerr Commission (1952). Southern Rhodesia Government Report of the Native Education Inquiry. Salisbury: Government Printers.
[35]	Language in Education Policy Document (LiEP) (1997). South Africa’s Language in Education Policy. Pretoria: Government Printers.
[36]	Le Grange, L. (2000). Is There “Space” for Enabling Disparate Know Ledge Traditions to Work Together? Challenges for Science (Education) in an African Context. South African Journal of Education, 20, 114-117.
[37]	Machingura, V. (2006). Women’s Access to Teacher Education: A Gender Profile. Zimbabwe Bulletin of Teacher Education, 13, 21-34.
[38]	Mahoso, T. (2013). The Death of the Dollar. Zimbabwean, 3, 13-17.
[39]	Mahoso, T. (2014). Towards an African Philosophy of Education. Zimbabwean, 5, 4-6.
[40]	Maila, M., & Loubser, C. (2003). Emancipatory Indigenous Knowledge Systems: Implications for Environmental Education in South Africa. South African Journal of Education, 23, 276-280.
[41]	Maila, M. (2001). The Assessment of Learning Programmes for the Senior Phase at Environmental Education Centres in Mpumalanga. Unpublished Master’s Dissertation, Pretoria: University of South Africa.
[42]	Marconnes, F. (1988). The Rozvi Kingdom. NADA Journal, 11, 87-88.
[43]	Masuku-Van Damme, L. (2007). Indigenous Knowledge within Environmental Education Processes. EnviroInfo, 26-28.
[44]	Mavhunga, P. (2009). Africanizing the Curriculum: A Case of Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe Journal of Educational Research, 2, 31-37.
[45]	Mawarire, J. (2007). Locating Women and the Feminist Discourse in Zimbabwean Transitional Politics. Journal of Alternatives for a Democratic Zimbabwe, 1, 1-11.
[46]	McNeely, J. A. (2009). IUCN and Indigenous People: How to Promote Sustainable Development. In D. M. Warren, L. J. Slikkerveer, & D. Brokensha (Eds.), The Cultural Dimension of Development: Indigenous Knowledge Systems (pp. 37-44). London: SRP, Exeter.
[47]	Mukanya, S. (1994). Dynamics of History. Harare: College Press.
[48]	Mungazi, D. (1995). Educational Policy for Africans and Church-State Conflict during the Rhodesian Front Government in Zimbabwe. Proceedings of the National Social Science Conference, Philadelphia, 53-55.
[49]	Murphree, B. (1975). Employment Opportunity and Race in Rhodesia. Denver: University of Denver Press.
[50]	Murphree, B., Cheater, G., Dorsey, B., & Mothobi, D. (1975). Education, Race and Employment in Rhodesia. Salisbury: Centre for Inter-racial Studies, University of Rhodesia.
[51]	Nandwa, B., & Bukenya, C. (1992). Oral Literature in Africa. Mombasa: McMillan.
[52]	Needham, D. (1984). From Iron Age to Independence: A History of Central Africa. London: Longman.
[53]	Ntalaga, N. (2005). Interrogating the Notion of Development from a Modernization Paradigm. Journal of Social Sciences, 12, 311-323.
[54]	Ntuli, P. (2009). The Missing Link between Culture and Education: Are We Still Chasing Gods That Are Not Our Own? In M. W. Makgoba (Ed.), African Renaissance (pp. 67-72). Cape Town: Mafube-Tafelberg.
[55]	Odora-Hoppers, C. (2002). Indigenous Knowledge and the Integration of Knowledge Systems: Towards a Conceptual and Methodological Framework. In C. Odora Hoppers (Ed.), Indigenous Knowledge and the Integration of Knowledge Systems: Towards a Philosophy of Articulation (pp.139-143). Claremont, South Africa: New Africa Books.
[56]	O’Donoghue, R., Masuku, L. J., van Rensburg, E., & Ward, M. (2001). Indigenous Knowledge in/as Environmental Education Processes. EEASA Monograph, No. 3, Howick: Share-Net.
[57]	Ranger, T. (1988). Peasant Consciousness and Guerrilla War in Zimbabwe. Harare: Zimbabwe Publishing House.
[58]	Semali, L., & Kincheloe, J. (1999). What Is Indigenous Knowledge? Voices from the Academy. New York: Falmer Press.
[59]	Senge, R. (2008). Community Action Research: Learning as a Community of Practitioners, Consultants and Researchers. In P. Reason, & H. Bradbury (Eds.), Handbook of Action Research (pp. 196-210). London: Sage.
[60]	Townsend, N., Madhavan, S., Tollman, S., Garenne, N., & Kuhn, K. (2002). Children’s Residence Patterns and Educational Attainment in Rural South Africa. Population Studies, 56, 215-225. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00324720215925
[61]	Vilakazi, H. (1999). The Problem of African Universities. In M. W. Makgoba (Ed.), African Renaissance (pp. 127-132). Cape Town: Mafube-Tafelberg.
[62]	Webster, A. (2008). The Sociology of Development. New York: Routledge.