Towards Academic Decolonizing in Africa

Advocacy to Decolonize Education in Africa

Introduction
Undoubtedly, education is a powerful tool that nations use to facilitate socioeconomic development. During the colonial administration in Africa, it was used generally to facilitate trade and commerce, maintain law and order, and promote missionary activities, particularly evangelism. In the immediate pre- and post-independent era, university colleges were established to operate as affiliates of parent universities in Europe to produce the needed manpower to replace departing expatriates in the colonial civil service and parastatals.

These newly established institutions were seen as a source of pride, symbols of national identity, and agents of development. Nnamdi Azikiwe of Nigeria published that ‘…with 12 million pounds there is no reason why the best libraries, laboratories, professors cannot be produced right here, and this continent can become overnight “A Continent of Light”.’ (Azikiwe, Renascent Africa, 1937). Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia, also noted that:

We in Zambia are immensely proud of our university. The pride is not simply that this is our first and only university. It is also because the university of Zambia is our own university in a very real sense. The story of how the people of this country responded so enthusiastically to my appeal for support is a very thrilling one. Humble folk in every corner of our nation – illiterate villagers, barefooted school children, prison inmates and even lepers – gave freely and willingly everything they could, often in the form of fish, or maize or chicken. The reason for this extraordinary response was that our people see in the university the hope of a better and fuller life for their children and grandchildren. (Addresses at the Installation, University of Zambia, 1966, pg. 28)

The vision for these African universities, in the words of J. E. Casely Hayford, was ‘a (native) Fante University teaching in native Fante and making the development of African languages and cultures its major area of concern’ (excerpts from Ethiopia Unbound). Pan-Africanists the likes of Marcus Garvey, William DuBois and Kwame Nkrumah all clamoured for indigenous universities whose degrees would have worldwide recognition, and provide access for its holders into responsible, decision-making posts in the civil service, hitherto reserved for Europeans.

The rhetoric of Africanizing these educational institutions to promote race consciousness and regard for African culture and traditions was, on the one hand, used by politicians in the newly independent states to assert the sovereign rights of these institutions, and, on the other hand, to control them and make them more responsive to development plans. Indeed, the interventions of the politicians were welcomed by the African staff in their bid to defend academic autonomy and maintain universal standards. However, the failure to defend academic autonomy in the long-run is seen as one of the most enduring legacies of colonialism. The inherited position of Chancellor as an intermediary between the university and the Government is seen as a tool for appointments to academic positions to ensure administrative control and also court political support. The French colonialists left higher education under the control of the Minister of Education and had all academic staff as employees of the Ministry.

In advocating for a sense of purpose, Kwame Nkrumah noted that ‘it is clear that we must find solutions to our problems and that can only be found in African unity. Divided, we are weak; united, Africa could become one of the greatest forces for good in the world’.

The call for the decolonization of African higher education has been articulated rampantly since the turn of the 21^st century by voices on the continent and in the Diaspora. Here are a few themes that this author wants to highlight.

Revisiting African History
Colonization imposed the language, education systems, and cultural norms of Europeans on African societies, which has had an impact on the way African people view themselves and their place in the world. Revisiting African history requires an examination of the past that has shaped the entire continent (history, politics, economy and culture) to gain a deeper understanding of the impact on African societies and chart a more just and equitable future. Molefi Kete Asante notes that ‘there are two things over which you have complete dominion, authority and control – your mind and your mouth’.

Revisiting African history to break free of the mental chains of inferiority, change the narrative and assert Africa’s place in history as the center of civilization should come through conscious effort. According to John Henrik Clarke ‘if you expect the present day school system to give history to you, you are dreaming. This, we have to do ourselves. The Chinese didn’t go out in the world and begged people to teach Chinese studies or let them teach Chinese studies. The Japanese didn’t do that either. People don’t beg other people to restore their history; they do it themselves’! This is buttressed by Cheikh Anta Diop who posited that ‘intellectuals ought to study the past not for the pleasure they find in so doing but to drive lessons from it’.

Decolonization of the Curricula
The African university curricula are still seen as an inherited colonial legacy, be it from the British, French, Belgian or Portuguese. The British imposed their favoured degrees in Arts and Sciences on their colonies; the French system had philosophy as basic to all higher education; and the Belgians incorporated African Studies within the degree structure. The Portuguese curriculum development focused on the teaching of science and the training of technicians.

Achieving complete decolonization of the African academic system will include the indigenization of the pedagogy and curricula by integrating African languages, and incorporating indigenous knowledge into the African education system. To what extent can Africans at home and in the Diaspora fast-track the restructuring and transformation processes to make the systems more representative, inclusive, and centered on African knowledge systems?

Data Decolonization
Data guides decision-making and Africa needs to reclaim and assert ownership of its data to drive the continent’s development agenda. Data decolonization also entails controlling data that has been historically collected, processed, and analyzed by external actors. The process will involve the concerted efforts of Africans both at home and abroad to work together with African data scientists, policymakers, and civil society organizations to advocate for the development and implementation of data localization policies that require data captured in Africa to be processed and stored within their countries of origin to prevent exploitation and abuse.

To what extent can African academics contribute to minimizing the power dynamics and inequalities that have historically characterized global data governance? How can data sovereignty be attained for Africa through dependence on the continent’s data science experts and data science infrastructure?

Digital Decolonization
In parallel with promoting data sovereignty in Africa is the quest to transform the development, deployment and use of digital technologies and platforms on the continent. Africa needs a strong voice to promote local ownership and control of digital infrastructure, including hardware, software, and data. It also needs new frameworks, policies and regulations that ensure that digital technologies and platforms are accessible and affordable to all Africans, regardless of their socio-economic status or location. It calls for the breaking of barriers and biases inherent in digital technologies such as digital monopolies and exploitation of user data.

Decolonization of Partnerships
Africa has historically been a net recipient of foreign aid and grants due to how colonization shaped the economy, politics, and trajectory of the continent’s development path. Many bilateral and multilateral arrangements have been anchored on historically characterized dependency and unusual power relations that inure to the African losing control and ownership and the grant provider mostly taking charge of the decision-making processes. The expertise and exposure of African academics, particularly those in the Diaspora who are more accustomed to the dealings of the superpowers, is critical in re-evaluating historical partnership arrangements, particularly those established during the colonial era, and providing guiding frameworks and legal counsel to African Governments in the development of new frameworks that based on mutual respect, cooperation, and equity.

Conclusion
It is about time Africa wakes up and is mindful of the creeping neocolonialism into the system while at the same time, it hastens the decolonization process, with education at the forefront.