The field of radical pedagogy has always centred on the need for awareness and the understanding of the learner relative to his or her learning environment. The learner is encouraged – after becoming duly informed – to formulate a plan of action that would bring about a radical shift in the thinking process of everyone involved in the process of learning. The ultimate goal of radical pedagogy is to elicit a radical social change, and bring about the demise of what is fundamentally the status quo within the ethos of teaching and learning process (McGettigen, 1999).
The application of Africentric philosophies and ideology in the realm of learning, is based on the premise that learners of African descent can be able to situate themselves within this praxis, and also have the opportunity to validate their learning experience as it relates to who they are, what they believe and what as a learner, they can contribute to the learning process. This validation of identity is essential in an establishment in which learning process is fundamentally the brainchild of Eurocentric worldview. Africentric proponents and scholars have maintained that while the goal is to view learning process from the lens of the learner, the philosophy of placing African learners at the centre of their learning does not nullify other learning experiences, rather, it seeks to validate itself as part of the learning culture within the diverse pool of global learning experiences. It further posits that “everyone is at the centre of his or her experience and of any discipline” (Brigham, 2007). Based on this discourse, it is essential to critically examine how Africentrism plays the dual role of deconstructing the status quo enmeshed within the confines of learning process while at the same time presents a viable alternative for social reconstruction of learning process.
For learning process to be relevant, it is essential that the learner’s identity be an inseparable entity of the process. Chickering and Reisser (cited in Bracher, 2006) maintain that in the past, “the principal task of education was socialization, and the problem of individuals was to learn the attitudes, actions and skills necessary for a satisfying and productive fit with society”. The assertion by Chickering and Reisser is still very much a reality of the present time. While, it is true that learner’s identity is now being acknowledged in the process of learning, we are still faced with mounting evidence of cases of individuals who are still struggling to find their ways through the murky waters of a learning process that has remained resistance to making the identity of the learner central to the process of learning (Bracher, 2006, p. xi).
The premise of learning and identity contends that in order for learning to be validated, learners must be able to get some affirmation that the learning process or its aftermath has not only recognized their identity, but also validated it. Thus, this translates into a motivation for learning. Departure from this principle can translate into an impediment to learning as individual becomes resistance if the learning process is far removed from the identity of the man or woman seen in the mirror. One other major problem to contend with in learning and identity is a situation where an individual perceives the learning process as a form of “identity tokenism”. This can subvert the very identity they crave and consequently results in blatant and outright denunciation of the learning process (Bracher, 2006, p. 5).
The theory of learning and identity as expressed by Bracher is a radical one as it seeks to explore the “root causes of learning, intelligence, resistance to learning and social problems” (Bracher, 2006, p. xiv). The premise of Africentric Learning correlates with Bracher’s concept of learning and identity. Proponents of Africentrism have argued that in order for Africentric philosophies to be fully realized, there is a need for a shift in perception and thinking within a dominant Eurocentric learning establishment. Perpetuating established Eurocentric learning will only continue to damage the already bruised sense of identity amongst learners of African descent; therefore, there is an urgent need for a radical way of thinking.
There is a need for the learners of African descent, in order to fully and truly understand who they are, and have their sense of identity validated, to have “Africa” placed at the centre of their learning. A case in study is the establishment of Canada’s first Africentric School within the Toronto District School Board in 2009. Public opinion and support for the establishment of this school was split even among individuals of African descent. The critics sighted a departure from Canadian ideal of multiculturalism and tolerance building through the integration of diverse cultures. They feared that such concept will further segregate the already disenfranchised Black students and can, on the long run, result in a form of second tired education for Black learners. The proponents presented – among other factors – the issue of high drop-out rates among Black students compared to the rest of the population (Patterson, 2011). The voices of those in support is eloquently echoed by Ghosh (2004),
While multicultural and intercultural education programmes theoretically give equal access to all ethno-cultural groups, they have not resulted in equal participation in the educational or in the economic sphere. Academic success is particularly difficult for those for whom the definition of knowledge and learning as well as the agreed-upon language codes are solely those of a dominant culture (p. 563).
The history of education in Canada has evolved overtime from being a tool for assimilating new comers into the Canadian society to becoming a vehicle for creating a multicultural society in which every culture represented can ascribe to the ideals of a patriotic Canadian (Pattterson, 2011). The goal of Africentrism in education, albeit its perception as a radical concept, is to bring about a reorientation in the learning process and dispel the notion that education is merely a tool for bringing about social cohesion and integration, which unfortunately often occur at the expense of individual’s identity cohesion.
References
Bracher, M. (2006). Radical Pedagogy: Identity, Generativity, and Social Transformation.
Psychoanalysis, Education, and Social Transformation, New York, NY: Palgrave
Macmillan
Brigham, Susan, M. (2007). “Our hopes and dreams enriched its every corner”: Adult Education
with an Africentric focus. Retrieved Jan 18, 2012 from www.adulterc.org/Proceedings/2007/Proceedings/Brigham.pdf
Ghosh, R. (2004). Public Education and Multicultural Policy in Canada: The special case of
Quebec. International Review Education, 50(5-6), 543-566.
McGettigan, T. (1999). What is Radical Pedagogy? Radical Pedagogy
Retrieved Jan 19, 2012 from http://radicalpedagogy.icaap.org/content/issue1_1/mcgettigan.html
Patterson, M. (2011). Multiculturalism and Toronto’s Africentric Alternative School: An
examination of the policies, principles, and values. Conflict Research Centre (CRC), CRC Working Paper No. 4. Retrieved Jan 18, 2012 from http://ustpaul.ca/upload-files/CRC/WPS_4_FINAL_-_Maggie_Patterson_-Edited_PS.pdf
Shockley, K.G. (2008). Africentric education leadership: theory and practice. International
Journal of Education Policy and Leadership, 3(3), 1-12
