Central African Education: Indigenous to Western

Abstract

The vast Sub Saharan territory of Central Africa, comprised today of nine countries—Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of Cameroon, Angola, Sao Tome and Principe—was divided among five European powers during the colonial era. Its size, and the heterogeneity caused by each country having its own history, customs/traditions, and socioeconomic and political situation, necessitates a complex analysis. As Cheick Anta Diop and Leopold Senghor pointed out, however, commonly shared cultural traits underlie and characterize the diversity of Black Africa. One can therefore argue that Indigenous education in Central Africa has a common cultural base with widely shared characteristics. Indigenous African education pursued development of the whole individual, while taking into account the interests of the group. As a consequence of the introduction of Western education during the colonial era, however, Indigenous African education was transformed in ways that denied its premises. Despite the fact that the fundamental model of Indigenous African education was transformed, it is important to recognize that some of its gendered characteristics, some of which marginalized women, were maintained and reinforced. In addition to presenting the model of Indigenous education practiced in Central Africa and how that model was transformed through its encounter with Western education, this chapter calls for development of a model of Central African Indigenous education that reflects contemporary realities. Based on a postcolonial feminist theoretical framework, the argument presented here is that the model of Central African Indigenous education is not fixed or static. The introduction of colonizing structures with their three interlocking pillars has transformed Indigenous education. Recognizing the values embedded within the model of Indigenous education does not mean rejecting openness to adapting it to the present socioeconomic, political, and historical context.