‘The natives must first become good workmen’ : formal educational provision in German South West and East Africa compared

Abstract

Although German researchers have written fairly extensively on the missionary provision of formal education in former German South West Africa, very few works in English have addressed this subject in detail. Moreover, there has been no comparative study of formal education in Germany's African colonies. This article attempts to redress these gaps by highlighting the differences in the educational provision for German South West Africa's indigenous and white settler populations. It compares the limited role played by the colonial government in the education of Africans’ and ‘coloureds’ in German South West Africa to its active role in German East Africa. Furthermore, it examines the types of employment available to whites, Africans and ‘coloureds’ in South West Africa and contrasts these with the formal education provision and job availabilities for Africans in German East Africa. In so doing, it examines why such discrepancies existed. One important reason to emerge is the role played by South West Afric...