An African intellectual legend and Professor of History, Toyin Fola, has advocated the study of Ifa and witchcraft as courses combined with science and economics, leading to the award of degree certificates in Nigerian universities.
He also recommended the use of indigenous languages to teach and interact among lecturers and students, irrespective of their courses of study in the universities.
Prof Falola, the Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair at the University of Texas at Austin, made these recommendations at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Akoka, where he delivered the 54th Convocation lecture on Monday. He spoke on “Decolonising African Higher Education for Transformational Development.”
According to him, the African educational system, as created by the colonial authorities, was not orchestrated for enlightenment nor the advancement and benefits of the colonies but to achieve colonial masters’ economic and governance ambitions and aspirations. He noted that even after political independence, African education is still designed to perpetuate and advance the economic and political objectives of European countries, using the elites to facilitate such.
He said that since African education, both in curricular design and administrative frameworks, largely depends on Western academic norms and practices, the knowledge and information received from such a system would be challenging to substantially develop the African continent. According to him, information, knowledge, and ideas acquired from the school system rooted in colonial ideology would need to be decolonized before leading to a process where people-focused development that transforms life meaningfully could be achieved.
The don pointed out that there have been series of discussions and efforts in Africa channeled towards decolonization of African education, such as Afrikology theory challenging Western epistemologies and methodologies, but they are yet to take the continent to a place of prominence globally.
The don also asked UNILAG specifically to run courses that will lead to the award of degrees in Lagoon and Sea Economies and also create a center of creative economies and African vocabulary development and enlightenment bank. He emphasized that the decolonization of African education would certainly bring about meaningful transformation in Nigeria and other African countries. “And the time to scale up the process is now,” he concluded.
Peoplesmind
