History Education For People Of African Descent

The need for more intensive African history education among people of African descent is long overdue. One unfortunate side effect of integrated schools is the lack of personalization to the black experience and watering down or utter neglect of important stages in African history ^[1]. In Carter Woodson's The Mis-Education of the Negro, we see perpetuated subjugation, inaccuracies, and outright lies in representing African history ^[2]. Thus far only vague promises of improvement at the political level that have hardly translated into grassroots success on the field are halfheartedly posited ^{[6] [7]}.

The story in Africa is a little different, but has parallels, and in my opinion even more so impacts the black experience. First and foremost is lack of a solid foundation in African history. Just last year, the World Igbo Congress noticing this problem intends to make Igbo language, history and culture compulsory in schools in Igboland starting 2014 ^[3]. Similar initiatives are happening in Yorubaland and other parts of Africa in the face of eroding African heritage ^[4]. Second, the language and cultures of African are incredibly powerful weapons of self-determination in the 21st century, but have yet to be made the de facto languages of literature and mass media. On the other hand, primary school in Africa is known to surpass those of African-Americans in overall results. Wole Soyinka, in his memoir Ake: The Years of my Childhood, says he started primary school at 2 1/2 years of age, and grew up in an intellectually stimulating Christian evangelical home ^[5].

This is a brighter day for people of African descent. For e.g., Carter Woodson founded The Journal of African American History, and the WWW makes a wealth of information at our fingertips. This black history month is a time to promote renewed focus and energies on preserving African and African-American history. The Root, brainchild of Henry Louis Gates Jr., is a great place to start ^[8].

I also want to highlight the need for Pan-African history development. The chasm between Africans and African-Americans and even between Africans themselves remains wide. African-American history should in my opinion flow out of African history just as 12 million Africans flowed out from Africa into the Americas for some 400 years. The Pan-African vision of DuBois, Nkrumah and Nyerere remains afar off, particularly as AA's remain isolated and embroiled in economic and social challenges in the US, and as African nations promote nationalism over Pan-nationalism ^[9], and tackle illiteracy, insecurity and rampant corruption at home. I am amazed at how many good, innovative ideas for African sustainability are simply abandoned; the way forward is through sustained development, continued support, and consistent progress ^[10].

African History Resources:
Documenting the America South, North American Slave Narratives, William L Andrews, Link
Aetna, African-American History Calendar, Link
Nyasa times Malawi, Rwandan Genocide: Not the first nor last in Africa, Link