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A Conscious Reconstruction of Postcolonial Curriculums as Cultural Practice

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Colonialism may no longer be a scourge to many African and Asian countries, yet its effects are still palpable decades later. Many African and Asian countries still use the educational blueprints that were introduced by their colonial masters. The colonial curriculums and learning systems were designed to ‘civilize’ the ‘uncivilized.’ The traditions and practices of the people of colonized countries were seen as uncivilized instead of different. This is problematic because it treats different people, not as different, but as having abnormal practices and beliefs that need fixing.

Since many colonial masters were Western, European countries, many former colonies in Africa and Asia still exhibit Western, Eurocentric curriculums in their current public school education. Colonialism and imperialism may be over but many inhabitants of these countries still face mental colonialism and imperialism. The empires such as the British and the French, knew very well the powerful and lasting impact of education. Through a systematic introduction of a European education system, these empires were able to strip the local people of their traditions, values, and beliefs. Africans and Asians had their own traditional life and learning systems pre-colonial time. Education was never a foreign concept in these regions, it is the western concept and understanding of valuable education that was different.

I am not, by any means, calling for a complete deconstruction of the colonial educational and epistemological systems that exist in these regions. My goal is to shed light on systemic factors and foreign curriculums that are contributing to the loss of culture and identity in Africa and Asia. It is interesting to note that many post-colonial governments have done little to include local people’s cultural elements in post-colonial curriculums, thus continuing the myth that western culture and knowledge is superior to non-western culture and knowledge. Knowledge, as Sandra Harding states, “is a collective human heritage and shouldn’t be simplistically labeled as African, Asian or European.” It is problematic then, that factually knowledge has been extensively labeled and presented as European (Abdi, 80).

To develop a healthy nation, we have to produce a healthy and confident citizenry that believes in its culture and knows that its ways of thinking, knowing, and doing is appreciated and valued. If one’s cultural capital is undermined, it is difficult to muster one’s confidence for creativity purposes. Therefore, African and Asian education systems and perceptions should be responsive to African and Asian knowledge, linguistic, and scientific needs. Classrooms in Africa and Asia should initialize and continue re-affirming African and Asian social and cultural capitals respectively for the well-being of the local people (Abdi, 80).