"...There is very little that is more important for any people to know than their history, culture, traditions and language; for without such knowledge, one stands naked and defenseless before the world." PAFO
A crucial dimension to the development of our sense of identity, established during infancy, is the sense of self, humanity and continuity. In years to come, a major theme of this present century will be the pursuit of our collective identity. Movies, media campaigns and music, all bellow from billboards and plasma screens that we are on a search for who we are. In centuries past this pursuit would have been easily remedied since, in centuries past, it was accepted that this question requires neither self-help books nor imagination; it requires only an accurate knowledge of our heritage, and an awareness of the natural ties we possess to our pasts. In centuries past, cultures were aware that without knowledge of self, of history, of culture, we remain as desolate as brooks without a source, as trees without roots, as bodies without souls. We have long been disconnected spiritually, psychologically, and conceptually from the larger historical and current world linkage that have determined our destiny, and to which we have always been important contributors. We have long been stranded in societies that relentlessly immerse us in anti-African rhetoric. We have long hungered for the medicine that would immediately reaffirm our sense of self, and thus bind us with humanity. And if we are in any doubt, we need only look at our children, wading aimlessly through seas of euro-centric education, and heed the urgent call to centre ourselves within our own self-definition.
Yet the clarion call to merge Afro-centricity with education had existed as a subject of dispute in Toronto, Canada, for well over a decade. When statistics revealed a catastrophic 40 per cent of black students in Toronto were dropping out of school and Ontario's Royal Commission on Learning astutely dared to propose that an Afro-centric school may curtail the dilemma. A vehement backlash quickly ensued. School trustee Michael Coteau, propelled by mention of segregation and apartheid, stepped forward to assert to the press that, "The majority of Torontonians are against it," said, and later added that he had never seen such a ‘strong reaction’. Much like our own experience here in the UK, the press demonstrated pervasive prejudice. Absent from the media campaign were any of the established contentions that the education provided to the African Diasporas in western countries is guilty of undervaluing African historical experiences, and overvaluing European history and culture. There was no acknowledgment of the academic conjectures which show that underpinning the Black school child’s experience are the behaviorisms generated by the alienation of the African Diaspora. Dislodged from themselves and left reeling from the shock of having been brutally cut from their own culture and heritage. Placed imposingly not at the heart of European culture, but rather at its margins. Instead of embracing our solution, Critics reacted viscerally, calling the plan a step toward the sort of segregation Dr Martin Luther King protested against.
However, like all ideas borne of truth, slowly and behind the scenes, times were changing. The support for change became overpowering and Black parents soon became central in pushing for Africentric education. In 2008, After an impassioned debate and almost 12 years of verbal skirmish, Canada's largest school board voted 11-9 to open an 'alternative' school. Trustees earnestly voted on an extensive package of programs to make schools more relevant to black students, including the opening an Africentric school in September 2009.
In his first UK interview and in 2 exclusive parts, Louis March shares with us the obstacles, victories and complexities of accomplishing the Africentric schooling objective and offers us a glimpse of tangible hope. Louis has notably worked in the SOS Children's Village, located in Tema, Ghana in West Africa. An ardent champion of Afrocentric schooling, Louis also worked as a Board member on several community organizations including, Black Youth Community Action Project, Universal Negro Improvement Association, Coalition of African Canadian Community Organizations. A firm supporter of the Africentric Schooling initiative in Toronto, Louis currently works with the community based support group that has challenged the Toronto District School Board, to ‘do the right thing’.
Louis, what were the biggest challenges you faced in the months leading up to your success?
The actual success was really the result of the efforts of several committed people in the community, it was a true community effort across the board But, our biggest challenges included: Unfortunately, our own community. Our own people were ‘bad mouthing’ the Africentric Schooling effort and the media was constantly interviewing and showcasing the people that were against the idea of Africentric schooling. Also, defining Africentric Schooling was a challenge (it had to meet the different ideas expressed by the community) as so many variations were expressed and it to be defined to meet them all. There were the various myths presented by the media of segregation, funding problems, gang recruitment etc. The silence of many people who supported the idea, but were afraid to step forward and show their support. Finally, Organizing and educating our community and taking into consideration that the idea of Africentric Schooling was never fully understood.
Who were your main critics?
Members of the Toronto District School Board, who would make or break the idea. There were the politicians who sided with the majority of the polls and were claiming that they did not support the idea of Africentric Schooling because it promoted segregation, which was a political response. Certain members in our community that had influence in the community and also in the media…they were quick to criticize and they would never provide suggestions or solutions.
Can you offer us a definition of the term ‘Afro centric’ in terms of education?
Africentric schooling is a teaching method that engages community, elders and students in the teaching process. It uses the African experience and traditions as a major force, in developing a curriculum, which encourages students to maximize their potential. It uses self-awareness and self-knowledge to build self-confidence, in a society that chooses to only focus on the European and Western experience. Africentric schooling brings to the classroom, the students and community as partners in the education process. It provides students with a positive alternative to the blatant mis-education of our children.
What do you feel were the key needs for an afro-centric school in Canada?
There was a staggering 40% failure rate of Black students in the school system, and even the students that were passing were given worthless diploma’s to get them out of school
Certain students were stating that ‘it was easier to get a gun, than to get a job’. Think about it …why would you think that? The constant marginalization of our children in the school system; anything to do with Africa or Black people, was presented in a negative way and everything European or Western was positive. Children were walking around saying that they would rather be ‘white’…because they saw privilege being associated with being ‘white’. Africentric schooling gives these children a fighting chance to succeed in life, without being attacked on every front in the classroom.
What inspired you personally to get involved with a Black focused initiative?
It was easy to recognize the problem and it was easy to determine that something had to done about it. A couple of Mothers started the fight, in defence of their own children who were suffering in the school system, and the community mobilized behind them. Many of our children needed an alternative because the school system was not doing its job. It was not providing them with the best possible route to maximize their potential and to achieve success in life. I have worked with our children in Ghana, West Africa and have worked with children in our community as a Director with the African Canadian Heritage Association in Toronto, a volunteer organization that has been teaching African and Caribbean history to our children for 40 years so I know the potential of our children because I have seen what they can do, if we decide to work with them and help to provide them with the tools necessary to succeed in life. It is criminal, if we depend on the same systems that enslaved our people for 400 years to now teach us how about our history and how to be successful in life. Personally, I believe that if you are not a part of the solution, then you must be a part of the problem. As such, I had no choice, but to get involved with the Africentric schooling initiative.
‘This is a commitment rooted in the belief that we need to take back our children and ensure that they have access to an Africentric based learning environment where they are not marginalized in a Eurocentric biased school system. We know what works with our children….we must find the courage to just do it.’ Louis March
Daniella Maison BA (Hons) MA
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment