The Pedagogical and Instructional Relevance of Proverbs and Songs as Indigenous Philosophies: The West African Case

• In Event: Trickster Chases the Tale of Education: Indigenous Storytelling Disrupting Education

Abstract

Africa has always been an important source of rich information for knowledge production. There has always been a curiosity about Africa that has served different imaginations and interests. But how do we learn and teach about Africa in ways that are informed by an appreciation of African peoples’ rich cultural knowledges, complexity and historic resistance of local peoples to carve out their own futures and dreams? Traditional African education has utilized a variety of instructional and pedagogic methods as well as guides and resources to educate youth. Education in African communities has happened in multiple sites, formal and non-formal. Just as West African education can benefit from a study of educational delivery in other contexts, I would argue that a study of important aspects of West African formal and non formal education and socialization of young learners may offer significant lessons for educating youth in other societies. This presentation addresses the issue of schooling, education and socialization in West Africa with a particular focus on the pedagogic and instructional relevance of local cultural resource knowledge such as proverbs and traditional folktales. Using Ghanaian and Nigerian case studies and materials this presentation examines how such local cultural knowledge (or Indigenous knowledge) informs education and socialization of youth, and can point to ways for rethinking schooling and education in African contexts. In the discussion the presentation draws out the broader implications for thinking around questions and challenges of Indigenous Knowledges and the [Western] academy, such as the problem of “epistemological dominance” and the subversion through “epistemological resistance” and the pursuit of “epistemological pluralism”.

Author

• George J. Dei, OISE/University of Toronto