. ... and American societies,
al1l|  the like. As in modern
.. initiates to bring with them
,.,;,  jl| iheir material requirc-
y m ilieia own ingenuity. They
,   itli hiding little sleep, hard
tunifoi table living quarters.
. ,tini o( traditional law and
i ,i l,\ moi k courts and trials in
hrij ciders. In sonic initiation
rt-atit, agricultural techniques,
jn< hides, inter alia, atti-
...  ztu\ ihcii fellow-wives, aside
i homecraft, mothercraft, and
■ > pci form.9
Hton schools is the inculcation
itr> t< rid to obtain a feeling of
\* Kenneth A. Little says, "The
i tvith men, and women with
j wide .oea. and to an extent
[in. tribe, and religion. It is
t the memory of experiences
- miiiids responsible for the
I vuide. It is something quite
tuition, upon which he or she
; d travailancc." 1()
i't riod
clevance of the traditional sys-
t briel survey of the influence
d ujKHi the African during the
• m riptioil of African social life
rrnjit to forecast the future of
u ,i. must involve an assessment
< I tide .in analysis of the impact
►lulovophics and techniques of
(nation Nvas that in practically
»!!<<! by people whose cultural
I Ins in itself had a significant
methods u^ud in framing and
' » hi the kind of psychological
\ m vtudy,
In this connection, this writer has to resort to his own experience for
some illustrations. Of the total of 30 years of schooling, the author
spent almost one-half of it in a purely traditional environment, in
which he acquired most of his basic education. In that first period, his
education was given against the background of his people's historical,
mythical, religious, and customary influences. Everything fitted into a
world picture that had coherence. But when he entered European-
controlled schools he found himself overwhelmed by philosophies and
practices which had little relevance to his life. It took him much longer
than normal to enter into the logical structure of the culture which
composed the educational milieu in which he had to learn. In this new
cultural environment he was forced to downgrade a large part of the
wisdom of his ancestors; the meaning of his religious traditions had to
be watered down into superstitious beliefs; his concept of his people,
and therefore of himself, had to shift into a much lower category than
was good for him.
This situation was definitely a handicap for the proper educational
atmosphere in which the African child was expected to compete with.
the European child. This was aside from the handicaps occasioned by
the fact that the medium of communication was an altogether foreign
language and the textbooks used were written for European children.
Another important fact to be considered is the multiplicity of cultural agencies which were directing and controlling education during
the colonial period. The first and most important of these was the
European governments controlling the various parts of the African
continent. These can be divided into two main categories, namely, the
Anglo-Saxon and the Latin governments. The latter can further be
divided into the French-speaking governments of France and Belgium
and the Ilispano-Portuguese governments of Spain and Portugal. Each
one of these governments had a different educational philosophy consistent with its national life and traditions. The Anglo-Saxon colonies,
for example, were guided by an educational policy which reflected the
prevailing way of life in the British Isles, where the various ethnic
groups are allowed to stress their own cultural traditions. We are referring to the systems of education as thev apply to the English, the
Welsh, the Scots, and the Irish.
It is possible, to view the influence of this outlook from both the
positive and the negative points of view. Viewed positively, this outlook
on education tended to encourage national and cultural pride in all
African societies in which it was applied. At the same time, it could
have been responsible for the encouragement of a negative kind of
tribalism, by enabling each linguistic and ethnic group to inculcate in
its young a sectarian view of life. However, it must be admitted, there