CENPA-188~07 |
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has been little evidence of the negative effects ol this kind of outlook on modern African life, especially when compared to the balkanization which followed Latin-European colonialism. In Latin-European colonies there tended to be a concentration of cultural values favoring Europe, and consequently downgrading those of Africa. In this system schools were viewed primarily as agencies for the spread of European languages and culture. The educational policies followed by these European powers, therefore, reflected their governments' unique concept of their colonial responsibility, namely, to work toward integration of the Africans within their control into French, Portuguese, or Spanish culture and society, rather than toward the goal of eventual self-government. In order to achieve this, these Latin-European governments encouraged the spread of Christian missionary institutions, the use of only the official European language in all instruction, and the direct inculcation of national values of the European power in control. Some of the consequences of these systems of educational control have yet to be analyzed. There seems to be a somewhat violent reaction against this Latin cultural domination. We are referring to the vehemence with which French-African values claim to have some mystical power called Negritude, which is supposed to derive from a combination of some properties of African culture and "blackness" and which enables the possessor of such properties to behave in ways that are intrinsically different from other racial groups. Leopold Senghor defines Negritude as "the whole complex of civilized values—cultural, economic, social, and political—which characterize the black peoples, or more precisely, the Negro-African world." n This is a political mystique probably meant to rally the African masses for a more effective push against European colonialism. In a way, the British-educated African perhaps means the same thing when he speaks of the "African personality." Since in both Latin and Anglo-Saxon colonial systems the educational systems were dominated by foreign philosophies and methods, it may not be surprising that "la Negritude" and "the African personality" had to be invented as tools for boosting African self- respect. As Senghor says, "Paradoxically, it was the French who first forced us to seek its essence, and who then showed us where it lav . . . when they enforced their policy of assimilation and thus deepened our despair. . . . Early on, we had become aware within ourselves that assimilation was a failure; we could assimilate mathematics or the French language, but we could never strip off our black skins or root out our black souls. And so we set out on a fervent quest for the Holy Grail: our Collective Soul." 12 One of the major forces which have been used by European colonial powers in die education ol i\u ary effort. As in the commit > colonies, formal education u Christian churches. I he ( n|j, were instituted bj Christian was at the mission m ho<>N j:; fust steps in edu< at ion weir : This interest was enhanced I Christianity. Most ol tin- <<: initiated, financed, and st.nh < missionaries were often «>i- mj but always thc\ established % i Even now a large propottmn trol of these mission.n\ imih geralion that the (christian mi to the rest of the Euioix in i engaging in the same int For epiite a long time ( hi M bilities of planning, finani m little help from colonial colonies most Christian iiimi ment.13 The main purpose o! Ciht.i African. Consequently it ^ no Christian mission st hool pean Christian morality African society was lain.; ilti and in view of the Uu t thai dustrial, i.e.. Western 1 tuoji African education \\as !hi;;.' i viewed from the vantage ; schools left a great deal hi 1 African has had his own ni should never have ignored, ( or in case of girls, training \t\ part and parcel ol AfiM. "regimental training" m< m point, and the system i* - place in the traditional lilt the situation thus: "SfM i il given by tribal elders. It wo indigenous type ol edui •'• sought to adjust its method* ------ • *•" ' fej..vjaHB%ju.-.^jB—i ■-■■ ■'•• r- ---:■
Object Description
Description
Title | CENPA-188~07 |
Filename | CENPA-188~07.tiff |
Full text | has been little evidence of the negative effects ol this kind of outlook on modern African life, especially when compared to the balkanization which followed Latin-European colonialism. In Latin-European colonies there tended to be a concentration of cultural values favoring Europe, and consequently downgrading those of Africa. In this system schools were viewed primarily as agencies for the spread of European languages and culture. The educational policies followed by these European powers, therefore, reflected their governments' unique concept of their colonial responsibility, namely, to work toward integration of the Africans within their control into French, Portuguese, or Spanish culture and society, rather than toward the goal of eventual self-government. In order to achieve this, these Latin-European governments encouraged the spread of Christian missionary institutions, the use of only the official European language in all instruction, and the direct inculcation of national values of the European power in control. Some of the consequences of these systems of educational control have yet to be analyzed. There seems to be a somewhat violent reaction against this Latin cultural domination. We are referring to the vehemence with which French-African values claim to have some mystical power called Negritude, which is supposed to derive from a combination of some properties of African culture and "blackness" and which enables the possessor of such properties to behave in ways that are intrinsically different from other racial groups. Leopold Senghor defines Negritude as "the whole complex of civilized values—cultural, economic, social, and political—which characterize the black peoples, or more precisely, the Negro-African world." n This is a political mystique probably meant to rally the African masses for a more effective push against European colonialism. In a way, the British-educated African perhaps means the same thing when he speaks of the "African personality." Since in both Latin and Anglo-Saxon colonial systems the educational systems were dominated by foreign philosophies and methods, it may not be surprising that "la Negritude" and "the African personality" had to be invented as tools for boosting African self- respect. As Senghor says, "Paradoxically, it was the French who first forced us to seek its essence, and who then showed us where it lav . . . when they enforced their policy of assimilation and thus deepened our despair. . . . Early on, we had become aware within ourselves that assimilation was a failure; we could assimilate mathematics or the French language, but we could never strip off our black skins or root out our black souls. And so we set out on a fervent quest for the Holy Grail: our Collective Soul." 12 One of the major forces which have been used by European colonial powers in die education ol i\u ary effort. As in the commit > colonies, formal education u Christian churches. I he ( n|j, were instituted bj Christian was at the mission m ho<>N j:; fust steps in edu< at ion weir : This interest was enhanced I Christianity. Most ol tin- <<: initiated, financed, and st.nh < missionaries were often «>i- mj but always thc\ established % i Even now a large propottmn trol of these mission.n\ imih geralion that the (christian mi to the rest of the Euioix in i engaging in the same int For epiite a long time ( hi M bilities of planning, finani m little help from colonial colonies most Christian iiimi ment.13 The main purpose o! Ciht.i African. Consequently it ^ no Christian mission st hool pean Christian morality African society was lain.; ilti and in view of the Uu t thai dustrial, i.e.. Western 1 tuoji African education \\as !hi;;.' i viewed from the vantage ; schools left a great deal hi 1 African has had his own ni should never have ignored, ( or in case of girls, training \t\ part and parcel ol AfiM. "regimental training" m< m point, and the system i* - place in the traditional lilt the situation thus: "SfM i il given by tribal elders. It wo indigenous type ol edui •'• sought to adjust its method* ------ • *•" ' fej..vjaHB%ju.-.^jB—i ■-■■ ■'•• r- ---:■ |
Archival file | Volume13/CENPA-188~07.tiff |