African Indigenous Knowledges and Education in Contemporary Schools

This is a study of traditional African indigenous knowledges and educational practices and its relevance to and applicability in contemporary Black- focused schools in Toronto, Canada. It is a literature-based study which examines the writings of Afrocentrists, such as Cheikh Anto Diop, Molefi Asante and George Dei as well as a careful examination of two indigenous African socities. Equally critical as aids to understanding African indigenous knowledges are the works of Jomo Kenyatta wherein are detailed the pre-colonial educations system of the Gikuyu peoples of Kenya, and those of Babs Fufunwa in relation to Nigeria. From the point of contemporary education in Toronto, some common dilemmas within the system are appraised to determine their impact on students of African heritage. This study identifies problems inherent in the assumption of academic success as the only true measure of success, highlights those aspects of indigenous education and knowledges that may be applicable in filling the gaps caused by this assumption and consequent practices , and proposes that a union of the two systems is not only necessary but possible.