Afrocentric Infusion for Urban Schools: Fundamental Knowledge for Teachers
Author: Molefi Kete Asante and Ama Mazama
Publisher: ANKH 2010

AFROCENTRIC Infusion for Urban Schools: Fundamental Knowledge for Teachers by Dr Molefi Kete Asante and Dr Ama Mazama is a worthwhile read, especially for those who are looking into Zimbabwe’s education curriculum.
The authors reveal why and how adopting an Afrocentric approach, will enable Africans to claim space in historical, social, and cultural knowledge.
An Afrocentirc approach, the writers argue, will develop students and help them understand the importance of African people in various historical periods, locations and phenomena.
The book dismisses the notion that the West is the centre and reference point for everything and everyone in the world.
The major theme of the book is that ‘African students must be educated about the world and its people, inventions, theories, facts and history from an African point of view’.
The publication is critical, especially as the majority of students in the country and the continent are being taught and shaped by Western ideologies.
So dominant are Western ideas that some youths being churned out of our educational systems believe that the country negotiated for its independence and got if from the benevolence of the British and not through a protracted liberation struggle.
The West has made itself the centre and source of all civilisation, for instance, inventions originate from the West.
But truth is that most if not all inventions have their origins in Africa, but our students do not know this because it is not part of the current education system which is highly steeped in Western ideology.
Professors Asante and Mazama highlight how African history has been distorted to suit the agenda of the West.
“Our history has been maligned,” they write.
“Our continent of origin has been maligned.
“We also know our continent has been maligned.
“African history is neither mysterious nor difficult to reconstruct.
“The habit of European scholars has been to interpret Africa through their own eyes and thus when those writers attempted to find support for white superiority they often distorted or disregarded the African record or the record of other ancient people.”
Several theories that place civilisation in Europe have been put forward, but the authors dismiss these as false with the support of archaeological evidence.
“Not only did Africa contribute to human history; African civilisations predate any that we know about since humans originated on the continent of Africa.
“This is true whether you take archaeological evidence or biological evidence.”
According to the authors, artefacts as well as art also place Africa as the cradle of mankind.
“Documented drawings of more than 70 000 years of age appear on the walls of caves in sites as distant as Tassili and Domboshava throughout the African continent.”
The book also discusses the issue of periodisation whereby people have tried to place African art in European periods which is not quite accurate.
“Periodisation in African art cannot rely on the dates in European art periods since African art is far older, going back into antiquity several thousands of years before even Greek art.”
Westernisation of knowledge has resulted in the history of the continent becoming unknown to its inhabitants.
And this has led to a situation whereby African children want to identify more with European ways than their own.
For more than 400 years of slavery and colonialism, Europe and America imposed its cultures on the continent while eradicating African systems that governed the continent’s societies.
Afrocentric Infusion for Urban Schools: Fundamental Knowledge for Teachers seeks to remedy the situation.
The book insists that Afrocentric solutions will catapult development on the continent.
According to the writers, a Eurocentric approach to solving problems is what continues to slow progress and growth of the African continent.
The book highlights that African cultures have relied on concepts derived from European experiences, which has left Africa with an imitated culture.
The authors argue that the restoration of Africa’s distorted historical and civilisation legacy through factual and accurate education is the only solution to a myriad of problems besetting the continent.
This book is fundamental.