Why Don’t We Teach Black History and Slave History in Schools in Africa?

Teaching kids in Africa about slavery and racism is equally as important as teaching them in Florida or anywhere else

Just recently, Alisson Wiltz wrote a brilliant article titled Why The Fight Against Racism Should Start in the Classroom. In this article, she brilliantly tackles the issue of racism in the United States. Politicians like Governor DeSantis of Florida have signed bills to stop teaching the history of racism and slavery in America’s public schools.

Actions like this have caused considerable anger and concern. Whether you agree with Governor Ron DeSantis or not depends on your political views. The rightwing media and Republicans have come out in support, you can guess what the response is from the leftwing media and Democrats have been.

No matter where you lie on the political spectrum, some things are facts and facts cannot be erased. One of those facts is that America played a huge role in slavery. Another fact is that even after slavery had been abolished, Black people and minorities continued to face active racial discrimination. The civil rights movement of the 1960s was a direct response to the discrimination that Black people faced in America.

Having laid all these facts out, I support Allison’s stand that the teaching of history in schools is important.

Those who cannot remember the past are bound to repeat it”— George Santayana.

But for all the flak that America and especially Republicans take about this issue, nobody ever asks how schools in Africa teach the history of slavery and racism.

Here are some other facts for you to consider.

Most enslaved people in America and the Western world came from Africa, especially West and Central Africa. It is estimated that over 12.5 million Africans were captured and taken as slaves in the period between 1526–1867.

Apart from the injustice of taking forcefully separating millions of people from their families, there is also the brain drain that was a direct result of the slave trade. Seeing as Africa was the focal point and main victim of the slave trade, one would expect that African governments would lead the way in making schools the bastion of knowledge about the history of Africa and slavery. African schools should be setting the example.

I grew up in Nigeria so it’s only fair that I use Nigeria as an example. The teaching of history in Nigeria is very poor and neglected. In the 2008/2009 academic session, the government removed history from the high school curriculum. The Ministry of Education only reintroduced history following a considerable backlash from concerned stakeholders. Even when history is taught, there is a focus on European history and general world history. African history and the history of how Africa was pillaged of her people and resources are barely even mentioned.

The same pattern repeats itself across high school classrooms in Africa.

Demanding that African history and the history of slavery be taught in classrooms in the United States and the United Kingdom is a great idea. However, if African countries do not bother to teach African children about their history, what moral right do we have to impose on Western countries to teach this in their classrooms?

It is shameful that African classrooms that should set an example in this area have instead chosen to run away from this. But the African countries are not alone in this; there are numerous civil society groups championing that campaign for history to be taught in schools, especially in the United States and the United Kingdom.

While I am tempted to say that it would only be fair if these organizations can dedicate some time and resources to chastise African governments for doing enough to teach African history in classrooms across Africa, I realize that this would be political self-harm for these organizations. It would be another classic case of the Westerners dictating to Africans what to do.

Africans must stand up for themselves and by themselves. If we want the world to take African history seriously, then we must start teaching it in our schools. We must accord it the same respect and even more than European and American history.

Yes, the fight against racism should start in the classroom, not just in classrooms in America, but also in classrooms in Africa.

Charity, they say, begins at home.