Abstract
Introduction
This review is based on the work of Sefa Dei GJ, Karanja W and Erger G, titled “Elders’ Cultural Knowledges and the Question of Black/African Indigeneity in Education” which was published in the year 2022 by Springer. The book contained title pages, dedication, acknowledgment, 10 (ten) chapters with references at the end, index, and the total page was 232. The purpose as identified by the authors was: Elders’ cultural knowledge as Indigenous knowledge is reclaimed and asserted in this anthology as legitimate knowledge systems that have a critical role to play in informing decolonized educational reform initiatives not just in Canada and Africa but in other colonial destinations. (p. 19)
The book was published for policymakers, school administrators, teachers, and researchers to read and digest. It was a great privilege of reading this book because it opened my eyes to appreciate the beauty of indigenous knowledge, especially learning through elders.
Many books have been written about decolonization, multiculturalism, and racism; however, this present book is different due to the line of argument, wide range of topics, method of data collection, and analysis. Some of the criteria used were the purpose, strengths, and weaknesses, writing styles, relation to reviewer experience, and target audience. The timing of this book cannot be overemphasized, it came at a time when the world was struggling with the Coronavirus pandemic, this book exposed the danger of Eurocentrism on indigenous education, and the setting provides an in-depth analysis of the elders’ cultural knowledge.
George J Sefa Dei. A traditional chief in Ghana (nana Adusei Sefa Tweneboah, from the Asakyiri clan, Akan people). Canadian anti-racist educator and Professor at the University of Toronto. Most of his previous and present works are centered on inclusive, decolonial schooling and education from the standpoint of African Indigeneity for the last couple of decades. The second author is Wambui Karanja, Kenya. She is a PhD Candidate at the University of Toronto under the supervision of Prof George J. Sefa Die. Her research interest includes decolonizing theories, Indigeneity and Indigenous Land rights, anti-colonialism, modernization, globalization, feminist, and anti-colonial theories. The third author is Grace Erger, a graduate of the University of Toronto. She did her bachelor’s degree in Critical Studies in Equity and Solidarity and Women and Gender Studies.
The main points from this book are land acknowledgment, colonization, meaning and characteristics of indigenous elders, benefits of inculcating elders into formal education settings, and challenges.
The first point is land acknowledgment, the authors gave a brief history of the indigenous people of Canada, their cultures, and their characteristics, and why land acknowledgment is important. One of the excerpts from the book on why land acknowledgment is important: We, as scholars and students who believe in decolonization, have a responsibility to support efforts by the original inhabitants of the Land in which we work and live to decolonize and to protect their Land from environmental, political, and cultural destruction by the Canadian state. (p. 6)
The second main point from the book is colonization, the authors identified formal education as one major weapon of colonization used in the past and still effective till today, they argued that westerners successful colonized and spread white supremacy via formal education in Canada and Africa. Take, for instance, the authors submitted that: However, when one lives in a society that is structured by white supremacy, racism, and colonialism, that values whiteness above all, and that hierarchizes bodies, knowledge, and worldviews based on their proximity to whiteness and Eurocentrism, schooling and education become problematic. (p. 40)
The third point is the definition and characteristics of indigenous elders by the authors. The authors defined indigenous elders as “The knowledge holders and custodians of each indigenous community’s knowledge” (p. 45), from the definition given by the authors, it is certain that it is not every elderly person can be classified as an elder in society, however, one of the characteristics of indigenous elders as highlighted by the authors “Having knowledge and expertise of the community culture” (p. 46).
The authors identified some benefits of inculcating elders into a formal educational setting, for instance, elders can serve as advocates for racialized students in the school. Having established the benefits of inculcating elders into school, the authors also acknowledged some challenges likely to face the program, according to the authors: Whiteness sustainability, reinvention of colonialism and neocolonial policies and pushback from decolonial activists and scholars (Indigenous knowledge is fundamentally incompatible with Western knowledge and that the two are therefore irreconcilable on cosmological, epistemological, and ontological grounds. (p. 204)
In short, understanding that land acknowledgment is the first step to decolonization will catalyze the inculcation of elders’ cultural knowledge into formal or western education. My stand that Africans are educated before the advent of western education is solidify through the reading, that is, both indigenous education and western education can cohabit, and such cohabitation can lead to al-round development of the children in school and home.
The book excellently achieved its purpose as the authors identified and explained that Elder cultural knowledge is the legitimate source of knowledge, and such knowledge can result to decolonize educational reform in Canada and Africa. Talking about the strength of the book is that: the authors have vast experience. Clear explanation of the benefits of inculcating elders into formal education, a balanced argument for and against inculcating elders, the book was built on previous data collected and the book structure was well-paced, the proper linkage of each concept, and use of simple English to pass the message. However, there is no book without weaknesses and the book under review is not exempted, one of the weaknesses was too much repetition of ideas, the failure to represent all the regions in Africa, and a few grammatical errors in the book.
While comparing this book with other genres on the subject matter, the selling point of the book is based on the fact the data were collected from three countries (Ghana, Canada, and Kenya). The most convincing points from the books are land acknowledgment, the place of formal education as a weapon of colonization, and the meaning, roles, and benefits of elders’ cultural knowledge while the book failed to convince in the ways to document elders’ knowledge. The book was thorough because it passed certain stages before production due to both editorial and peer review processes.
I can adjudge this book to be fair based on the presence of a balanced argument. The only argument missing from the book is the lack of data from all region in Africa, for instance, the book of Bekerman (2016) compared two countries, I expected the authors to compare the state of elders’ cultural knowledge in the selected countries.
My childhood experience made me realize the importance of elders’ cultural knowledge, my maternal grandmother used proverbs, folklore, songs, and cultural activities which the authors also identified in their book as indigenous pedagogy to educate me. I believe the authors can examine different aspects of indigenous culture or knowledge like skills acquisition and indigenous tools that can complement formal education.
Conclusion
Understanding and appreciating the impact of elders’ cultural knowledge is the beginning of the decolonizing education that will benefit black, Latino, and indigenous people in Canada which is one of the purposes of this book. Overall, reading this book has an aura that appeals to the readers’ sense of reasoning, hence, this book’s contribution to the body of knowledge on different concepts like racism and multiculturalism cannot be undermined but appreciated, therefore, this book is worth reading.
Recommendation
The book is recommended for scholars, educational policymakers, African elders, and teachers. The recency and availability of adequate literature make it worthwhile for future scholars to consult.
