THE PLACE OF AFRICAN RENAI~~ANCE IN THE ~OUT" AFRICAN EDUCATION VICTOR SIBUSISO XULU THE PLACE Qf AfRICAN RENAI~~ANCE IN THE ~OUTH AfRICAN EOUCATION b~ VICTOR SIBUSISO. XULU PK BA (Uij; Hd (Uij; /tEll (Uij I Sulnnitted in accordance with the requireTI1ents for the degree of . DOCTOR Of EDUCATION in the Faculty of Education at the University of Zululand. Promoter: Dr. N.Q. Mkabela (Durban-Umlazi Campus) Date: ~o June 1004 -i- DECLARATION I, Victor Sibusiso Xulu, do hereby declare that this thesis, entitled "rhe place ofAfrkalf R.elfai~lfce IIf fhe South Afrkalf6ducatiolf" is my own work and that all the sources that I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete reference. VSXULU Date KwaDlangezwa -ii- DEDICATION This work is indebted to my parents Rv Canon ETM Xulu and NIrs pp Xulu and the whole family for their love, encouragement and endless prayers gMng me courage to go through this mammoth task and complete this thesis. ~ii- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Sincere gratitude is due to: n • Rrst and foremost, the Almighty God -"El Shadai , for graciously affording me strength and serenity to complete this thesis. The Lord God is good. His MerC{ endures forever! • Dr NO Mkabela, Senior Lecturer in Foundations of Education, for promoting this thesis in great sincerity. You were so inspirational. Your confidence in me enthused me to complete the study. DINANGWEll • Prof LZM Khumalo, Dean ofthe Faculty ofArts, for his concem and encouragement Mzilikazi!! • Prof a Moyo, Senior Lecturer in General Unguistics, for editing this thesis. • Daniela Viljoen who so professionally, efficiently and excellently typed this thesis. Veels geluk dankie. • University ofZululand Ubrary Staff, especially NM Mgobhozi and LE Ocholla who provided exceptional prompt support in tracing some relevant references for this thesis. • All who participated in interviews thereby enabling the completion of thi? thesis. I thank you for your co-operation and wonderful hospitality. -iv- • My dear wife, Sinegugulethu, for her undying love and patience with my noctumal research greed and hideout during research. Your love and patience spurred my greed to complete this thesis. Shamase!! • My children, Nozibusiso and Olwethu, who missed the pleasure of their father's company while working on this thesis. Kini nonke ngithi: "Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu. Ningadinwa . nangomuso. » -v- ABSTRACT This research focused on describing "The Place of African Renaissance in the South African Education". The motivating factor is how African cultures can be restored through education. The research is intended to explore how the present education system can direct African education when faced with challenges that the African Renaissance would usher in. There is need to grapple with the problem of how the process of educational transformation as embodied in the current Philosophy of Education can transmit African values, cultures, norms and beliefs. The relevant literature reviewed the African Renaissance idea and its conceptualization. It debated two perspectives surrounding it; philosophies underlying the African Renaissance; Afrocentricity and the notion ofthis ideal; the dichotomy between African Renaissance call and the present education system. African Renaissance and education were studied with particular reference toAfrican centered Psychology, African Philosophy and African centered curriculum. The qualitative ideographic research method was used in this research. Data was collected through interviews. Conversational analysis drewfull -vi- transcript and recorded conversations that were carried out. Qualitative research was relevant in that the phenomenon under study was "seen through the e;es" of the African people, thereby rejecting the deleterious formulations oftheories and concepts in advance. Through qualitative research, the perceptions, the feelings and the attitude ofthe African people about the place of African Renaissance in the South African education were critically analysed. The findings of the study significantly revealed that there is a place for African Renaissance in the South African education. The study further found that: African Renaissance could revive self-esteem among Africans and renew African consciousness; African Renaissance was an ideal worth strMng for; important· education considerations should not ostracise African cultural backgrounds; the incorporation of African Renaissance at school level demands broad-minded educators with a particular character. The study furthermore revealed. critical challenges facing the South African Education system, the African traditional culture of Ubuntu hold much promise and should receive significant consideration in education for the realisation of African Renaissance; there is an essential need for reconstruction ofAfrican consciousness among African learners; African educators are not better positioned to facilitate African Renaissance; and there is dire need for the reawakening ofAfrican languages. -vii- The most significant aspects of the recommendations address the incorporation of African Renaissance in the South African education. Both the indigenous African education and Outcomes Based Education (OBE) Curriculum frameworks are recommended in good stead for incorporation. The implementation thereof demands unbiasness and apolitical objectives. There is demand for making the present curriculum relevant to the needs of the African people in South Africa. African education needs to beglobally competitive, and emancipatory without losing the notion ofAfrican identity. -viii- TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration -I- Dedication -11- Acknowledgements -111- Abstract -v- CHAPTER ONE GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 Motivation for the study 2 1.2.1 Assumptions 4 1.2.2 Limitations 6 1.3 Delimitation ofthe study 6 1.3.1 Spatial delimitation 6 1.3.2 Qualitative delimitation 6 1.4 The statement ofthe problem 7 1.4.1 The formulation of the problem 14 1.5 Methodology 15 1.5.1 Sampling 15 -ix- 1.5.2 Sources Gf information 15 1.5.2.1 Literature 15 1.5.2.2 People 16 1.5.3 Instruments 16 1.5.4 Data collection and recording 16 1.5.5 Data interpretation 16 1.6 The structure of thesis 16 1.7 The significance ofthe study 17 1.8 The conclusion 19 CHAPTER TWO THE THEORETICAL REVIEW OF AFRICAN RENAISSANCE 2.1 Introduction 20 2.2 Some background on African Renaissance Ideology 22 2.3 Conceptualisation of the African Renaissance 26 2.3.1 European Renaissance 26 2.3.1.1 Significant features of Renaissance 27 2.3.1.2 The aims of Renaissance Humanism 28 2.3.1.3 Educational Significance ofRenaissance 28 2.3.1.4 lessons drawn from the European Renaissance 29 2.3.2 Debate on the African Renaissance 33 -x- 2.3.3 Perspectives Surrounding the African Renaissance 39 2.3.3.1 Educational perspective 39 2.3.3.1.1 Metaphors, myths and slogans 42 2.3.3.2 Economic perspective 46 2.4 Afrocentricity and the African Renaissance Ideal 48 2.4.1 The Basic Assumption ofAfrocentricity 49 2.4.2 Theoretical Constructs of Afrocentricity 49 2.4.3 What Afrocentricity is not 50 2.4.4 Afrocentricity's Distinguishing Characteristics 50 2.4.5 Afrocentricity in Perspective 51 2.4.6 Areas of Inquiry in Afrocentricity 54 2.4.7 Afrocentricity's Goal 55 2.4.8 Afrocentric Education versus Colonial Education 56 2.5 The Dichotomy Between African Renaissance Movement and the Present Education System 62 2.6 Summary ofthe Chapter 70 2.7 Conclusion 71 CHAPTER THREE AFRICAN RENAISSANCE AND EDUCAnON 3.1 Introduction 72 3.2 The African Centered Psychology 73 -xi- 3.3 African Philosophy 77 3.3.1 Some characteristics of the African Philo50phy 84 3.4 African Centered Curriculum 86 3.5 African Centered Education 90 3.6 Conclusion 99 CHAPTER FOUR RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: A CRITICAL EVALUATION OF THE PLACE OF AFRICAN RENAISSANCE IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN EDUCATION 4.1 Introduction 100 4.2 Qualitative Research: An Overview 101 4.3 The Characteristics ofa Qualitative Research 103 4.4 Rationale for Undertaking Qualitative Research 106 4.5 Ideographic Method 107 4.6 Sampling 108 4.7 Method of Data Collection 109 4.7.1 Interviews 109 4.7.1.1 Advantages of the interviews 111 4.7.1.2 Disadvantages ofthe Interviews 112 4.8 Role ofthe Researcher in Data Collection 114 -xii- 4.9 The Researcher's Background and Present Position 115 4.10 Ethical Consideration in this Research 118 4.10.1 Anonymity 119 4.10.2 Confidentiality 119 4.10.3 Researcher's responsibility 120 4.11 Reporting on Ideograms 120 4.11.1 Ideogram A 121 4.11.2 Ideogram B 126 4.11.3 Ideogram C 130 4.11.4 Ideogram D 135 4.11.5 Ideogram E 144 4.12 Summary of the Chapter 154 CHAPTER FIVE DATA ELUCIDATION AND INTERPRUATION 5.1 Introduction 156 5.2 Reflection on Identification Particulars 157 5.3 Interpretation of Ideograms 158 5.3.1 What is African Renaissance? 158 5.3.2 Has the African Renaissance changed anything in schools? 158 -xiii- 5.3.3 The nature of the African Renaissance education 159 5.3.4 What South African Education should consider important in order to succeed under African Renaissance period 160 5.3.5 The incorporation ofAfrican Renaissance in the school education level 161 5.3.6 Critical challenges for African Renaissance Education implementation in African schools ·162 5.3.7 The place ofAfrican Renaissance in the South African Education System 163 .~ 5.3.8 The concept African Renaissance and its accommodation in Education and Culture 163 5.3.9 Traditional cultural traits vis-a-vis the realisation ofAfrican Renaissance 166 5.3.10 Elements of Ubuntu that need significant consideration 167 5.3.11 The