The head of a Pan-Africanist organisation is advocating for a significant shift in the school curriculum, arguing it should be rooted in African culture and heritage rather than the traditional Westminster system.
Speaking at a gathering of several Pan-African groups in Haynesville, St James, to mark the beginning of Kwanzaa on Friday, Head of the Sixth Region Movement, Saa-Ankh Clarke, emphasised the urgent need for the educational system to embrace Afro-centric teachings from the earliest levels.
Clarke stated: “Hopefully in the new year, we can meet with the ministers of education and see what we can do, because I’m also looking at having our authentic African rites and ceremonies incorporated into our school’s curriculum, so that the Westminster system of curriculum becomes secondary and the African curriculum becomes the primary curriculum, and you have (this) from kindergarten to tertiary, rather than having to wait until you go to secondary school to do CXC, then to start learning about who you are.”
According to Clarke, the current system is confusing for both young people and elders because they are taught a history that leads to a rejection of their own identity and heritage. This, she argues, is why many people “don’t believe who they are, don’t understand who they are, and most importantly, they do not accept who they are.”
She stated, “We need to unlearn all of this,” with the goal being to ensure that citizens “can grasp and understand the concept of Blackness, of oneness, of unity, of pride and of self, respect and determination, peace.”
Clarke added that there was growing interest in Kwanzaa on the island and expressed her hopes that the celebration would be recognised as a national holiday in the same way as Christmas.
“I’ve actually started speaking to stores about displaying stuff for Kwanzaa, and I’m hoping to speak to the powers that be to see what can be done to make this a reality,” she added.
Meanwhile, highlighting the growing tension in the region due to the escalating situation between the United States and Venezuela, General Secretary of the Caribbean Movement for Peace David Denny said that the Kwanzaa celebration should focus on the principle of unity and go “beyond talk” in defending the region as a zone of peace.
“So for us this year’s Kwanzaa must go beyond just talk, but we must unite our people, especially the progressive forces, so that when we reach January 1st, we have an agenda for next year. So out of our discussions, out of our activities, our programmes, we should be able to develop a solid programme for our people to move forward,” he added.
Outlining the local celebration, Peter Skeete, president of the Haynesville Youth Club, said that on the final day of this year’s Kwanzaa programme, there will be a showcase of traditional African and Landship dances and drumming, and a distribution of gifts to youth in the community.
Speaking to the media at the Haynesville police outpost, he again reiterated the need for a community centre in the area, highlighting the wealth of sporting, artistic and cultural talent in the community.
“When we travel to other communities, we see large community centres, and not much happens. And again, I want to make this call for the state to see the necessity to provide us with a space where we can continue and expand the programmes that we’ve done so readily to bring development to the young people of this community. This is a working community that has sustained itself and that has brought joy, recognition and respectability for many years,” he said.
Also in attendance at the event were Cuban Ambassador Yanet Stable Cardenas and Chargé d’Affaires Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to Barbados Martha Ortega. (JB)
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