Decolonizing education: Senegal Study-Abroad Reflections
Song for Senegal
Where European and African collide, the colonizer and the colonized;
Where French and Wolof exist separately and together, like Muslims and Christians, mainly Muslims;
Where American sports t-shirts walk along side African dresses and African robes;
Where the blue-green ocean, with white capped waves, complements the reds, yellows, golds, whites, oranges, purples, and pinks on clothes and carts and local fishing boats;
Where horses travel on roads with cars and taxis, motorcycles, too;
Where markets of watermelon, especially, with peanuts, fruits, vegetables, are at road side markets and big markets, too;
And of course, fish. Always fish, fishermen, grilling of fish, frying of fish, fish and pomme frites, French fries;
Where women with babies on their backs seem to be capable of all things with more hands than two;
Where men seem tall and lean and lanky, industrious, hard-working, especially the fishermen;
Where the beach is for soccer playing, exercising, and meditating;
Where the Islamic call to prayers is a reminder throughout the day, at the beginning of the day, at the end of the day to think about others, about the universe, about faith;
Where the black flies and the brown dusty sand are omni-present, like the cows, chickens, goats, horses, and cows that live along side men, women, children; and babies;
Where baobab trees hold secrets from storytellers;
And where the African Renaissance Statute reminds us to strive ever higher and ever forward.
This year I have been privileged to receive an American Council on Education Fellowship. The fellowship is a professional development opportunity to think about leadership, education, and one’s own personal and professional journey. As an ACE fellow, I wanted to use my fellowship, in part, to step out of the American education bubble, particularly as I think about issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. This has included incorporating an international education experience into my fellowship. I wrote about my experience in Benin and Ethiopia on my blog post: https://menahpratt.com/its-time-for-women-warriors-in-the-world-lessons-from-africa-about-life-and-leadership/
Over the holiday break, I just finished a faculty study abroad program in Senegal with Rose Pan African Education. Rose Pan African Education offers university students, artists, scholars, and academic staff tailored creative, academic, and service-learning opportunities in Africa. These specialized programs supplement traditional Eurocentric pedagogies by providing deeper engagement with African histories, cultures, and perspectives. Because “only 6.2% of study abroad programs are in Africa: 3.9% in Sub Saharan and 2.3% in Middle East & North Africa,” the founder and visionary leader, Dr. Nicole Richards, felt it was important to create a program in Senegal. The tailored program that she curated for me focused on decolonizing education.
I shared with Dr. Richards that I wanted to meet and talk with women students. Because Senegal is largely a French and Wolof speaking country, it was challenging to find women students who spoke English. In addition, Cheik Anta Diop University is in the midst of a crisis. There were political protests in the spring on campus and the university has been shut down since then. Students were not able to continue school after the protests or take their final exams in the spring semester. Although school remained closed in the fall, students were required to return for exams in December for the spring semester. For the upcoming spring, it is unclear what will happen since elections are in February. It may be that they have to learn on-line or wait until after the election for school to resume. I learned that even when school is in session, sometimes teachers do not show up and students are often teaching themselves.
Recently, the president of the country appointed a new president of the university. The political appointment is raising concerns about the intersection of politics and education. I immediately thought about the similarities to the United States, and the appointment of university presidents by state governors, appointed to enact a political agenda into a higher education environment.
Through Dr. Richards’ persistence, I met two English speaking women students. The first student was Coumbare Wague. An English/American Studies major, she shares that many times teachers do not come to class and students have to teach themselves: “you just have to fight, otherwise you fail. You have to figure out everything.” Interestingly, her American Studies program includes only a sliver of discussion about people of color in America. It is largely about European Americans in America. In addition, even in her English classes, she has not had African American or American writers of color assigned. The required text for her English class, for example, was Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway.
I asked about her experience as a female student. She said, “As a female student, it is too difficult, because men become rude, and you have to be a strong woman to face them. You have to be proud of yourself and fight.” I also asked her to share her advice for women and girls: “Focus on yourself; stay strong and know that in this life, nothing is easy, but you can make it.” Coumbare is amazing; she owns her own business; she just got her driver’s license; she speaks seven languages and will be a powerful force in the world!
Another student I met was Fatimatou Binetou Dione. She is in the English Department, too, studying African Literature. She described herself as a feminist. I asked for what her advice would be for women and girls: “Women should not underestimate themselves. I think a woman who is able to share, communicate, and advise children, mainly girls, is rather a social danger. And I think that we women should not silence ourselves. We should voice our mind and reveal our thoughts. I think we should not underestimate ourselves; we should be proud of ourselves; we should not be caring for a man; we should believe our dreams, and things will come true.”
Wow! Educated women are “a social danger.” I think that is such an important reality when I consider all the sectors of society in which women are undermined, undercompensated, and marginalized, and when I think about cultures and politics across the world that make it challenging for women to get an education.
I am leaving Senegal with many questions and thoughts.
What does it mean to decolonize education?
I had a very interesting conversation on the Island of Shells in Joal-Fadiouth. A Senegales male tour guide was talking about the culture of the fishing and farming village. The village was majority Christian, in contrast to the largely Muslim country. Throughout the village, there were iconographic statues and most of them had images of a White Jesus. In an all-black Senegalese African community, despite understanding the colonial history, I had thought, perhaps, the representation of Jesus would be different. When I asked the guide, he told me that the color doesn’t matter; only the message. I of course told him that the image matters, too. He repeated his assertation that only the message matters. We agreed to disagree.
In reflecting about decolonizing education, I think that is one of key questions: What matters? Who gets to decide what matters? Who gets to decide what is taught by whom to whom?
As I think about the increasing tightening of nooses around DEI efforts on college campus and the increasing interference by state governments in public education, in America, it appears that the government is increasingly determining what is taught by whom to whom. The banning of books like the 1619 Project; the banning of teaching the history of slavery and the experiences of African-Americans; and the banning of critical race theory ideas are critical issues related to decolonizing education.
The study abroad experience include visiting Gorée Island, with the only woman tour guide out of 50. Everywhere in the world, women are still being the first and only. The House of Slaves tour was powerful and overwhelming. This is my third experience with learning about the brutality and trauma of the enslavement journey with its African roots. I had visited Bunce Island in Freetown Sierra Leone; Cotonou, Benin; and now Goree Island, Senegal. I continue to be amazed that we as African Americans are “still here,” in America, trying our best, against incredible odds, to still make an impact. This knowledge of the enslavement experience is important to decolonizing education. What happens when/if students are no longer able to learn about this experience as part of their education. Given that as slaves, African Americans were prohibited from reading and writing, there has always been an orchestrated effort by “colonizers” to control knowledge and education.
Image of quotes and children.
With the inability to use race to ensure diversity in American universities, perhaps as Fatimatou shared, it is not only an educated woman that is a social danger, but also educated people of color.
There were two other important take-aways for me. The study abroad experience include a visit to the African Renaissance Statute. It is a powerful image in Dakar of a man, woman, and child. The man is holding the child who is pointing to the future and the woman is behind the man. While we can debate the symbolism of the woman in the back and the man in the middle, I loved the power of this image. We have to think about the future for our children and our responsibility to the environment, to our values, to education.
I want to close with final image and reminder that I will carry back with me. Social justice work requires speaking up and intervening when we see and experience injustice. The concept of bystander intervention encourages us to not just stand by when we see and witness injustice. It encourages us to be courageous and speak up and engage in activism to try to promote change.
This is easier said than done. One day in Dakar, I witnessed a woman, presumably a mother, literally beating her child into pulp. The slaps on the child’s body were so loud. Her shouting and yelling at the child were equally horrific, as were the child’s screams. The woman and the woman she was with walked away, leaving the child laying on the ground, writhing in pain, screaming and crying. I did not do anything but watch and hope that the child would be alright. My inaction and inability to speak the language and uncertainty left me feeling powerless and disappointed. I continue to reflect on this experience, and the number of times in our lives when we see injustice and do nothing.
The world doesn’t change if we do nothing. I am grateful for Rose Pan African and Dr. Nicole Richards’ effort to make a change. I am reminded that I must do more and continue to think about education and the experiences of students, particularly those who are marginalized in society. It is always time for women warriors, and there are inspirational and powerful women students all over the world, whose voices and perspectives are critical to transforming society.
If you are woman of color in higher education and are a faculty member, graduate student, administrator, post-doctoral fellow, or independent scholar please ask your institution to sponsor you to attend the Faculty Women of Color in the Academy National Conference. I founded this conference, now hosted and supported by Virginia Tech, specifically to support women of color in higher education.
https://www.inclusive.vt.edu/Programs/FWCA/conference-info.html
The 12th annual installment of FWCA, April 11-14, 2024, will feature sessions that will explore the topics of leadership, career advancement, personal well-being, scholar activism, and graduate school / emerging scholars. We also will have the following amazing keynote speakers!
Dynamic Keynote Speakers
Signature Leadership Panel Speakers
Featured Authors Panel Speakers
I’ll be sharing from my new book, Blackwildgirl: A Writer’s Journey To Take Back Her Superpower and Companion Journal (Release date, April 2, 2024, available for pre-order on Amazon).
https://a.co/d/6yQ7ZKq Blackwildgirl Journal
More photos from Senegal coming soon:
