Remembering Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and his impact on our work.

NORI · 2026-09-21T20:09:33.012Z

Today marks Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s 117th birthday. Ghanaians and Pan-Africanists worldwide remember this remarkable ancestor and his contributions to liberation movements across the globe. At NORI, we are reflecting on Nkrumah’s perspectives on education and how they shape our work. Did you know Nkrumah’s first peer-reviewed publication was on education? In his 1941 paper, “Primitive Education in West Africa,” he outlined how children were raised and educated in pre-colonial Africa. He argued that indigenous education was highly effective and organized, successful in guiding “the future generation into the practices, habits, and ideals” of their community. Rather than passively transmitting information, education socialized children to be active community members, who were loyal to, and respected their heritage. This socialisation began at birth through various ceremonies, rituals, and practices and as children grew, they participated in ceremonies for younger peers encouraged to ask questions and recognize their shared journey. How much do we involve children today? Interestingly, our ancestors arrived at the same conclusions as modern developmental psychology: during their first six years, children were left to play under the guidance of responsible adults in an environment where the whole community valued them (profane speech was forbidden around them, for instance). Oh, how things have changed! From ages 6 to 14, children entered community-centered instruction alongside adults of their gender. The ultimate goal was self-determination: as natural talents emerged, they were cultivated to define each child's role in society. Nkrumah concluded that “education in the old order… gave efficient preparation for the activities of life and so it fulfilled its purpose.” Three years later, in “Education and Nationalism in Africa,” Nkrumah detailed how colonialists imposed education systems across the continent to serve their own interests. Despite 400 years of missionary attempts to supplant indigenous learning through Christianity, our ancestors in present-day Ghana tirelessly safeguarded their educational systems through secret societies and initiation ceremonies. Missionary schools reproduced Western values to serve colonial agendas rather than self-determination. Instead, Nkrumah advocated synthesizing the best of African and Western cultures through collaboration among educators, sociologists, and anthropologists. This approach aimed to protect indigenous culture while equipping youth with global insights, fostering the independence needed to shape their nation’s future. This vision is the core premise of NORI's work and community. He stated, “[The] future of Africa therefore depends upon the courage and fearlessness of its youth.” Does today’s education system enable African youth to develop this courage and fearlessness? As Nkrumah warned, “Future wars will not be stopped by wishful thinking, writing and talking, while at the same time conditions are being created which make freedom a mockery.” Make no mistake: we are at war for our children, our sovereignty, and our very faces and voices. Education must be a space for organization. As Nkrumah argued, “adequate organization to make all peoples free stops fascism, imperialism, and all other forms of exploitation, and this is the only effective desideratum to ensure world peace.” I leave you with two final quotes: “Any educational program which fails to furnish criteria for the judgement of social, political, economic, and technical progress of the people it purports to serve has completely failed in its purpose and has become educational fraud.” — Nkrumah (1943) “Any system of education is impossible without respect for the educand.” — Nkrumah (1943) Let’s work together to transform how Africans are educated. Through education, our collective liberation can be secured and sustained. We have a duty to this work.

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The NORI Global Village is a global community of educators, parents and experts working towards one goal: Reconceptualising Education in Africa.

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