Teach African Studies in schools-Prof Williams urges

Published in the Daily Graphic on 7/12/2009 pg 11

Story: Matilda Attram
A LECTURER at the Centre for African Studies at the African University College of Communcations (AUCC), Professor Michael Williams has stressed the need to teach African Studies in schools to develop the minds of the youth on the affairs of Africa.
He said this would influence the thoughts of students since they were the future leaders of the continent.
“African studies has to develop in our schools since we train future African leaders to emulate the examples of our forefathers”, he said.
Professor Williams made this remark at the launch of a journal, ‘Nkrumaist Review, Pan-African Perspectives on African Affairs’ in Accra.
Being the editor of the journal, Professor Williams noted that Africans, especially Ghana needed to emphasise on Pan-African Perspective on African affairs to clear the negative notion most people have of African history to enhance its culture.
He said the journal which targeted students and lecturers was to celebrate great people such as Dr Kwame Nkrumah as well as promote a sense of patriotism among the youth.
He urged the public to read more about African history to enable the continent grow in a positive direction.
“As we celebrate the memory of our great leaders , let us not forget to contribute in our own small ways to tell the good story of Africa”,he said.
A Senior Research Fellow at the Legon Centre for International Affairs (LECIA), at the University of Ghana, Legon who was also the guest speaker for the occasion, Dr Vladimir Antwi Danso, pointed out that Africans were intellectuals who could develop the capabilities if a strong and active leadership was established.
He said Africa had all the resources it needed to enhance her development except the ability to understand each other and learn from past leaders.
“People must believe in the development of the country. We must bear in mind that Nkrumah left a legacy behind which has yet not been untapped. He wanted a tribeless society and means to establish institutions that would help govern us. Why don’t we go back and research on the activities of some of these leaders to help us move forward”,he expressed.
He, therefore, encouraged the public to participate in activities that would enhance unity among them to support in development.
The Vice President of the AUCC and the Chairman for the occasion, Professor Kofi Asare Opoku, said although the publication of the journal was an individual idea, it would benefit the whole nation through the exposition of ideas to educate the youth on African history,adding that “although there have been mistakes on our continent since independence, we can correct some of them and learn more as we forge ahead”.
He entreated the public especially students, to build on their capabilities which would help them to contribute immensely to the development of the nation.
The journal has in its contents an Nkrumaist testament on democracy, dictatorship and media landscape in Kenya, biography of Dr Kwame Nkrumah as an exemplary Afrocentric Pan Africanist, pictures of Pan Africanist Forerunners, contemporaries and successors of Kwame Nkrumahamong others.