The Impact of Pan-Africanism on Student Commitment to Ghana
Once the interviews with Ghanaian students and alumni were completed, two major themes were discovered: dedicated African identity and reinforced values. These themes were gathered through students’ and alums’ experiences at Sankofa International College and their time in higher education. These students often gave credit to their time spent at Sankofa International College and the school’s Pan-African ideals for placing a sense of devotion and social responsibility within them.
These students’ dedicated African identity is shaped by their pride in shared cultural roots across the continent. They notice the difference in African identity but acknowledge that it all relates to a shared heritage and geography. One student said, “Like we try to learn as much about other people and different cultures and what they do, but all in all, our cultures are all similar because we’re on the same continent.” This promotes a sense of connection among African societies while highlighting the cultural diversity within their continent. The Pan-Africanism that is ingrained in the educational system at SIC allows them to develop a deeper understanding of their identity: “pan-Africanism, I mean in the large sense of Africa, lots of the events that we have are meant to remind us to look at things in the context of where we are.” This encourages students to view culture and history through an African-centered perspective. The dedication to African Identity brings me to the second key theme, reinforced values.
These reinforced values are based firmly on community service and responsibility. SIC encourages students to give back to their communities by enforcing community service in their curriculum. This teaches students about leadership and teamwork. It also reinforces the values of giving back to their community; for example, one student mentions they have to take the initiative even though it is mandatory, “in your final two years you have to organize a community service fundraiser with your class. So you pick who you’re going to be fundraising for and then you break into committees and then you raise money for them. They also used to organize community service for us in our third year.” Once they get into college, these are very important and key skills they need to have to work with peers or take charge during community events. These students are reminded of their privilege, so their compulsory community work allows them to recognize their privilege and give back, which fosters social responsibility and recognizes their advantages.
The idea of privilege for SIC students resonates with me, as I am a student who attends an elite university. I am privileged, but this reminded me of “Elite Universities: Their Monstrous Promises and Promising Monsters,” where this piece speaks about elite universities creating monsters. The term “vampire slayers” was used to represent a school in South Africa where they drain the life out of students and enforce elite power. These SIC students challenge this idea of Monstrous universities because, although they are not higher education institutions, they are elite schools that produce elite students. They are teaching them purpose and how to give back to the less fortunate and their community. All these students have goals to be great after the SIC program, but almost all of them have plans to return and contribute their time and knowledge to Ghana to give back to the community in a larger way.
Jane Kenway & Adam Howard (2022) Elite universities: Their monstrous promises and promising monsters, Curriculum Inquiry, 52:1, 75-96, DOI: 10.1080/03626784.2021.1994837
