From Teaching Psychology in Africa to Teaching African Psychology:

Challenges, Myths and Insights

Lesiba Baloyi

6th International Congress on Psychology Education (ICOPE 6)

1-5 August 2014, Northern Arizona University, Arizona, Flagstaff, USA

Greetings

I greet you all in the name of our ancestral spirits…

The spirits of the Native Americans – the Kachina spirits of the indigenous Hopi and the Navajo people of the San Francisco mountain Peaks, the custodians of the land.

I accordingly observe the native land on which we are standing

Do I have permission from the elders to speak?

Aims

Presentation is about my experience of introducing African indigenous epistemology/ psychology in the Masters clinical psychology training programme at the university of South Africa (UNISA)

Share with you the challenges, myths and insights of going through this process, as well as the journey ahead

The historical context

For indigenous people around the world, any discussion on their livelihood- for example social patterns, education, culture, languages and healing practices, confronts us with the historical verities

Compelled to reflect on colonial injustices- cultural oppression, distortion, misrepresentation, domination and exploitation (Freire, 2003) of the ‘Other’- indigenous people who are inhibiting peripheral geopolitical space (Mkhwanazi, 2004)- those who occupy the margins of cultural, academic, economic and psychological space of the world.

Indigenous epistemology and methods (which are culturally and locally relevant) continue to be dismissed as scientific aberration (Denzin, Lincoln & Smith, 2008, 324).

The exclusion of African systems of thought and traditions from the psychology curriculum under the guise of science cognitively places African culture on the periphery of mainstream psychology (Baloyi, 2008 & Nwoye, 2014)

Ramose (2010b, 2) “South African education system in general (and I may add psychology in particular) remains loyal to Western system of thought-this relegate/dismisses indigenous epistemologies, methodologies, experiences, and cultural practices to the periphery of science and knowledge landscape” – they remain para-science, para-knowledge systems para-human beings etc.

The Western grand narrative has shaped and influenced our understanding of what is research and non-research, science and non-science, normal and abnormal – everything Western is good and admirable (Nobles, 2014 & Dei, 2014)

This is the intellectual terrorism experienced by many indigenous communities across the globe

The current state of psychology in South Africa

• As opposed to popular belief, the transition from the colonial and apartheid based psychology to the democratic South Africa did not transform psychology both as a field of study and practice

• The epistemological paradigms, theories and methodologies of psychology taught to African students are still firmly premised on Western theories, philosophies and world views

• Epistimicide (killing of the ways of knowing and doing of indigenous people (Ramose, 2010a, Dei, 2011) is still perpetuated in most universities

The indigenous African world views and value system of thought and practice are not reflected in the academic and training curriculum landscape

Psychology taught to African students (through foreign literature and other means) remains alien to their lived experiences and culture- (Mkhize,2004) - it alienates and disqualifies their cultural experiences and sense of be-ing human in the world

The stories and experiences of indigenous African people are told in a distorted way by others who claim to know us more than we know ourselves (Dei, 2014, Nwoye, 2014) – Continuous assault by Euro-American scholarship on the humanity of the African psyche and character

In most cases, African experiences are used to authenticate the universal applicability of Euro-American theories to indigenous communities

Relevance, authenticity and applicability of such a psychology to African people - highly questionable?

Challenges

Psychology literature and training philosophy based on foreign worldviews, history and cultural knowledge systems and experiences (Baloyi & Makobe-Rabothata, 2014, Matoane, 2012, Mkhize, 2004, Noble, 2014, Rowe, 2014)

Undoing the damage inflicted by many decades of Euro-American distortions, disrespect and arrogance – indigeneity = backwardness and barbarism, un-science –this thinking is engrained even in African students (security at universities) – questions around the humanity, psyche and integrity of the African people

Lack of inter-disciplinary collaborations and cross reference – e.g African languages, art and Philosophy – students need to diversify their scope of references to conceptualize, theorize and philosophize wholistically

Fragmentation between culture and education system – authentic education should be based on culture to give expression and meaning to its applicability to humanity and human life

Deconstruction of epistemology – methods and sources of acquiring useful knowledge (Nwoye) other sites of knowledge – languages, philosophy, sculpting, drama, poetry etc

Journal gate keepers – publishing indigenous research difficult, my being here attempt to form strategic partnership

Redefine psychology and psychotherapy/healing – the process of providing perspectives and meanings which reconnect people spiritually and otherwise, through useful methods and sources which are consistent with their cultural experiences, epistemological paradigms and world views

Personal experience of these challenges

Properly construed, like a mirror, psychology as a field that deals with diverse peoples’ experiences, should reflect these different realities in the curriculum, not universalized reality.

No social system or reality can ever claim to be objective and have universal applicability to all human diversity (Parham, 2002, Grills, 2002, Obasi, 2002, Mkhize, 2004, Nsamenang, 2006, Nobles & Cooper, 2013)

There more I looked in the mirror (psychology), the more I saw alien realities…(foreign psychology)

Exposed and told Grand narratives and stories of other great nations and their theories (Nobles, 2014) - feelings of alienation

Uni-knowledge (uni-psychology) instead of multiple epistemes/pedagogical diversity (Dei, 2014)

Possibilities: either something wrong with me or the mirror

An alternative way of thinking, doing and knowing had to be found:

Imbued with the notion of “We are spiritual beings with human experience” (Akbar & Nobles, 2013)- invested in human and spiritual connections…

The start of the journey

University of South Africa’s vision: Towards the African university in the service of humanity

For this vision to be alive, It had to find expression in the university (psychology) curriculum – vision created opportunity to effect change- embarked on epistemological and methodological disobedience

Implication: tempering with the dominant psychology curriculum/discourse – undesirable - my pain of many years of alienation, ridicule as mumbo-jumbo-para-science tag from colleagues (Lesiba has gone insane). If connecting with my culture defines Euro-American psychology madness…I was prepared to be mad

Confronted with literature that discredited Indigenous healing (psychology) as having no scientific basis, counter argument, no culture can survive without science (Odora-Hoppers, 2001)

Started engaging the university, Dean of the college, colleagues, conference presentations asking questions about the mirror scenario and its impact and implications – University curriculum development processes begun

To change the notion of African Universities as representations of Euro-American knowledge satalites (Dei,2014)

Visited the traditional sites of knowledge (libraries) knowledge bearers – elders, priests, traditional healers – for several years I spent time in these libraries ( Baba Koka and Credo Mutwa)

Validation and legitimization of my experiences – grew in confidence and found a different language of expression and connection in my community

Lost confidence in universities as possible pluriversal systems – community became my plurivarsity

Some African psychology course content

Colonialism and indigenous communities

Philosophy and basic assumptions of African world views and ontology

African Indigenous knowledge systems, methods and sources

Science, knowledge production, preservation and dissemination

Indigenous research methodologies

The concept and meaning of self, wholeness and collective consciousness

Human dignity, ubuntu and African identity

Spirituality, ancestors and the cosmic world

Ubuntu, bongaka, psychiatry, interdependence and coexistence in African social systems

The African concept of health and wellness

African healing modalities: dance, rituals, performances, art, songs etc

Culture, experience and behavior in pre- and post colonial African world

Diagnosis, culture and context

Benefits and insights of the journey

African psychology has presence and voice in PSYSSA (symposia) and other national and international psychology conferences

Forum of African Psychology (FAP) was conceived in 2009 and now represents different African experiences such as traditional healers in the broad psychology landscape in South Africa

Biannual FAP conferences with a clear inclusive African spiritual world view, flavor and character – traditional healers are part of all processes including planning and execution of the plan of action

2014 Limpopo FAP conference, 3 key note addresses by traditional healers

African Epistemology/psychology is now a fully fleshed course in the M.A clinical psychology (UNISA) and (MEDUNSA) training programmes

As part of the practicum, students interview and observe traditional healers doing their work – basis of their research thinking

Some publications coming out of this journey – Journal of Black Psychology, Journal of Psychology in Africa, process of establishing our own journal

More collaborations with organizations which embrace diversity and share similar experiences- (SATHA)

Collaborations with Association of Black Psychologists, International Council on Psychology Educators??? This presentation is an attempt to forge such collaborations…publications…