The significance of traditional African education of the Kɔɔ-Mende: (A case study of five selected communities in Kenema city- Eastern region- Sierra Leone)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to establish the Significance of Traditional African Education of the Kɔɔ-Mende in the Eastern Region of Sierra Leone, with specific reference to five selected communities in Kenema City, with the objective of identifying how knowledge is acquired traditionally among the Kɔɔ-Mende in the Eastern Region of Sierra Leone.
The study adopted mixed research methods that combined both qualitative and quantitative methods. Qualitative data was collected through interviews while quantitative data was collected through self-administered questionnaires. The study focused on 60 participants from five selected communities in Kenema City who were purposively and randomly selected.
A sample size of sixty (60) respondents was distributed among five randomly selected communities in Kenema City. Sixty respondents including men, women, youth, elders, and opinion leaders were investigated in finding out the significance of traditional African education among the Kɔɔ-Mende communities in the Eastern Region of Sierra Leone today; the impacts of cultural change on the institution of Traditional African education among the Mende of Sierra Leone; finally the steps which the elders of the Mende take to reawaking the relevance of traditional African education system in their communities.
Fundamentally, the main objective of traditional African education system is to make the individual to be matured holistically: ethical considerations, one to be responsible in the community, one to be strong in terms of difficulties, and finally maturity in handling the challenges of life. The study recommended the integration of both the traditional African education system with the Western education system so that they can enrich and complement each other for the holistic development of the human person.
In all African cultures, indigenous education plays a key role in the development of every members of the community. The education begins in the family, which is the first school of socialization. The community was highly based on communal cohesion, where the elders, the prosperous and wise ones served as examples to the children and the youth. Hence, indigenous education was very significant for all. However, the white men came with their system of education and imposed it on Africa. During this time, they colonized the minds of Africans to think, act, and dress like them. As a result of this, the rich African heritage was left at the mercy of the ‘strangers’ who had no idea about the African way of life.
Therefore, this research sought to find out the significance of traditional African education of the Kɔɔ-Mende in the Eastern region of Sierra Leone: A case study of five randomly selected communities in Kenema City. By identifying the significance of traditional African education among the Kɔɔ-Mende of Sierra Leone, the result of this research should be popularized among the youths of Africa in general and Sierra Leone in particular. This will be done by providing recommendations and suggestions on how to translate the rich traditional African educational values into the African child.