Table Of ContentDOCUMENT RESUME
CE 070 196
ED 396 074
Kisembo, Paul
AUTHOR
A Popular Version of Yash Tandon's Militarism and
TITLE
Peace Education in Africa.
African Association for Literacy and Adult Education.
INSTITUTION
Nairobi (Kenya).
PUB DATE
93
NOTE
52p.
Viewpoints (Opinion/Position Papers, Essays, etc.)
PUB TYPE
(120)
MF01/PC03 Plhs Postage.
EDRS PRICE
Adult Education; *Civil Liberties; Civil Rights;
DESCRIPTORS
*Colonialisn; Community Education; Conflict
Resolution; Developing Nations; Economic Development;
Foreign Countries; *Freedom; International Relations;
*Nationalism; *Peace; Political Attitudes; Slvery;
Terrorism; Violence; War; World Problems
*Africa; *Peace Education
IDENTIFIERS
ABSTRACT
This book is a briefer, simpler popular edition of
"Militarism and Peace Education in Africa." It is intended to
interest the African peoples in the problems of peace and allow them
to discuss and debate the issues of militarism and peace for Africa
and to suggest solutions. It is also intended to interest leading
organizations and people working at the grassroots level in urban and
rural areas in problems of militarism and peace education. The first
two chapters show hoW, in former times, militarism was brought to
Africa by the Europeans through slave trade and colonialism. Chapter
3 shows how militarism continued after independence under
neocolonialism in these forms: state terrorism, militarism based on
ethnic nationality/conflicts, militarism resulting from "pastoralist
conflicts," militarism resulting from cultural and religious
conflicts, and militarism based on ideological conflicts. Chapter 4
explores how militarism is still connected to the exploitation and
oppression of Africa with the new strategy called "low intensity
conflict" or "low intensity war." Chapter 5 considers developing
types of peace education and proposed content of peace education.
Chapter 6 proposes the content of African peace education, including
African history and civilization, cultural and moral education,
development education, and human rights and equality education.
Contains 15 references.
(YLB)
Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made
from the original document.
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DV AVA IT A Ili V
A Popular Vz-rsion of Yash Tandon's
Militarism
Peace
and
Education in Africa
by Paul Kisembo
African Ascociation for Literacy and Adult Education
ALAE)
is first and foremost a political phenomenon.
f t is a means of securim certain political anti economic
interests by force. It is violence; not any type of violence,
hut the highest form of violence, the use of military force,
to achieve poriticareconomic ends.'
This popular version is derived from the
book
MILITARISM AND PEACE EDUCATION IN
AFRICA by Yash Tandon
Published and distributed by the
African Association for Literacy and Adult
Education (AALAE)
P 0 Box 50768
Nairobi
Kenya
Copyright 0 1993 AALAE
Cover design by Njoroge Njenga
Illustrations by Ilunga Kaye
Design/layout by David Waweru
Printed by Sam Nam & Corrine Graphics,
Nairobi
Contents
1
Introduction
3
Slave trade Militarism
1.
11
Colonial Militarism
2.
17
Neo-Colonial Militarism
3.
25
Form of Militarism
Low Intensity Conflict: A New
4.
33
Nature and Content
Peace Education: Its Meaning,
5.
39
Education
The African Concept of Peace
6.
44
Conclusion
45
Referenccs
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Introduction
Why this Edition?
This book is briefer, simpler and
a popular edition of Militarism and
Peace Education in Africa. The need
for a smaller edition arose because
the first et'ition, published in 1989,
i-aised interest among many people
most of wi o could not get enough time
to study its almost 150 pages.
Others felt that the language and
concepts in the books should be made
simple to enable
more people, including those with
upper primary
education, to read and understand the
text.
Furthermore, it was thought thpt
a simple and briefer edition of the
book would be easier
to translate int other popular local languages such
as Kiswahili. As a result of these suggestions,
this edition was prepared.
Peace Education in Africa
Many people in Africa
are not aware of Peace Education. Most of the
writing in the subject is from the
"North" - Europe and America. These
writings are only about peace-related
problems of peace in the North
or
as seen though Northern eyes. These problems,
according to the North,
usually are: nuclear
war, disarmament, drugs, degradation of the envi-
ronment by pollution from factories
etc.
Problems of peace in thn third world
and Africa in particular usually
invol ve: exploitation, militarism,
oppression, hunger, di
sease and drought.
These issues are often ignored
by the North; there is therefore need
for
1
the findings
the issues and document
Africans themselves to research on
peoples.
in a bid to educate the African
main purposes.
This book is written for two
in the Problem and discuss
To interest the African peoples
in Africa. The people can then
issues of militarism and peace
for
issues and suggest solutions
discuss and debate on these
them.
and people working at the
To interest leading organisations
leaders,
rural areas such as church
grassroots in urban and
teachers, local political
community leaders, social workers,
militarism and peace education.
leaders etc. in problems of
in various ways in
This is so because militarism appears
urban and rural areas.
grassroots communities in
What is Militarism?
strength
and reliance on milituy
Dictionaries define militarism as belief
its own sake.
strength is never relied on for
and virtues. However, military
live under
is used to force people to
Most times military strength
Africa, as
normal circumslances. In
conditions they cannot accept under
exploitation and
conditions are usually economic
we shall show, these
Seen in this way, militarism is a process
political and social oppression.
where
behaviour become dominant in a state
in which military values and
resist
and dominated peoples who
it is necessary to suppress exploited
such conditions.
The Scope of this book
show
In the first two chapters we
The book is divided into five chapters
brought to Africa by the Europeans
how in former times, Militarism was
how
In Chapter 3 and 4 we show
through slave trade and colonialism.
and how it is still connected to
militarism continued after independence
In the
and oppression of Africa.
the European/American exploitation
relevant
and programmes which are
final chapter we propose peace ideas
to Africa.
2
Chapter I
Slave Trade Militarism
Africa's contact with Europe
Before the 15th century, Europe and America had little contact. The
development o;*trade and money in Europe, after the middle ages, led to
a big search for gold and silver which was being used as currency by the
Europeans. There was also a big search for spices and ivory. These
commodities were brought to Europe in small quantities in the middle
ages. Because they were precious and scarce, they were quite expensive
and very profitable in trade. The huge profits made from trade in these
commodities forced many Europeans to venture out into sea to go and
find the lands where these commodities were being mined, as in the case
of gold and silver or where they were being grown like in the case of
spices. The Spaniards and Portuguese were the first adventurers to reach
A frica and America.
On the west coast of Africa, the Portuguese came in contact with
African people such as those of the Gold Coast who were already skilled
in gold mining, weaving clothes, growing of crops, ironworks, fishing,
salt boiling, etc. Further down the west coast were the people of Congo.
The Bacongo were skilled potters. They wove mats and clothing and kept
domestic animals such as sheep, pigs, cattle and chicken. They were also
agricultural and used the hoe and the axe. The Portuguese also made
contact with more African people in southern and eastern Africa. Later
on, the Dutch, French and British also followed the Portuguese and
Spaniards in these seafaring adventures.
3
