TOWARDS AN INDIGENIZATION OF FORMAL EDUCATION THROUGH PEDAGOGICAL TOOLS OF TRANSLATION By Drake Omonode

Abstract

Translation and interpretation have essentially made it possible for many imported and foreign notions to be indigenized or Africanized in Africa, making them pertinent to the people there. Translation has continued to be a desirable technology and an enabler for many projects carried out in current African nations because of its capacity for indigenization. As a result, governments in many African nations, including Nigeria, have reluctantly turned to cultural protection strategies like mother tongue education, teaching in mother tongues, and translation into indigenous African languages, among others, in an effort to indigenize (Primary, Secondary, and Higher) education. Although important and brilliant, these techniques have not yet yielded the full benefits anticipated because formal education in Africa still serves mostly as a relic and instrument of Western cultural and linguistic imperialism. To say that the aforementioned tactics need to be reevaluated and examined for improved implementation in African countries would not be an overstatement. This essay aims to analyze two of the three options listed above, specifically mother tongue education and translation in African languages, with particular reference to the Nigerian experience, using secondary sources and critical observations. The paper specifically aims to accomplish three goals: first, it critically evaluates the paradigm of local language translation for educational indigenization; second, it investigates the prospects of this indigenization paradigm in Nigeria; and third, it examines the difficulties the paradigm encounters in Nigeria.

 

Introduction

According to historical research and analysis, colonization and the subsequent importation of ideas and customs would not have been as successful without the assistance of translators and translation. Translation had a significant role in the introduction of various foreign/western notions to Africa. This is demonstrated by the employment of translations historically (as well as currently) in the conversion of Africans by the Christian and Islamic religions. Additionally, the services of interpreters were employed as effective instruments in other facets of colonial administration, including courts, legislative councils, and even today's United Nations and World Bank summits. In order to successfully evangelize and preach the good news in African climates, the 16th-century European missionary organizations, in particular, heavily relied on local interpreters to translate the Bible, religious tracts, and other Christian literature into local languages. Similar to Christian missionary organizations, the Colonial Masters employed translators and interpreters to convey colonial order in certain crucial circumstances and services, making it easier for them to rule over their African colonies. For instance, Zollman (2011) uses the German government's management of the German South West Africa (GSWA) as a case study to highlight the significant role translation played in this regard. According to him, the colony could not have operated as it did without the support and collaboration of African personnel. Without African cops, policing in the colony would not have been conceivable. It must be underlined that in GSWA, the administrators were just as reliant on their African employees, interpreters, and "servants" as their French or British colleagues, regardless of whether one wishes to label their approach "partnership." (p.40)

Translation and interpretation have therefore essentially made it possible for imported and foreign notions to be indigenized or Africanized in Africa, adapting and making these concepts meaningful to locals. It has remained a desirable and necessary technology, as well as a driving force behind the completion of numerous projects in modern Africa, because of its significant implications for the indigenization of foreign notions (Nigeria inclusive). Nations, particularly in Africa, have tried to push local content to counter the destructive consequences of westernization because they are envious of the penetrating force of western beliefs and practices through translation. In reality, governments in many African nations, including Nigeria, have reluctantly turned to cultural protection strategies like mother tongue education, teaching in mother tongues, and translation into indigenous African languages among others in an effort to indigenize (primary, secondary, and higher) education. However, as this paper will demonstrate out in due course, this is a bad shot. Although important and brilliant, these techniques have not yet yielded all the benefits envisioned because formal education in Africa still serves as a remnant and agent of Western cultural and linguistic imperialism (Dei, 2014; Endong and Essoh, 2014; Salawu 2005; Semali & Stambach, 1997). In the same vein, academics have consistently pushed for the advancement of indigenous education and a return to what they may refer to as "our origins." Even if this may seem attractive to the ear, questions need to be raised. Where do we come from? Since civilizations are rarely static, where do we go back to when we are feeling lost? Do the touchpoints we select reflect modern discoveries, advancements, and technology? Can our extinct cultures contend with those of other countries that have 21st-century competencies (in business, politics, science, etc.)? . Comparing today's world to our long-abandoned society from centuries ago, hasn't it altered so drastically? These concerns make the call for going back to "our roots" both nearly impossible and misguided. Consequently, there is a requirement for more pragmatic methods of achieving success in one's social, economic, and political lives (as those recorded in religion). This study attempts to suggest that translation be utilized to educate and indigenize the modern African child, much like in the past when notions (foreign) were translated to a wide range of locals through translators.