Africans and the Social Sciences

AFRICANS AND THE SOCIAL SCIENCES

This was one of the first articles I wrote -- back in 1996 or 1997. It arose out of my frustration with people harassing me about why I was studying Psychology in college. In their minds, an African in America had no business in the Social Sciences. The way to go, according to them was Nursing (for quite green reasons), Computer Science, Business, Accounting etc ... The lesson I learnt was simple -- know what you want out of life, or else someone else will define it for you.

On many occasions I have come across Africans who strongly propose at the slightest opportunity that Africans who study at the tertiary level, especially outside the continent have no business studying anything in the area of the humanities and social sciences. Africans in fields of study such as Psychology, Sociology and History are seen by some as doing a disservice to the continent at large, and also wasting resources that should be diverted to support ‘better’ courses. In lieu of these subject areas, they would rather see Africans studying in fields including business, medicine, law and engineering. I was often asked why I was “wasting time” on Psychology, when I could make “more money” studying business, computer science or medicine.

Being a people who have dire economic/material needs, some aspects of well-being that deal with the non-quantifiable or abstract are categorized as unnecessary. Contingent upon the line of reasoning in question, this could be a somewhat legitimate argument – that it is more beneficial, contemporarily more functional, and developmentally more efficient to focus on satisfying basic needs than needs that have no 'visible' or ‘tangible’ and immediate impact on daily survival. However, ‘abstract’ needs such as mental health and self-esteem in the face of competition for scant resources are just as crucial. How well these needs are or are not met reflect the well-being of the people, and also serve as a tool for assessing the functional roles of individuals in the larger context of community, nation and the world at large.

As disciplines, African Psychology, Sociology or History for that matter have been stunted in their growth in the few instances where they have managed to take seed. Where there is usually an emphasis on Africa in many fields of study, the prime source of interest has been problem-areas, and there is almost always an "anthropological" approach that renders African ways of life, beliefs and traditions ‘exotic’ and to be gazed upon in wonder. Modern Africa is attention-deprived, and the Tarzan stereotype still exists in the minds of many non-Africans across the globe. Where there is any factual knowledge, it is only about an Africa that is antiquated and left behind by progress, enslaved by disease, poverty, drought and famine. With few published materials/resources in African humanities/social science disciplines, it is assumed that there are no authentic organizational systems or ideologies that govern African ways of life/thought. That contemporary political systems are borrowed from European models does not mean that there were no political/social systems set up by and for Africans even before the advent of the European. The importation of foreign theories/models have dwarfed authentic African models, and they are either rendered obsolete or given up in a mélange that echoes more westernization than anything else. It is said that when your story is yet untold, it is assumed that you have no story to tell at all.

In a Black Psychology course I took as an undergraduate student, I was exposed to the role of formally-trained psychologists in the society – specifically the black community, and how they can be used as tools in understanding individuals and the society at large. There are very limited resources on African Psychology, and I would be glad to find and join Africans willing to effect a change in that situation. Fundamental social institutions are changing with time, and accommodations must be made through social scientists to facilitate this transition into a new age and new century altogether.

The griots and elders, mothers and grandmothers, indeed the entire community in most African, collective societies took up roles as psychological care providers; offering mental and emotional support to those who needed it, recounting and outlining the past in order to offer direction for the future, lowering the need for clinical psychologists. Our social network/support system is not as it used to be -- more families are split up demographically, we have more working adults, especially women, who formerly were for the most part present in the home and offered support. We have more social problems, many which merit formalized support systems to accommodate evolutions that our societies are undergoing -- changes that are further compounded by contemporary influences. For example, dealing with simple misunderstandings, some resort to fatal and ‘sophisticated’ ways of retaliating -- pulling out guns and taking lives, scheming armed robberies (which were not very common till recently in Ghana), hard core child pornography and child prostitution, carefully orchestrated scams pulled by all sorts of religious and other "non-profit" bodies.

Take for example the grandparents and other elders who mediated conflicts in the past, passed on their wisdom, and guided the younger generations. Yes, they still continue to do so, but to generations that are more individualistic than collective in focus, making the 'services' of these people of little use, and in war-ravaged countries, where will we find the wisdom saints? With new difficulties comes the need for new and different solutions to replace or complement the old modus operandi.

A look at the statistics that indicate/demonstrate the spread of AIDS across the continent merits urgent attention and multifarious approaches to tackle the problem. Discarding the myopic solutions that have been embarked upon to deal with the problem and putting in place new methods and advances. Sex education for example has been taken up as a weapon to fight the spread of AIDS in many African communities. However, what good are these seminars if the health care delivery system has not been upgraded in decades, and improperly sterilized or re-used equipment is used on patients? What good would it be, when some cultural myths or practices encourage mostly men to have multiple sex partners, thus reinforcing the proliferation of the disease where it is already predominant? Largely a very stigmatized disease, AIDS remains a covert topic in the individual and or collective lives of people. In such situations, professionals trained to offer social services can be employed to open up lines of communication and tactfully expose people to how and why cultural beliefs/practices can aggravate the spread of the disease. In collaboration with the media, social service workers can research and design infomercials or programs that raise public awareness and discuss the issue, taking into consideration the existing cultural perceptions, and research into more effective solutions for the problem.

There are many other instances where social service personnel can effectively be used to combat contemporary problems. For example, in a society where corporal punishment is the principal mode of disciplining children, policy makers cannot impose policies banning the practice without expecting a public outcry against the new policies. This is where available research on the effects of corporal punishment, for example how it may inhibit articulate expression in a child can be discussed. Where studies have been conducted on alternative methods of discipline, and have been found to work better, some compromise can be made. Some lines may be drawn between physical abuse and discipline, and a joint effort by parents/caregivers and policy makers can protect children without robbing parents of their right to raise their children as they so choose.

Sometime ago, BBC and CNN aired Cry Freetown, a documentary which demonstrates the problems faced by post-war African communities, and the need for rehabilitation, particularly for the children formerly engaged in perpetrating atrocities. The World Health Organization currently seeks people in the social sciences to assist in providing health care (physical and mental) to post-war populations. The families/communities that used to be the bulwark of collective societies are now split up, and child-soldiers need to be mobilized, rehabilitated and re-integrated into society. This is where Africans can support their own, using social support professionals rather than relying so much on foreign NGOs to move in and work with the people.

Grassroots development along all fronts starting with us, for us, by us. Going to the villages, cities and wherever else to get the masses to understand that one can be saved from malaria or typhoid through medicine rather than sacrifice the life or peace of some despised old lady in the village. We need to assist communities to take better advantage of contemporary amenities, start opening up minds and challenging the ideas/beliefs that all good things come from the west, and that we cannot make it on our own. Fighting dependency along whatever scale, be it familial, societal, national or international; methodically and tactfully demolishing mentalities that hold out the palm for foreign aid, and hold back the Self from initiatives that will propel development.

Any individual, whatever his/her profession can actively support initiatives such as those outlined, but a concerted effort made with 'professionals' in area of social sciences and services is a valuable investment. As my personal interest in the field of Psychology grows, I envisage an Africa with a growing need for social services like never before. Personally, I would want to see more research, especially in the field of social cognition and social policy. For example, studies on the interaction between Social Policy and cultural perceptions – how effective are social policies, and how can their effectiveness be hampered by cultural norms and beliefs? How can these policies subsequently be adjusted to accommodate the culture of the people? Studies on Social Cognition and re-adjustment in post-war communities, changes in self-perception through community/self-help development projects, perception of Self as a part of a global community, and its effects on local community participation are only a few of the issues that need to be examined. The era is dawning, when Africans have to give attention to previously-ignored fields of study and utilize any and every resource available to meet the needs of a new Africa with gaping social wounds that desperately need healing.