De l’aliénation à la libération

This essay addresses the issue of education in pre and post-colonial Africa. It examines the ideological discourses, challenges and consequences associated with the adoption of western education in African countries. Based on novels and films, some of which are set in universities, the article analyses the effects of violence and irrelevant syllabi on African education, and argues that in order for knowledge to serve as a tool for real liberation, it has to be relevant to the social environment. It contends further that, paradoxically, even colonial education can contribute towards the liberation of Africans from some problematic aspects of their culture. This liberation process is further emphasized in recent texts involving university students and professors who critically examine the society in which they live