HED4806 Assignment 3
Answers - Year Module,
2026 | Due Date 2026
QUESTION 3.1 (a)
Read the extract below and answer the questions that follow:
"One of the most humiliating experiences was to be caught speaking Gĩkũyũ in the vicinity
of the school. The culprit was given corporal punishment – three to five strokes of the cane
on bare buttocks – or was made to carry a metal plate around the neck with inscriptions
such as 'I am stupid' or 'I am a donkey'. Sometimes culprits were fined money they could
hardly afford."
Explain the effects of the above practice in the broader context of
decolonisation. (5 marks)
Answer:
, The practice of punishing learners for speaking their mother tongue had several
devastating effects in the broader context of decolonisation:
1. Psychological Subjugation and Cultural Alienation
The punishment created a deep sense of shame and inferiority about African languages
and cultures. By equating the speaking of Gĩkũyũ with being "stupid" or "a donkey," the
colonial education system deliberately instilled self-hatred and cultural alienation in
African learners. Wa Thiong'o (1986:4) describes how the colonial school shattered the
harmony that existed between the language used at home, in the community, and in the
world of work before colonialism. This psychological damage is the essence of what Wa
Thiong'o calls the "colonisation of the mind" – where the colonised internalise the
coloniser's view of their own inferiority .
2. Epistemicide and Knowledge Displacement
The banning of indigenous languages in schools facilitated what some scholars call
"epistemicide" – the killing of indigenous knowledge systems. Language is not merely a
tool for communication; it is the carrier of culture, history, and ways of knowing. When a
language is suppressed, the knowledge embedded in that language – including local
ecological knowledge, historical narratives, philosophical systems, and cultural practices
– is also suppressed. The colonial school became a site where African knowledge was
systematically delegitimised while European knowledge was elevated as universal and
superior .
3. Disconnection Between Home and School
The language policy created a profound disconnection between the learner's home and
school environments. Children were forced to abandon their linguistic heritage and
embrace a foreign tongue. This disconnection meant that education was no longer
rooted in the lived experiences and cultural realities of the learners. The curriculum
became alien and irrelevant, serving the interests of the colonial state rather than the
needs of African communities. This is what Paulo Freire describes as the "banking
model" of education, where knowledge is deposited into passive students rather than
being co-constructed from their lived experiences .
4. Reinforcement of Colonial Power Hierarchies
The practice served as an instrument of colonial control that reinforced the broader
power dynamics of the colonial state. English became the language of power, rationality,
and intelligence, while Gĩkũyũ was marginalised and associated with backwardness. This
linguistic hierarchy mirrored the colonial hierarchy that placed European culture and
knowledge above African knowledge systems. The school became a site where colonial
power was reproduced and legitimised through everyday practices of humiliation and
punishment .
Answers - Year Module,
2026 | Due Date 2026
QUESTION 3.1 (a)
Read the extract below and answer the questions that follow:
"One of the most humiliating experiences was to be caught speaking Gĩkũyũ in the vicinity
of the school. The culprit was given corporal punishment – three to five strokes of the cane
on bare buttocks – or was made to carry a metal plate around the neck with inscriptions
such as 'I am stupid' or 'I am a donkey'. Sometimes culprits were fined money they could
hardly afford."
Explain the effects of the above practice in the broader context of
decolonisation. (5 marks)
Answer:
, The practice of punishing learners for speaking their mother tongue had several
devastating effects in the broader context of decolonisation:
1. Psychological Subjugation and Cultural Alienation
The punishment created a deep sense of shame and inferiority about African languages
and cultures. By equating the speaking of Gĩkũyũ with being "stupid" or "a donkey," the
colonial education system deliberately instilled self-hatred and cultural alienation in
African learners. Wa Thiong'o (1986:4) describes how the colonial school shattered the
harmony that existed between the language used at home, in the community, and in the
world of work before colonialism. This psychological damage is the essence of what Wa
Thiong'o calls the "colonisation of the mind" – where the colonised internalise the
coloniser's view of their own inferiority .
2. Epistemicide and Knowledge Displacement
The banning of indigenous languages in schools facilitated what some scholars call
"epistemicide" – the killing of indigenous knowledge systems. Language is not merely a
tool for communication; it is the carrier of culture, history, and ways of knowing. When a
language is suppressed, the knowledge embedded in that language – including local
ecological knowledge, historical narratives, philosophical systems, and cultural practices
– is also suppressed. The colonial school became a site where African knowledge was
systematically delegitimised while European knowledge was elevated as universal and
superior .
3. Disconnection Between Home and School
The language policy created a profound disconnection between the learner's home and
school environments. Children were forced to abandon their linguistic heritage and
embrace a foreign tongue. This disconnection meant that education was no longer
rooted in the lived experiences and cultural realities of the learners. The curriculum
became alien and irrelevant, serving the interests of the colonial state rather than the
needs of African communities. This is what Paulo Freire describes as the "banking
model" of education, where knowledge is deposited into passive students rather than
being co-constructed from their lived experiences .
4. Reinforcement of Colonial Power Hierarchies
The practice served as an instrument of colonial control that reinforced the broader
power dynamics of the colonial state. English became the language of power, rationality,
and intelligence, while Gĩkũyũ was marginalised and associated with backwardness. This
linguistic hierarchy mirrored the colonial hierarchy that placed European culture and
knowledge above African knowledge systems. The school became a site where colonial
power was reproduced and legitimised through everyday practices of humiliation and
punishment .
