Page 174 - Cultural Studies of Science Education

Chapter 11
Developing a Sustainable Agricultural
Curriculum in Malawi: Reconciling

a Colonial Legacy with Indigenous
Knowledge and Practices

George E. Glasson

Introduction

A profit motive of the colonial system stole respect of nature from the culture of
Africans. Animals were hunted and killed with no thought for the future. Bushes
were cleared for tea plantations, and a new system of agriculture [was established]
based on monoculture. Arable cropping was introduced which later ensured eco-
logical degradation (cited in Glasson et al. 2006, p. 671).
As I read these pungent words from a Malawian teacher educator during my first
visit to Africa in 2003, I was amazed to learn directly from my students about the
prevalent ecojustice issues affecting their country. Twenty-four Malawian educators
were enrolled in an elementary science methods course that I was teaching in
Malawi as part of a Master’s degree program to improve primary school education
in the country. As a class assignment, students were asked to write about and dis-
cuss ecological sustainability issues affecting human and wildlife populations in
Malawi. Students discussed the devastating effects of deforestation and the connec-
tions to clearing land for growing crops, charcoal burning, soil erosion, water and
air pollution, and the loss of animal habitat. Most importantly, students also dis-
cussed the loss of indigenous medicines extracted from the barks of trees or plants
found in the forest. From these initial classroom experiences, I was most impressed
by the passion of the Malawians and their inherent understandings of ecojustice
issues affecting their families for generations.
Located in sub-Saharan southeast Africa, Malawi was formally known as
Nyasaland and established as a British colony in 1891. Originally occupied by hunt-
ers and gatherers, Nyasaland was settled by Bantu tribes along the shores of Lake
1
Nyasa in the sixteenth century and renamed Malawi in 1964 after gaining indepen-
dence from colonial rule. The Bantu tribes in Nyasaland survived by fishing, hunting,

1 Malawi was named from Maravi, one of the original Bantu tribes that occupied the area. Lake
Nyasa is now known as Lake Malawi and borders the country to the east.
G.E. Glasson
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

D.J. Tippins et al. (eds.), Cultural Studies and Environmentalism, 151
Cultural Studies of Science Education, Vol. 3, DOI 10.1007/978-90-481-3929-3_11,
© Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010