Learning to Live Together in Africa through History Education

This study sheds light on the current state of history education in Africa and reflects on its potential to prepare the continent’s learners for the challenges of “learning to live together”. Drawing on an examination of school curricula and the experiences of educational stakeholders, it identifies trends in the processes and outcomes of recent curricular revisions, and discerns key challenges relating to the teaching and learning of history across Africa. It scrutinises the position afforded to history within African education systems, and surveys related content and pedagogies. While it identifies African history as a fundamental yet sensitive and controversial subject, it also illustrates examples of present-day curricular strategies aimed at integrating a concern for the promotion of a “culture of peace”.