Integrating multilingual/multicultural literacies in the school curriculum to build cohesive African society in the 21st century: Lessons from Kenya

Abstract

Due to globalization, rural urban movement and internationalization trends, the cultural, racial and ethnic composition of schools, colleges and universities in Africa has become increasingly diverse. Because of this heterogeneity, there is need for multilingual/multicultural literacy to become an important component of education systems in Africa. Multicultural literacy, as noted in available literature in the field, comprises the skills and ability to identify the creators of knowledge and their interests, to uncover the assumptions of knowledge, to view knowledge from diverse ethnic and cultural perspectives, and to use knowledge to guide action that will lead to a humane and just world. Multicultural literacy, therefore, leads to the understanding of different cultures through exposure to aspects such as the history, values, language, religious beliefs and oral literature of different communities. This implies that multicultural literacy is premised on cultural pluralism. A research done in Kenya in 2015 showed that learners at all levels of education in the country lacked multilingual/multicultural literacy despite the diverse dynamics of the Kenyan society. They, for example, accepted many of the stereotypes associated with other African languages and cultures due to lack of exposure to such languages and cultures in schools and elsewhere. To address such challenges, the just approved national school curriculum in Kenya purposes to integrate multilingual/multicultural literacy in schools with the aim of building a society that will embrace diversity; a society that will aspire to remain cohesive despite this diversity. This chapter purposes to do the following: Give a brief on the diverse languages and cultures in Kenya; share findings of a study done in 2015 on the state of multilingual/ multicultural literacies in schools and universities in Kenya; Give a preview of the integration of multilingual/multicultural literacy in the revised Kenyan curriculum; share lessons that have 2 been learned in Kenya regarding the role of multilingual/multicultural literacies in building a cohesive society; and propose strategies that can be put in place for successful acquisition of multilingual/multicultural literacies in Africa in the 21st Century.