Marcus Garvey and Leadership Education

Education etymologically comes from the word educare which means ‘to bring out’. By grand orchestration of the Creator Supreme, Afrikan souls carry superlative natural genius flow. This natural quality of genius though in raw abundance with this primary people must be cultivated, nurtured, developed and directed for effective and upright expression in the world. The process of self-determined education throughout the Afrikan continuum has been a vital vehicle in the bringing out of Afrikan natural genius flow and directing it towards the betterment of the race.

Even with the alien-imposed challenges of the Maafa of recent centuries, Afrikan souls have necessarily established their own institutions of learning and development in order to cultivate and direct their natural genius and to serve the best interests of their own people.

The superlative visionary Marcus Garvey established the School of Afrikan philosophy as an institution of purposeful learning:

“The School of Afrikan Philosophy has come into existence after twenty-three years of the Association’s life for the purpose of preparing and directing the leaders who are to create and maintain the great institution that has been founded and carried on during a time of intensified propaganda work. The philosophy of the school embodies the most exhaustive outlines of the manner in which the [Afrikan] should be trained to project a civilisation of his own and to maintain it. This school is something positively new in the intellectual, cultural and general educational life of the race, and the UNIA from now on will use no one in connection with leadership who is not a graduate of the school”.  

The experiences and challenges faced by this great hero, made it absolutely clear that his leadership body had to have graduated from the school. In other words, appropriate self-determined levels of learning and development in leading the organised mission for Afrikan ascension must be in place.

A track record of working and learning exclusively for the best interests of other peoples was not the measure for Marcus Garvey.  This great hero wanted to ensure that his organisation was headed up by people whom he had taken through the necessary rigours of the programme of his school and had been successful in its completion. Of course, the schooling was only one stage of the imperative of learning and development process. Yet still, he saw it as a vital and fundamental stage in which:

“ladies and gentlemen have achieved great honour of being the first equipped representatives who have gone through all pains to undertake the course that is necessary to fit them for their respective positions”.

Marcus Garvey applauded his graduates for their commitment and dedication. He recognised their personal challenges to see the course through to successful completion knowing that such challenge was necessary for victorious Afrikan ascension.

Certainly, in the now in environments where miseducation is prevalent and even finds sanctity in mainstream institutions, independent Afrikan-centred learning is key and ought not be taken for granted.  

Organs such as that of the Universal Royal Afrikan Nation hold learning and development key requirements for membership. For those that wish to side-step or deny the organ and its necessary learning and development programme, comes down to prerogative and the opportunity for membership is discarded. But for those who recognise the importance of cultivation and development for genuine and purposeful Afrikan betterment then the opportunity to engage in this organ’s imperative thrust for victorious Afrikan ascension remains a possibility.      

In the now, Afrikan souls have an abundant wealth of experience and knowing that can be pragmatically restored to their lives. The inspiration and wisdom guidance of the great Marcus Garvey is surely mission-compelling for Afrikans worldwide. Here, the imperative thrust of independent learning can be energised throughout the levels of the self: