Marcus Garvey and Learning

The greatest and most enduring civilisations to ever exist in the world could not have been even a possibility without its establishers being learned. The degree to which Afrikan civilisation excelled is the degree to which excellence in self-determined learning took place. Afrikan people throughout the ages have naturally institutionalised their upright quest for knowingness. With their ongoing experiences and drive to articulate reality for the continual betterment of themselves, learning from their own worldview is imperative. Here, the truths of their own journeying yield lessons and wisdom guidance that can be passed from each generation to the next. Thus, the  natural and age-old dictum of ‘Know thyself’ is undeniable no matter the season or circumstance. Learning throughout the levels of the self is fundamental to the necessary and continual growth and development of this primary and spirit people of creation.

With the interruptions and disruptions of the Maafa of recent centuries, others that mean the Afrikan ill have sought destroy the fabric of Afrikan self-determined learning. Further, alien forces of anti-Afrikan agency also attempted to replace the natural thrust of Afrikan learning with curricula, media and other forms of dissemination to suit foreign interests. Of course, only Afrikan souls can determine knowingness of themselves, their own experience and thus their own betterment.

The supreme visionary Marcus Garvey with deep and profound levels of knowing institutionalised independent Afrikan learning throughout the Garvey Movement. He emphatically and eloquently uttered that the soul people of the world must be ‘a race of scientists par excellence’. The word science comes from the root word scientia which means to know. Therefore, science of the meta-physical, science of the physical, science of self-governance, science of economy, science of security, science of mass communication, science of education and so on are vital for the ascendency of this people. The Afrikan must hold science of self.

For his prospective leadership within the movement Marcus Garvey established the School of Afrikan Philosophy in which he delivered a programme of learning to empower the imperative mission for Afrikan betterment. The course notes of this programme have been published in the important volume, ‘Message to the People’. Within the first lesson the great Marcus Garvey articulates the following:

“You must never stop learning. The world’s greatest men and women were people who educated themselves outside of the university, with all the knowledge that the university gives, and you have the opportunity of doing the same thing the university student does – read and study”.  

The imperative thrust for wholesome and progressive independent Afrikan-centred learning amongst Afrikan souls is vital functioning. The home and private time utilised in this regard can be a great boon to an entire race.  Independent programmes such as that of Afrikan World Studies  provide grand formal opportunities to engage in necessary development and growth.  Only Afrikan souls can and must lift themselves in self-knowingness and restore their rightful place of centrality through the lens of their own worldview.

Wholesome learning never negates spiritual-cultural fabric. Indeed, for Afrikan souls learning as an activity is naturally an outward expression of their self-determined spiritual-cultural core. 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: