Afrocentric pedagogical leadership in action - Towards culturally empowered learning (A TESS Talk)

This session critically examines the limitations of conventional learning-centred leadership models, which, despite their collaborative intent, often fail to reflect the evolving, community-embedded nature of education (Male & Palaiologou, 2011; 2016). In contrast, Afrocentric pedagogical leadership offers a transformative framework that centres African cultural values, epistemologies, and lived experiences within educational practice.

Drawing on emerging research (Addae-Kyeremeh et al., manuscript in preparation), the session introduces five foundational principles of Afrocentric pedagogical leadership: cultural grounding in pedagogy, Ubuntu-inspired inclusivity, liberatory learning spaces, decolonial data praxis, and empowerment through relational leadership. These principles advocate for educational environments that affirm learners’ identities, histories, and communities, fostering inclusive and socially just learning experiences.

Reflective questions for participants:

1. Who gets to define what counts as “good” pedagogy and leadership?
2. Have African philosophies and epistemologies been marginalised in this debate?
3. What would ‘learning and teaching’ look like in African education systems if grounded in African ways of knowing?

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