Page Two

SCARLET AND BLACK

 

Friday. January I0. I?“ .

' Jay Bardole Bescribes African Student life A

The tribal people seem to be friendly to the
foreigner. As a friend and I entered one of the na-
tive villages which was about two hours walk from
Cuttington. the people came out and shook our
hands and. we made a _vain attempt at conversa-
tion. .

We can really divide our students at Cuttington
into three groups. First, there are the Monrovia
’etudents. generally classed as Americo Liberian
These young people are said to be descendents of
former slaves, and it was their folk who ran the
country before the Tubman administration. This
term is no longer admired and is embarrassing to
those whom it describes. These students have al-
ways lived in a Western atmosphere, speak no tri-
bal tongue, and the folk lore is unknown to them. In
many ways they resemble American Negroes.

We have many tribal students who were and
are educated by various missions. These students
have all attended bush school, and know the' arts
and skills taught there. Both boys and girls have
experienced the ritual ceremony of circumcision.
.When they go home for vacation, they return to

. mud huts, and to families who may speak little or
no English. These students are steeped in native
folk lore and other tribal customs having been
taught by the bush devil himself.

Many of these tribal students strive for an edu-
cation so they can return to their villages and raise
the standard of living. A few want to leave their
homeland and its poverty and find the excitement
and high standard of living of the Western world.
but fortunately they are a minority.

As every school. Cuttington has its foreign stu—
dents. We have Kikuyu students from Kenya, one of
whom has served five years in a Mau~Mau deten-
tion camp. Most of the students come from colonial

countries, such as Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone.
Rhodesia and Swayland, and they feel hostile to-
ward foreigners ln Africa. These are the students
who are likely to be rebellious and lead student
strikes, etc. Still they do lend a greater variety to
the African scene at Cuttington, providing a wealth
of thought that students should imbibe.

Yes, I can now say I have taught a Prince. We
have two Princes, one from Nigeria, and from the
Cameroon. The latter, in particular is as courtly
and courteous as a prince ought to be, and he is a
fine addition to my track team.

The students‘ attitude toward the United States
is constantlychanging. They feel that our policies
are hypocritical. They ask why we send Peace
Corps to Africa when we need help in our own
South. When a distinguished man like William 0.
Douglas, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court,
comes to Cuttington and tells the students that there
is no real racial problem in the United States, and
that which remains is rapidly vanishing, the stu-
dents know he is whitewashing the truth. This does
not build good will. '

Likewise the students’ feeling towards me fluc-
tuates according to the New York Times report on
the racial problem. When Birmingham is in the
news, I can anticipate their reaction. But usually
they are gay and friendly. ,

The students are basically argumentative. Each
paper or exam returned that isn’t graded as high as
the student is used to will bring that student for—
ward, not so much asking way, but complaining
that he should have more credit. ,Grades are the
prime goal of all these students. Many times talk
becomes quite heated, but usually the next day
there are few hard feelings.

It is more difficult to gain a rapport with these

 

 

students than it is for a’teacher at home. I have
found that I have gained much of an insight wlm
the track. team as we prepared for the meet. and
now can exchange ideas with these students much
better. My best rapport has come through my
square dance group. These students feel die most
ease with me, and I feel the most at ease with them.

Students here are serious about their studies.‘
and work long hours in preparation, but their ef-
ficiency is low. Reading rates are slow and they
have not mastered the art of selecting material
that is important. Their mode of study is memoriza-
tion, and they try to memorize everything. The cry
in class is give us a definition, their purpose being
to have something to memorize. They memorize
specific examples; however, seldom can they trans-
fer the methods to similar problems. Calculus stu-
dents can work a complex integration if it is pre-
sented in a straightforward form, but if it is a word
problem, they can not set the problem up. As for
anything requiring the logic of Western thought—
well, African thought patterns just aren‘t logical.

Many of the problems stem from the fact that
75 per cent of the students are working in a second
language. Also the students enter college with a
poor background. Thus education for Liberia on the
primary and secondary levels as well as in col-
leges is important, and it must be obtained if the
students are going to successfully maintain a posi<
tion in the world today. The problem is: how best
can Western methods and African personality be
integrated.

Ed notei This is the final half of a letter
from Travel-Scholar Jay Bardoie, who is
presently teaching at Cuttington College, Li-
beria. -

 

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