From the The Forum on the Humanities in Africa of the African Humanities Program:
More hereIn today’s landscape of higher education and research in Africa, the humanities find themselves in a parlous state. Studies of literature, history, languages, cultures, philosophy, the arts, and other humanities subjects have been deprioritized by policymakers and even by some university officials.The humanities consistently appear at the bottom of any list of national goals, if indeed they appear at all.
It is clear that the marginalization of the humanities must be remedied, because no knowledge-led development strategy can succeed without a solid core of humanistic understanding and humane values. To envision the future, we must understand the lessons of the past. To act in the present, we must be sensitive to current cultural complexities.
Reinvigorating the humanities, then, is a necessary first step for inspiring innovation in all fields of endeavor critical to development, such as the prudent, ethical management of natural resources and civic dialogue in the public sphere.
