Reclaiming the history of social work education in Africa: initial learnings from the Association for Social Work Education in Africa (ASWEA) document analysis project
Faculty Advisor
Date
2023
Keywords
social work, education, Africa
Abstract (summary)
In Ghana, there are symbols that draw clarity to a point of view or speech. These are Adinkra symbols, and each is accompanied by a proverb or moral statement. The Sankofa is a bird looking back and this symbolizes the importance of learning from the past. Our research group has put this symbol into action. Three social welfare conferences held in the 1960s (Ghana, Zambia, and Egypt) concerning social work in West Africa and three expert group workshops of social work educators in the early 1970s, paved the way for the creation of The Association for Social Work Education in Africa (ASWEA) in 1973 with the support of the international community, African governments, and nongovernment organizations. Its purpose was to bring together academics and practitioners interested in African social work education to discuss the issue of social work education in Africa and to be a guiding light to make social work education and practice relevant to social issues in Africa. This included promoting the profession on the continent, supporting research and teaching, providing an avenue to exchange information and experience throughout Africa about the profession of social work, and to address the need to make social work education culturally relevant to the continent of Africa. With a history of colonialism, independence, and westernization, social work education in Africa needed to revolutionize its training and practice to address the needs of the continent.
Publication Information
Kreitzer, L., Ouedraogo, V., Lombard, A., Twikirize, J., Abukari, Z., Abye, T., Musah, Y. (2023). Reclaiming the history of social work education in Africa: Initial learnings from the Association for Social Work Education in Africa (ASWEA) document analysis project. Bulletin of the Social Work History Network, 9(1), Feb 2023, pp. 41-42.
DOI
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Item Type
Presentation
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