Journal Articles

Baak, M., Ogunbanwo, H., Hamed, S., Luwala, E., & Munyonge, J. (2024). 'Not one day did i ever learn anything about African heritage or cultures': The mis/non-representation of african cultures in Australian school. ReConnectEd, 2(1), 17-24.

Students from the African diaspora in Australia not only find that their voices are missing from schools, but also that their images, history and lives are excluded from what they learn. Listening to students means more than just hearing their words; it also means ensuring that subjects – and resources used within subjects – are relevant to and resonate with their life experiences and cultural heritages.  

It is also important for all students that the curriculum represents the reality of Australian life, language, history and diversity. Non-African students need to learn about African diversity, histories, cultures, civilisations, leaders and more in a respectful manner.  

As effort is made to ensure that the curriculum represents the voices and lives of the African diaspora, it is necessary to ensure that students’ voices and experiences inform the development of this curriculum in an active, informed way. This account is of one such project that is beginning to do that.