The Most Dangerous Form of Colonialism Is Still In Africa

2026 Ghana School Curriculum:
“The Positive Effects of Colonization”
“The Benefits Ghana (and Africa) has derived from colonization.”

Burkina Faso has officially launched a comprehensive overhaul of its education system, introducing 54 new lessons in history, geography, and citizenship designed to dismantle colonial-era narratives. Announced by the Ministry of Secondary Education, the initiative spans all primary and secondary level, starting with the current 2026-2027 school year.

On September 7, 2026, the Minister of Secondary Education, Moumouni Zoungrana, announced that 54 new lessons will be introduced across all grade levels (from CP1 to Terminale) starting in the 2026–2027 school year. Minister Zoungrana stated that existing curricula contained language that “infantilizes” and “animalizes” Africans, and that European figures historically labeled as “explorers” or “conquerors” will now be explicitly reclassified as “invaders” “imperialists” and “spies“.

This initiative is a centerpiece of Burkina Faso’s ongoing educational overhaul aimed at decolonizing knowledge and restoring national heritage. Announced by Minister of Secondary Education, Moumouni Zoungrana, during a flag-raising ceremony on September 7, 2026, the program introduces 54 completely rewritten lessons spanning history, geography, and civic instruction. The new curriculum systematically implements a transition away from Eurocentric benchmarks to actively center African agency.

This is not just a curriculum tweek. It is decolonization of the classroom. For decades, Burkinabè children learned about the French Revolution before they learned about the Moose (Mossi) Kingdoms or any African Kingdoms. They learned that Europeans “discovered” Africa before they learned Africa had universities and Empires —from Classical Kmt to the Songhai Empire.

The Charter of Kurukan Fuga is the clearest example of what is missing. It is a 13-century Constitution from the Mali Empire, adopted in 1236 after the battle of Kirina. It established rule of government, women’s rights, codes of conduct, and treatment of strangers. It is one of the oldest known text of its kind in West Africa. Burkinabè students will now study it as a founding Constitutional document of their own political heritage.

The new curriculum and lessons will not only focus on the Charter of Kurukan Fuga, but it will also prioritize African contributions to science and technology, African resistance to slavery and colonialism, and the history of major revolutions on the African Continent.

Moumouni Zoungrana, Minister of Secondary Education, said the goal is to “eradicate the colonial words that infantilize us, that animalize us,”. That is the point. A Burkinabè child who learns that Europeans (aAmw/foreigners) were “explorers” “discoverers” and “conquerors” grows up thinking he/she is the one who need civilization. A Burkinabè child who learns and study about the Charter of Kurukan Fuga grows up knowing his/her ancestors wrote Constitutions long before Europeans had anything called a parliament. And this should give the child pride of being Burkinabè and should aspire the child to achieve great accomplishments in life.

Mali and Niger — the whole Alliance of Sahel States (AES)—are also in the process of a complete overhaul of their national school curriculum.