The syndrome of assimilated provincialism: education in Angola, from colonialism to colonialities

Abstract

 Using qualitative research, bibliographic research methods, and critical document analysis, this article analyzes the adversities that permeate Angolan society, which, having suffered unprecedented cultural repression carried out by the Portuguese colonial-fascist regime, now faces the dilemma of colonialities that, directly or indirectly, influence the functioning of institutions that, once alienated from the ethno-cultural practices that characterize the Bantu way of being and acting in the world, lead to widespread socio-cultural alienation. It is no coincidence that one of the central institutions most affected by this phenomenon is the academic-school system, particularly in the specific areas of Social Sciences and Humanities. Given their nature, these institutions should be at the forefront of such an important and unavoidable task for a state that values ​​itself and truly wants to be sovereign and independent: the "decolonization of minds and, consequently, of institutions." The results indicate that, being a historically and socially constructed phenomenon affecting all spheres of society, it can only be deciphered and combated through a historically and socially oriented analysis based on a concept specific to this context: the Assimilated Provincialism Syndrome.