Literacy can be acquired in so many different ways. It can be obtained in one’s household, school, or in the community in which one resides. However, there have been notions that two specific types of acquired literacy can work antagonistically towards each other.
In the reading Dysfunctional Literacies of Exclusion: An Exploration of the Burdens of Literacy in Tsitsi Dangaremba’s Nervous Conditions, by Mandi Chikombero, the effects of traditional and academic/colonial literacy are discussed. According to Chikombero, traditional literacy is acquired through one’s culture, values, and morals in the place where they are raised. I believe this type of literacy gives a person a sense of self-identity and knowledge of how to carry themselves in different settings. On the other hand, academic/colonial literacy is obtained in schools and other types of academic institutions. This type of literacy gives people knowledge of basic subjects like reading and writing as well as skills to succeed in their current society.
How do these types of literacy counteract each other? Traditional literacy is great for teaching a person, especially black women, lessons that increase their awareness of self and common sense. However, are those lessons enough for a person to survive in the world? Those lessons may not be enough for one to survive in society where money and power rule. Academic/colonial literacy can provide people with those skills necessary for success. The problem is that it has been argued that this type of literacy separates a person from the important things they learned through traditional literacy.
With the pros and cons of each type of literacy, it’s difficult to say which one is more essential to success and consciousness. Which one would you prefer?
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