Great-Britain was one of the main slave trading nations and colonized many regions in the world with detrimental consequences. The influence of a one-sided master narrative is explored in chapter five, which Akala explains by focusing on William Wilberforce. Thus, Akala is showing that his experiences are not incidental, but are structural and systematic as the cited research is showing.
This is a good example of how the book is structured personal accounts from Akala supported with data from research. Namely, a study conducted by Bristol University showed that when teachers knew a student was black, they assessed them almost twice as low compared to work that was graded blind. Akala combines his personal experience with academic studies. When his mother heard of this incident, she immediately requested a meeting with the teacher as there was no reason for him to be placed in such a group other than the colour of his skin.
An example is the moment that Akala was placed in a separate group, intended for students who needed some extra guidance. Akala describes different scenes in primary school as well as secondary school in which show a clash between white female teachers and his own perception of the curriculum and academic behaviour. However, the knowledge and confidence that Akala gained by attending a pan-African school would become something that got him in trouble at the public school.Ĭhapter three, four, and five discusses the discrepancies between education at the pan-African school and at the regular public school, which created a grotesque dislike for school. Akala therefore was educated by the wider black community which taught him about his black heritage, for example by attending a. Akala’s mother has a Scottish heritage and his father a Jamaican background, however the father left the family before Akala was born. This concern stems from his own experience as a mixed-race boy growing up in poverty in London in the 1990s. He is an outspoken critic on (the growing) inequality in the UK, focusing on the oppressive features of class and race. Finally, a concluding remark will be made.Īkala is a well-known figure in the UK, as rapper, social entrepreneur and public speaker. This review will first introduce Akala, secondly discuss the general structure of the book, thereafter it will pose some questions about the future. Written from a first person narrative, the author tells his coming-of-age story as a mixed race boy in the city of London, hereby showing how his upbringing was influenced by the way Great Britain remembers their colonial past. The book is a great read for educators, although it concludes with some worrisome prophecies for 2020. Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire written by the British all-rounder Akala (Kingslee James McLean Daley).
London: Two Roads, 2018.ĭuring this winter break, I finished reading Natives.
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