Abstract: Uganda currently implements a Eurocentric education system that was originally inherited from the UK. Across recent years, the need to globally overcome Western hegemony through decolonization has gained increasing attention, and scholars write to highlight what decolonization can mean and how it may be realized. This paper focuses on the following questions: (1) How is decolonization variously defined, and what are the explanations for the promotion of different views? (2) How, and for what reasons, did decolonization arise as a concept in recent musical arts education literature, and how is it understood to promote heritage sustainability, equitable cultural representation, and social justice? and (3) What distinct views and underlying arguments for and against decolonization can be identified? We elucidate what decolonization can mean for musical arts education, while drawing on both literature and life experiences, as well as the use of a contemporary parable. Our analysis identifies three distinct perspectives on decolonization, namely: anti-decolonialism, absolutist/nativist decolonialism, and accommodative/critical decolonialism. While empathetically describing each view, we ultimately argue in favor of an accommodative/critical vision of epistemic decolonization, which embraces continuous critical intercultural dialogue, while upholding Ubuntu principles of humaneness, collective responsibility, and interdependence, to sustain local culture while also promoting global competence.
Walubo et al. (Thu,) studied this question.