Türkiye's Africa Foundation collaborates with East African countries to rectify curricula in schools

By Hasan Huseyin Kosger

The Africa Foundation in Türkiye is collaborating Thursday with East African education authorities to review and rectify inaccuracies in the curricula in schools.

The initiative aims to correct misunderstandings and distortions about the perception of “the Ottoman Empire and Türkiye” in East African countries, initially starting with Sudan, by reviewing historical events in textbooks.

“We aim to understand societal approaches that will shape Türkiye-Africa relations from this perspective, as well as build reformation by addressing the misconceptions and distortions bilaterally within this framework. We are conducting research to reveal the perception of the Ottoman Empire and Türkiye in textbooks in East African countries,” said President of the Africa Foundation, Mehmet Kose.

Kose added that the Foundation has prepared a research report on Sudan in Turkish and Arabic.

“This study offers us with valuable information. Meetings attended by Turkish and Sudanese academics and specialists agreed that numerous interventions had been used to change the two populations' shared memory. We are particularly concerned with corrective activities addressing the historical lessons in present textbooks, which were established during the colonial period,” said Kose.

A printed version of the report in Turkish and Arabic was presented to Sudan's Ambassador to Ankara, Nadir Yousif Eltayeb, he said.

*Writing by Gizem Nisa Cebi in Istanbul