Teaching Africa in Canada: Afrocentric and Decolonial Pedagogy in Polarized Times

Background: Stereotypes about Africa, rooted in colonialism, persist in some media outlets in the Global North. In this brief, I reflect on my approach to designing and teaching a graduate course in this context at a Canadian university, and on how Afrocentric and decolonial pedagogies can inform media education in polarized times. Analysis: Afrocentricity centres African agency. Decolonial theory critiques ongoing colonial influences in media and education. Together, they support a pedagogy that challenges Eurocentric narratives and values marginalized knowledge systems. Conclusions and implications: This brief shows how Afrocentric and decolonial approaches can challenge dominant media narratives and support inclusive, justice-driven teaching. In polarized times, such approaches can help students build critical media literacy and engage ethically with global power and representation.