On the Aboli on of English Department | 1 LIBNAO, Ma. Theresa DC March 19 th , 2016 MAEd Literature—Student LITT 505 Centering Roots: A reaction paper on “The Abolition of English Department” “The Abolition of English Department” is a proposal to completely remove the English Department in the University of Nairobi in Kenya, East Africa. The paper proposed changes that are necessary to place into the core the roots of Kenya as an African nation. The paper challenges the idea of “English” as the central foci of the study of literature and language when Africa is influenced by distinct and varied roots from other countries such as the European Countries which have influenced them greatly when Portuguese at around 15 th century during the opening of trade within European countries and across Asia. The British, on the other hand, have Kenya in a protectorate state in 1895. However, in 1920, Kenya transformed into British Crown Colony. With this, it is essential to note that the English Department is a mark of colonization to which it sneers like a chain to a free country. The Abolition of the English Department to a Department of African Literature and Languages is not merely a change of name. The paper highlights that they want to establish the centrality of Africa in the Department. This is just logical in a sense that being from the colonizer means that a country is free to rebuild what was lost during the colonization process and placing the real African into the center would make the younger generation after the colonization to think like Africans and for them to experience and know more about their roots. The assumed centrality of the English Department suggests that “the English tradition and the emergence of the modern west is the central root of our consciousness and cultural heritage”. The English Department is crucial example of the staying power of colonial influence that governs the development of their students. This influence on education is a hindrance to claiming the independence of a country as it will always redirect the students to imbibing the culture, tradition and consciousness of their colonizers even after the colonization period. It limits the students’ chances of knowing their roots; thus, it will only produce young students who are knowledgeable about their colonizers, but ignorant about their roots. The roots of Kenya constitute European influences, especially through English and French cultures—as most African texts are influenced by Europeans. It has been said that there