This paper reflects on Peter Jarvis' book "Globalisation, lifelong learning and the learning society," volume 2--in which he describes human learning within a global context and factors contributing to globalisation. He describes the relationship of power between countries manifested as the superstructure and sub structure. The paper explores to what extent this model reflects the current situation in selected southern African countries such as Tanzania, Lesotho and South Africa and how the global forces have influenced adult learning in these African contexts. The paper adopts a postcolonial lens to critique the ways in which learning opportunities in African situations are facilitated and manipulated through the globalisation process and provides a speculative commentary on how adult and lifelong learning policy in South Africa is evolving as a political gesture towards positioning the country as a global player. It concludes by suggesting that the core substructure is perhaps not as impenetrable as first appears and that more recent superstructure responses may have had some impact on the core.