Dr Munyaradzi Mushonga (PhD)
Programme Director for Africa Studies in the Centre for Gender and Africa Studies (UFS)
Short Biography

COVID-19 and a borderless and stateless Africa: a decolonial moment ‘acome’

From November 15, 1884 to February 26, 1885, patriarchal men from Europe and the United States of America sat at a horseshoe-shaped ‘dinner’ table in Berlin, Germany, at which Africa was the ‘meat’ to be devoured by the ‘hungry’ men. Here, they started drawing straight lines on the map of Africa, which was hitherto borderless, dividing those who should be united; ‘uniting’ those who should be divided; limiting access to resources that were once part of a shared heritage; exacerbating economic and bureaucratic inefficiencies; and arresting the development of entire regions.

136 years on, the borders of Berlin remain not only intact, but also intimidating, unwelcoming and closed to the sons and daughters of Africa, while welcoming and open to non-Africans under the spurious reasons of tourism and investment. As we mark the second virtual anniversary of Africa Day and Africa Month, I call upon Africa and Africans to take advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to remove, rather than consolidate, Berlin’s borders. Read more...

Africa Day reflection – Africa’s crisis of leadership and lack of credible institutions

It is once again the month of May and there are many preparations being made for the celebration of Africa Day. I do not believe in or subscribe to the logic of having a specified day or month to celebrate Africa. But importantly, the present state of the socio-political and economic landscape of Africa leaves nothing to celebrate. It still baffles me that there is notable hype surrounding this so-called Africa Day celebration, especially considering the state of decay in the continent. I am aware I sound rather negative, but this is how I feel about the continent which almost 1.3 billion people, including myself, call home. There are several issues that we can talk about that go to ascertain that there is indeed nothing to celebrate today in Africa but the fact is we should rather be mourning. My focus is on the crisis of leadership and the weak institutions in most African countries.

I am not saying that Africa has not made progress after the years of slavery and colonialism meted on the continent. No, I am sure that good stories are coming out of some African countries, seen in different forms of development, strong institutions and credible leadership in the said countries. Botswana offers a good case in point, as it is a country that has used its diamond resources to develop itself and its citizens. Read more...

Dr Sunday Paul C. Onwuegbuchulam
Centre for Gender and Africa Studies (UFS)
Short Biography

Prof Henning Melber
Extraordinary Professor, Centre for Gender and Africa Studies (UFS)
Short Biography

On Coloniality/Decoloniality in Knowledge Production and Societies

Social organisations tend to be based on asymmetric power relations – almost always, almost everywhere. Inequality characterises interaction both within and between societies. Class-based hierarchies, peppered with gender imbalances, sexism, racism, xenophobia, homophobia, and many other forms of discrimination, are the order of the day, both nationally and internationally. Colonial power structures and mindsets (understood as a hierarchical system imposing normative values that exclude and discriminate) almost always remain an integral part of any form of social reproduction, even when we believe that colonialism (as a system in which foreign powers occupy and execute rule over other territories and people) is a thing of the past. Following such broad understanding, social reproduction tends to maintain inherently colonial structures, and individuals remain colonised subjects.

Educational systems as the institutionalised form of knowledge transmission are substantial elements of social reproduction. They execute colonial functions in the sense of domestication by affirmatively entrenching dominant value systems and norms for internalisation. While being a student at the German Private School in Windhoek during the apartheid days in the late 1960s, Namibia was a South African occupied colony. Read more...

The 21st Century Scholar and the Calamity of the UCT’s African Studies Collection

On 25 May 2021, the continent will be celebrating the 58th anniversary of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU, former African Union). Observing the ethos of African solidarity, the University of the Free State Centre for Gender and Africa Studies (CGAS) annually celebrates Africa Month. This year’s event is hosted after the appalling news of a fire outbreak at the University of Cape Town. On 19 April, reports of raging flames sweeping across the Rondebosch campus flooded newsrooms and social media. Within hours, the fire caused immeasurable damage, destroying historical sites, buildings, a library, and parts of an archive – the invaluable African Studies Collection.

Titled ‘Solidarity in Knowledge Production and Recording’, this year’s event is hosted in solidarity with UCT. On May 19, the renowned decolonial scholar, Professor Walter D Mignolo, will deliver the keynote address to honour the memory of transatlantic slavery by reflecting on the work of Prof Jean Casimir: The Beauty of the Sovereign People: Jean Casimir and the Decolonial History of Haiti. Read more...

Dr Sean Maliehe
Research Fellow at the Centre for Gender and Africa Studies (UFS)
Short Biography

Mahlaga Molepo
Co-librarian in the Faculty of Theology and Religion (UFS)
Short Biography

The destruction of libraries is a unique social conflict

The aim of the article is to articulate the targeting of libraries as a unique social conflict that requires further scholarly analysis. There is substantial evidence to show that academic libraries ought to be proactive in the transformation agenda of the university. This article represents a paradigm shift from dominant student perspectives that are based on party politics.

It is important to be clear from the outset. The intention of this article is not to say the destruction of libraries by fire is perpetrated by students during protests or any other suspect. Libraries of all types are important knowledge centers that should be protected and preserved for future generations. However, the pattern of similar events relating to academic libraries in South Africa requires further analysis. More so because discussions about transformation in higher education by student leaders are highly politicized. The discussions seldom consider scholarly perspectives. For instance, the destruction by fire of the library of the Ahmed Baba Institute of Islamic Advanced Studies and Research in Timbuktu in 2013 raised concerns among the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) and the Library and Information Association of South Africa (LIASA). Read more....

Why Social Solidarity in Times of Crisis Offers Hope for Africa

Dr Mathias Alubafi Fubah
Research Associate, Centre for Gender and Africa Studies (UFS)
Short Biography

As we celebrate Africa Month and Africa Day this year, the continent continues to suffer from crises ranging from social, cultural, economic, political, and religious. While some of these are not new, recent crises such as the coronavirus pandemic and the fire disaster at the University of Cape Town (UCT) have once again reminded us of the importance of social solidarity among Africans and the world in times of crisis.

Social solidarity was one of the core objectives of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) at its inception on 25 May 1963. While the OAU has metamorphosed into the African Union (AU), social solidarity remains one of its guiding principles. This is clearly spelt out in Article 30 of the Constitutive Act of the African Union and Article 3 of the Protocol to amend the Constitutive Act. Read more...