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11 October 2023 | Story Veena Naidoo | Photo Supplied
The battle for ideas in African Studies
From the left: Dr Munyaradzi Mushonga (Programme Director: Africa Studies Programme and discussant); Prof Sabelo J Ndlovu-Gatsheni (speaker); Dr Stephanie Cawood (Director: CGAS); Prof Mogomme Masoga (Dean: Faculty of The Humanities).
African Studies, Prof Sabelo J Ndlovu-Gatsheni, African knowledge, Heritage Month, Resolution 91064, decolonisation.

The University of the Free State (UFS) recently hosted the inaugural lecture of Extraordinary Professor and globally renowned decolonial scholar, Prof Sabelo J Ndlovu-Gatsheni. This momentous occasion, coinciding with Heritage Month, marked a significant milestone in the university's academic calendar and underscored the enduring importance of African knowledge and its tumultuous history. Dr Munyaradzi Mushonga, the Programme Director for Africa Studies in the Centre for Gender and Africa Studies (CGAS), had the honour of convening and discussing this profound lecture.

The battle for African knowledge

Prof Ndlovu-Gatsheni's lecture began with a poignant reflection on the domain of knowledge in Africa, highlighting the various crimes that have been committed against it throughout history. These transgressions encompassed the theft of history, epistemicides, culturecides, linguicides, linguifam, and the subjugation of indigenous knowledge. Such acts, as he eloquently pointed out, left an indelible mark on Africa's intellectual landscape, a legacy of looting that continues to resonate today.

Resolution 91064: A path to understanding

In his lecture, Prof Ndlovu-Gatsheni introduced 'Resolution 91064,' a conceptual framework that served as a map to navigate the complex terrain of African Studies. He addressed nine contextual questions, spanning existential, historical, developmental, reparative/restitutive, material, identitarian, epistemic, dignitarian, and re-membering/reconstitutive issues. These questions provided a historical and intellectual backdrop, tracing the lineage of African anti-colonial and decolonial struggles, which led to the emergence of movements such as Ethiopianism, Rastafarianism, Garveyism, and Pan-Africanism.

Challenges haunting African Studies

The lecture's second segment delved into the ten formidable challenges that continue to haunt African Studies. These include genealogical, epistemic, linguistic, chronological, theoretical, spatial, androcentric, disciplinary, canonical, and the resilient colonial library. Prof Ndlovu-Gatsheni emphasised the imperative of confronting these challenges to liberate African Studies from the confines of the Africanist enterprise. Notably, he underscored the urgent need to address the androcentric question, highlighting the erasure of women in history as a crucial area for correction.

Key debates in African Studies 

The lecture's third section raised six pivotal debates in African Studies, including fundamental epistemological questions, the contestations surrounding the meaning and implications of colonialism, debates on Marxism and decolonisation, the dominance of the Africanist enterprise, the coloniality of the global knowledge economy, and the delicate issue of writing about Africa in the 21st Century. These debates have been fuelled by cultural shifts, ‘woke’ consciousness, the resurgence of decolonisation in the 21st Century, and the rise of epistemologies from the Global South.

Envisioning the future of African Studies 

Prof Ndlovu-Gatsheni concluded 'Resolution 91064' by presenting four possible future pathways for African Studies: Comparative African Studies (CSA), Critical African Studies (CAS), Frontier African Studies (FAS), and Global African Studies (GAS). He cautioned against CSA's limitation due to its continued adherence to the 'white gaze' and called for an innovative blend of CAS, FAS, and GAS. This vision aims to liberate African Studies from historical constraints and promote a more inclusive, dynamic field.

Un-learning in order to re-learn

In response to Prof Ndlovu-Gatsheni's lecture, Dr  Mushonga aptly described it as a clarion call to engage in African Studies with Africans. He stressed the importance of exorcising the ‘gaze of the other’ that has long perceived Africa as a land of childhood. This call to action aims to foster the growth of the African idea of Africa and to liberate African Studies from its origins as 'Area Studies.' Dr Mushonga also emphasised the importance of ‘un-learning in order to re-learn,’ highlighting the need for continuous intellectual evolution.  

The inaugural lecture by Prof Sabelo J Ndlovu-Gatsheni offered profound insights and a visionary road map for the future of African Studies. It is an invaluable resource for those seeking to engage with the discourse on African knowledge, heritage, and the battle for ideas in African Studies. Heritage Month is the ideal backdrop to honour and amplify the wisdom imparted by Prof Ndlovu-Gatsheni, celebrating the richness of African knowledge and its pivotal role in shaping the future of academia and society. His inaugural lecture was a beacon of intellectual inspiration and wisdom and a testament to the unwavering commitment of Prof Ndlovu-Gatsheni towards decolonisation and the advancement of African Studies. The profound insights and proposed future trajectories will undoubtedly influence the trajectory of academic discourse in African Studies, fostering a more inclusive and representative approach to knowledge generation and dissemination. As we honour this remarkable scholar during Heritage Month, we also renew our dedication to the decolonial project, acknowledging the imperative of recognising and valuing diverse knowledge systems.

Click here to watch the live stream or alternatively click here to read more about Prof Ndlovu-Gatesheni's inaugural lecture.

News Archive

Emma Sadleir talks about social media etiquette
2016-05-18

Description: Emma Sadlier Tags: Emma Sadlier

Emma Sadleir
Photo: Supplied

“We have all become celebrities, we have become social figures because of our power to publish information. We have all become brands, and we need to protect our brand. Digital content is sometimes dangerous content,” said Sadleir.

On 11 May 2016, the University of the Free State, in collaboration with the Postgraduate School, hosted, Emma Sadleir, a leading social media expert, in the Equitas Auditorium on the Bloemfontein Campus. She is an admitted advocate, specialising in social media law.  Dr Henriette van den Berg, Director of the Postgraduate School, described Sadleir’s presentation as a privilege for all the staff and students who attended.

Sadleir said that there are two important rules that staff and students of an institution should try to follow. The first is not to bring the name of the institution into disrepute; and the second is not to breach the goodwill of the institution or, in other words, not to bite the hand that feeds you.

“The common law, even if there is no policy, is that anything that brings the company into disrepute can lead to disciplinary consequences up to termination,” said Sadleir.

Sadleir focused on hate speech and free speech, stating that free speech is a right that is entrenched in the constitution, but, like every other right, it has limitations. She mentioned Penny Sparrow, Matt Theunissen, Velaphi Khumalo, and Judge Mabel Jansen, all of whom have been lambasted by the public over their racist posts on social media. Sadleir stressed that, even on social media, content has to be within the confines of the law, and people must remember our rights are not absolute. We have a lot of freedoms, but no one cannot disseminate hate speech.

“Would you publish whatever you thinking on a billboard, close to a busy highway with your name, picture and employers details or the institution you studying at? If you have no grounds to justify the comment, do not post it,” warned Sadlier.  

According to the South African Bill of Rights, everyone has the right to privacy, but an expectation of privacy has to be enforced. She said people over-document their lives on social media, decreasing your right to privacy drastically. “It is like CCTV footage of your life. It is simple, the more you take care of your privacy, the more you have,” said Sadleir.

Sadleir said it was important for Facebook users to have privacy settings where they can review posts where they are tagged. According to Sadleir, managing your reputation is not only limited to what you post about yourself but also managing what others post about you.

She cited a 2013 case in the Pretoria High Court in which a new wife wrote a scandalous Facebook post about her husband’s ex-wife, tagging the husband in the post. The courts found both the new wife and the husband guilty of defamation.

“If you have been tagged in something but have not been online and seen the content, you are then an innocent disseminator. The moment you are aware of the post you are liable for the content,” said Sadleir.

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently,” Sadleir said, concluding her presentation with the quotation from Warren Buffet.

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