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Africa Knows! It is time to decolonise minds

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Accepted Paper: E29-01. To panel E29.

Title of paper:

Author:

Madi Ditmars (Leiden University).

Long abstract paper:
Higher education is key to achieve sustainable development, and internationalisation has become the vehicle to create knowledge societies. This leads to mounting tension between what is perceived as scientific-Western and indigenous-local knowledge systems. Decolonisation demands fuel resistance to the Eurocentric canon inherent in modern African curricula, and this rift impedes global collaboration and co-creation of knowledge to sustain life on earth.

The significance of indigenous knowledge is universally acknowledged, yet the compilation, documentation, validation and dissemination of local epistemologies in higher education remains an immense challenge. Community based- and participatory research approaches are increasing, but documented findings are seldom incorporated in education curricula. For it to happen requires deep reflection of local philosophies and skills to fuse global and local knowledge paradigms in internationally recognised qualifications.

During in-depth discussions at South African HE/TVET institutions participating in a Dutch funded triple-helix Food and Nutrition Security programme, many lecturers acknowledged that global knowledge sharing is crucial, but the ongoing epistemic injustice is pedagogically unsound. Their aspirations to place African values, beliefs, and local knowledge central in their teaching is challenged on different fronts. Documenting their perceptions, concerns, efforts and limited successes, the aim of this papers is to create a foundational base and a communal skills pool to truly democratise education on the African continent.

Compatibility between international and African expectations will create a level playing field in which collaborations are transformed into true partnerships that integrate scientific knowledge and technical skills with the wealth of African indigenous and local knowledge, which is still largely untapped.

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