A focus area of the CPUT project \u2018Decolonization of the curriculum\u2019 is on seeking cognitive justice and decentring Western knowledge through curriculum renewal activities. The Fundani Centre for Higher Education Development is spearheading this institutional project in collaboration with IMPALA. The centre is a strategic unit under the direction of CPUT Vision and Mission. It initiates and facilitates higher education development in alignment with international and national imperatives. During 2018 seminars and discussion forums are organised to be followed by a series of workshops.<\/p>\n
2nd seminar on Decolonization<\/strong><\/p>\n At Fundani\u2019s 2nd seminar on Decolonization which took place on 25 May 2018 UNISA Prof Sabelo Ndlovu-Gatsheni reminded us that in order to decolonize you need to understand how it was constituted because the concept refers to undoing. \u201cIn a theoretical and practical sense,\u201d said Ndlovu-Gatsheni.<\/p>\n He sees the problem as twofold \u2013 systemic and epistemic. On the systemic side we are facing modernity with modern problems (such as the exploitation of social divisions) with no solutions. Ndlovu-Gatsheni sees the epistemic side of decolonilization as much more important to the university though, as it manifests, in an exhausted knowledge system and continuing epistemic violence.<\/p>\n As the founder of the \u2018Africa Decolonial Research Network\u2019 he thinks decolonizing the university curriculum could happen by tapping into different indigenous knowledge systems. Not at the expense of the current Western way of looking at the world, but in addition to, expanding the knowledge base that students can access.<\/p>\n He gave a historic breakdown of some African countries\u2019 attempts at decolonization of their economies and education systems, reminding that the idea is not new, going back as far as Dar es Salaam in the 1860s. \u201cToday we are questioning the rules of the game and we have seen that joining the game is not enough\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery time when I find people discussing internationalization of a university, I remember that the problem of the university in Africa is that it is international with its curriculum dictated to from outside, never local. We are not rooted where we are located.\u201d<\/p>\n The way forward is to slowly move towards practical actions that we can take: \u201cI want to argue that one major problem of Europe is that it is over-represented in theory, knowledge and education presented at local universities.\u201d \u201cWe cannot wish Europe away, but Europe must accept it is a province of the world, it is not the world. Africa must be moved away from the margins to the centre.\u201d<\/p>\n Ways in which he wants to see that shift is for lecturers to expand what they teach to include the thoughts and writings of African academics and to draw from the African archive (as in the African ways of knowing, doing and being). \u201cYou must expand the shoulders on which you want to stand, in terms of race, gender and where they come from.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe second thing is we need to review our disciplines, constantly review to check if they are still fit for purpose.\u201d \u201cIt is also dangerous to just call someone racist and replace the work. Adapt a new way of critiquing and questioning them. That way you avoid just replacing the system, you change it.\u201d<\/p>\n In conclusion Ndlovu-Gatsheni said: \u201cI can\u2019t change your curriculum. \u201cI can only make you travel with me to change your consciousness. At the end of the day it tells us what kind of university we want. We need to re-engineer our philosophy of education.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A focus area of the CPUT project \u2018Decolonization of the curriculum\u2019 is … <\/p>\n