2. Transforming Ivory Towers to Ebony Towers
The Institute for Pan-African Thought and Conversation (IPATC) in South Africa held a two-day conference on “Transforming Ivory Towers to Ebony Towers: Lessons for South Africa’s Curriculum Transformation in The Humanities from Africa and African-American Studies” at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) Arts Centre on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 August 2018. 220 people attended the conference over the two days. About 25 South African, African, and African-American scholars presented papers on four broad themes: The Challenges of Transforming the South African Higher Education Sector; Key Issues in Transforming South Africa’s Higher Education Sector; Lessons from Africa; and Lessons From African-American Studies.
The conference, which is part of a Carnegie Corporation of New York-funded two-year (2018- 2020) project, sought to draw on lessons from six African countries – Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and Ghana – as well as the establishment of African-American Studies in the United States (US), in an effort to contribute to scholarship and policies on transforming South Africa’s curriculum in the field of humanities. A 25-chapter edited book, a five-page policy brief, and newspaper articles will be produced after the meeting, and widely disseminated across South Africa, Africa, and the US. After publication of the book, public dialogues will be held at six universities across South Africa to disseminate the key findings of the conference to relevant stakeholders within and outside the academe.
The project is explicitly inter-disciplinary on the premise that transformation debates and processes are simply too important to be left to educationists, and must have buy-in across disciplines in the humanities from subjects such as political science, history, economics, sociology, and literature if they are to be embedded in South Africa’s curricula.
Event Type
Venue
University of Johannesburg, Arts Centre
Date
Saturday 18 to Sunday 19 August 2018
Event Gallery
Ms Zoliswa Ntsoko (South Africa) is the Institute’s Administrative Assistant who assists with general administration and research. She is a seasoned professional with a background in Disaster Management. She holds an Advanced Diploma in Management from Milpark Business School, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Public Management from Regenesys Business School. She also holds certificates in Project Management, and in Disaster Management. Previously, she has worked as a Disaster Management Specialist at the City of Johannesburg – Disaster Management Centre.
Ms Cecilia Lwiindi Nedziwe-Moyo is the Research Coordinator at the Institute for Pan-African Thought and Conversation. She previously served as a Regional Coordinator at the Centre for Peace Initiatives in Africa (CPIA) in Zimbabwe between 2007 and 2013. She completed her master’s degree in International Studies, Peace, and Conflict Resolution at the University of Queensland in Australia as a Rotary Peace Scholar. She has just completed her doctoral studies at Rhodes University. Her areas of interest include: gender, foreign policy, regional organisations and conflict resolution.
Ms Thembeka Somtseu is a seasoned professional with a background in the textile and construction sectors. She holds a National Diploma in Business Administration from the Durban University of Technology, and studied Development Communication and Media Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand. She worked as a corporate communications specialist for more than ten years, serving in both local and multinational companies.