By Dan Rubinstein
Photos by Brenna Mackay
杏吧原创 University鈥檚 new partnership with South Africa鈥檚 University of Zululand is much more than a formal agreement to work on research projects together.
The two universities, whose leaders signed a memorandum of understanding in a ceremony on the 杏吧原创 campus on Sept. 3, are unlocking the transformative potential of African Indigenous knowledge systems 鈥� the traditional knowledge, practices and beliefs held by Indigenous communities on the continent, which can help people throughout Africa, Canada and around the world navigate some of the most pressing challenges on the planet.
鈥淓ven if this knowledge wasn鈥檛 written down, it has shaped how people live for thousands of years,鈥� said聽Samuel Ojo Oloruntoba, a professor in 杏吧原创鈥檚 unique, standalone聽Institute of African Studies聽and the principal investigator of the Mastercard Foundation-supported聽聽(AIKRN), which is dedicated to re-centring African knowledge.
Left to right: 杏吧原创 Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President (Academic) David Hornsby, African Studies researcher and AIKRN principal investigator Samuel Ojo Oloruntoba and Institute of African Studies director Nduka Otiono
鈥淲e鈥檙e not just mapping this knowledge,鈥� Oloruntoba continued. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going back to our roots and applying it toward sustainable livelihoods. It is something to build upon.鈥�
鈥淲e want to shift the ecosystem of knowledge production in Africa and contest Eurocentricity,鈥� added Oloruntoba鈥檚 collaborator Inocent Moyo, a human geography researcher at the University of Zululand and Deputy Dean of Research and Internationalization.
鈥淲hat we鈥檙e doing involves both natural and social sciences and is directly related to the strategic focus of both our universities. We have engaged people in our communities on projects that will foreground Indigenous knowledge systems. We鈥檙e moving forward together.鈥�