This article analyses the studies of adult learning in Africa, where they exist, often draw uncri... more This article analyses the studies of adult learning in Africa, where they exist, often draw uncritically on Western theoretical and methodological frameworks such as andragogy, experiential learning, and transformative learning. These frameworks are informed by individualistic conceptions of learners and learning, shaped by industrial and postindustrial political economy, liberal democratic politics and consumerist culture. Such structures are then imposed on African ‘territories’ of learning, much like a colonial template for carving up the continent, for and under Western eyes. This article, based on a study conducted in a rural village in South Africa, challenges the appropriateness of these frameworks. It adopts an Afrocentric research paradigm which understands research as a collective and collaborative humanizing project which is contextually sensitive and culturally informed. The article presents four community learning places, defines the nature of learning in each place, an...
Chair: Deb Neill, York University Nassisse Solomon, Western University (nsolomo4@uwo.ca). The Lio... more Chair: Deb Neill, York University Nassisse Solomon, Western University (nsolomo4@uwo.ca). The Lion, The Pavilion and The Effervescence of Decolonization in “Man and his World”: Revisiting Concepts of Partnership and Social Change in African Participation and Representation at Expo 67 Zamo Hlela, University of KwaZulu-Natal (Hlelaz@ukzn.ac.za). Exploring cracks and gaps in grand narratives: The Edendale History Project
Chair: Marc Epprecht, Queen\u27s University Zamo Hlela(hlela@ukzn.ac.za), Nomagcwanini Nokwe, Ang... more Chair: Marc Epprecht, Queen\u27s University Zamo Hlela(hlela@ukzn.ac.za), Nomagcwanini Nokwe, Angela James, Vusi Mchunu, Ithumeleng Happy Phage Living our South African Histories through Afrocentric Trans-disciplinary approaches: Communities in Ubuntu Adrian Nel (nela@ukzn.ac.za) U KwaZulu-Natal Pietermaritzburg: Desegregation and the Metropolitan imperative Marc Epprecht (epprecht@queensu.ca) Queen\u27s University Experiment at KwaPoyinandi: African engagements with the Local Health Commission of the Edendale and District Public Health District, 1942-1953 Meeting ID: 957 1079 039
This paper argues for the promotion of afrocentric, indigenous learning practices in higher educa... more This paper argues for the promotion of afrocentric, indigenous learning practices in higher education contexts. It explores the application and building of local knowledge through a pre-university level service learning course and concludes that universities need to make provision for such kinds of learning in order to widen their student clientele. The paper presents the outcomes of a programme of the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the Regional Psycho Social Support Initiative (REPSSI), where non-traditional learners from eight different African countries participated in a service-learning programme. Although it was not designed as a research study, the paper draws on empirical data in the form of learner reflective reports for its analysis. The University provided a situated, supported distance learning approach for 495 learners who were trained in the field of caring for and supporting vulnerable children in Africa through a service learning module.
In Africa it is a challenge for Africans to find their own culture’s relevance. Practising Africa... more In Africa it is a challenge for Africans to find their own culture’s relevance. Practising African indigenous ceremonies is frowned upon, viewed as barbaric and unchristian. According to this perspective, African indigenous knowledge has no relevance to education, religion and politics. Using the Afrocentric discourse this paper analysed and critiqued an African cultural practice called Ukuhlanza amagceke (“cleansing the yard”) as a learning place through the use of participatory learning action and photovoice in participatory research. The research found the practice to be a site of multiple indigenous African learning for the local community at individual and collective levels, facilitated consciously and unconsciously through non-formal and informal learning processes. It concludes that participation in the cultural practice for the locals is empowering and promotes indigenous knowledge systems and Ubuntu. However, this place of learning is under threat from internal and external...
This article analyses the studies of adult learning in Africa, where they exist, often draw uncri... more This article analyses the studies of adult learning in Africa, where they exist, often draw uncritically on Western theoretical and methodological frameworks such as andragogy, experiential learning, and transformative learning. These frameworks are informed by individualistic conceptions of learners and learning, shaped by industrial and postindustrial political economy, liberal democratic politics and consumerist culture. Such structures are then imposed on African ‘territories’ of learning, much like a colonial template for carving up the continent, for and under Western eyes. This article, based on a study conducted in a rural village in South Africa, challenges the appropriateness of these frameworks. It adopts an Afrocentric research paradigm which understands research as a collective and collaborative humanizing project which is contextually sensitive and culturally informed. The article presents four community learning places, defines the nature of learning in each place, an...
Chair: Deb Neill, York University Nassisse Solomon, Western University (nsolomo4@uwo.ca). The Lio... more Chair: Deb Neill, York University Nassisse Solomon, Western University (nsolomo4@uwo.ca). The Lion, The Pavilion and The Effervescence of Decolonization in “Man and his World”: Revisiting Concepts of Partnership and Social Change in African Participation and Representation at Expo 67 Zamo Hlela, University of KwaZulu-Natal (Hlelaz@ukzn.ac.za). Exploring cracks and gaps in grand narratives: The Edendale History Project
Chair: Marc Epprecht, Queen\u27s University Zamo Hlela(hlela@ukzn.ac.za), Nomagcwanini Nokwe, Ang... more Chair: Marc Epprecht, Queen\u27s University Zamo Hlela(hlela@ukzn.ac.za), Nomagcwanini Nokwe, Angela James, Vusi Mchunu, Ithumeleng Happy Phage Living our South African Histories through Afrocentric Trans-disciplinary approaches: Communities in Ubuntu Adrian Nel (nela@ukzn.ac.za) U KwaZulu-Natal Pietermaritzburg: Desegregation and the Metropolitan imperative Marc Epprecht (epprecht@queensu.ca) Queen\u27s University Experiment at KwaPoyinandi: African engagements with the Local Health Commission of the Edendale and District Public Health District, 1942-1953 Meeting ID: 957 1079 039
This paper argues for the promotion of afrocentric, indigenous learning practices in higher educa... more This paper argues for the promotion of afrocentric, indigenous learning practices in higher education contexts. It explores the application and building of local knowledge through a pre-university level service learning course and concludes that universities need to make provision for such kinds of learning in order to widen their student clientele. The paper presents the outcomes of a programme of the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the Regional Psycho Social Support Initiative (REPSSI), where non-traditional learners from eight different African countries participated in a service-learning programme. Although it was not designed as a research study, the paper draws on empirical data in the form of learner reflective reports for its analysis. The University provided a situated, supported distance learning approach for 495 learners who were trained in the field of caring for and supporting vulnerable children in Africa through a service learning module.
In Africa it is a challenge for Africans to find their own culture’s relevance. Practising Africa... more In Africa it is a challenge for Africans to find their own culture’s relevance. Practising African indigenous ceremonies is frowned upon, viewed as barbaric and unchristian. According to this perspective, African indigenous knowledge has no relevance to education, religion and politics. Using the Afrocentric discourse this paper analysed and critiqued an African cultural practice called Ukuhlanza amagceke (“cleansing the yard”) as a learning place through the use of participatory learning action and photovoice in participatory research. The research found the practice to be a site of multiple indigenous African learning for the local community at individual and collective levels, facilitated consciously and unconsciously through non-formal and informal learning processes. It concludes that participation in the cultural practice for the locals is empowering and promotes indigenous knowledge systems and Ubuntu. However, this place of learning is under threat from internal and external...
Uploads
Papers by Zamo Hlela