NMU celebrating historical contribution of African female intellectuals

In celebrating Women’s Month, the Centre for Women and Gender Studies at Nelson Mandela University have been running a programme to honour African female intellectuals and their historical contribution to the region.

The programme, which seeks to celebrate women’s intellectual histories in Southern Africa, is  run in collaboration with Rhodes University (Political and International Studies) and the University of Pretoria (English department).

The centre will host a colloquium on Friday and Saturday August 28 and 29, with gender and social activist Dr Brigalia Bam delivering the keynote address on Friday.

A host of gender activists and social science scholars, including Drs Siphokazi Magadla and Yvette Abrahams, GBV activist Lisa Vetten and jazz vocalist Nomfundo Xaluva, are among the speakers.

The theme of the colloquium is Inyathi ibuzwa kwabaphambili.

Inyathi ibuzwa kwabaphambili is a Xhosa proverb, which means wisdom is learnt or sought from the elders.

The centre’s interim director, Dr Babalwa Magoqwana, said August marked the culmination of the centre’s archival work, bringing together a variety of contributions.

“It infuses history, creative genres of arts and language to centre the works that have been neglected from our maternal intellectual ‘ancestors’.

“This project promotes intergenerational voices on the legacies and lessons for the current African feminist decolonial project,” Magoqwana said.sa

RSVP and register on this link https://is.gd/cwgsprogramme

The colloquium will be streamed live on the following channels from 11am on Friday:

• Nelson Mandela University YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChgJhLchQSrZMYyV06zy9pw

• Rhodes Political Department Facebook link:https://www.facebook.com/PoliticalAndInternationalStudies/