Njoki Wane

Mapping the field of Indigenous knowledges in anti‐colonial discourse: a transformative journey in education

This paper interrogates Indigenous knowledge and practices a crucial form of anti‐colonial resistance. It aims to capture the fluidity between the past and present, recognizing that the former cannot be quarantined from the latter. In this exploratory discussion, I argue that Indigenous knowledge is a living experience that is informed by ancestral voices. Within this context, I examine anti‐colonial discourses as articulated by scholars in the 1960s and as they are taken up today. Discourses are ways of referring to, or constructing knowledge about, a particular topic, practice, social activity or institutional site in society. In doing so, I aim to share with the reader my struggle with colonial education and to elicit a dialogue on questions about how we, individually and collectively, can disrupt the entrenchment of this type of education. These questions include: How did colonial systems of education disrupt the spiritual and cultural beliefs and traditional ways of life of African peoples? How have colonized peoples, especially African women, resisted, and how do they continue to resist, colonial education? And how can the engagement of Indigenous Knowledge transform pedagogical approaches, curriculum, and learning in the academy? In exploring these questions, I will examine the concept of knowledge production: who controls knowledge and whose knowledge is valid. My reflections are grounded in my experiences as an African woman caught between a European education system and a traditional knowledge base.

Indigenous Education and Cultural Resistance: A Decolonizing Project.

The issues of educational reforms, community education and Indigenous education raised by all the above authors from a global perspective resonate with my own experiences of attending schools in Kenya. From Grades 1 to 4, I attended a small village school and from Grades 5 to 12, I attended Catholic boarding schools run by European nuns in Kenya. During my tenure at these schools, they tried to implement one form of reform or another (see Ominde Report, 1964; Gachathi Report, 1976; Mackay Report

Walking the Talk: Decolonizing the Politics of Equity of Knowledge and Charting the Course for an Inclusive Curriculum in Higher Education

ABSTRACT In this paper, the authors offer a dramatic presentation regarding questions surrounding the politics of equity of knowledges in higher education. The vignette invokes the perspectives of an anti-racist educator, a graduate student, and a community educator—all of whom are grounded in the academy. Through personal reflection, discussion, and anti-racist, feminist, and anti-colonial theorizing, each grapples with the multi-faceted issues surrounding the politics of the academy and the politics of the coexistence of different knowledges in higher education. Finally, the implications of a non-inclusive academic system are explored, with an emphasis on development education.

Black Canadian feminist thought: perspectives on equity and diversity in the academy

This paper is based on on‐going research on feminist theorizing among women of African ancestry in Canada. The women’s residency in Canada ranges from those who were born here to those who migrated in the last five years. The paper highlights stories of 16 women’s experiences in the academy and concentrates mainly on their stories of agency, resiliency, survival skills and healing strategies as they navigate through the halls of academe. Their measure of success was on how self‐reliant they were; how well they connected with Black communities; how well they were grounded in terms of their spiritual practices; and how successful they were in challenging the status quo. These women were acutely aware of the Black woman super‐strength stereotype. However, they did not fall prey to misguided societal notions of Black women’s resiliency. Most women emphasized education as one of the transformative tools within their communities and many felt that it was one of the vehicles through which they could dismantle and transform the social and political barriers for Black people. What emerges from the reflections of these women is a realization of the importance of engaging in analyses of success, rather than focusing on experiences of injustice.

Sexual Violence and HIV/AIDS in Kenyan & Ugandan Schools: Social Implications for Education Policy Development

With sexual violence becoming widespread in Kenyan and other schools in the region, this paper specifically investigates problems of sexual assault and the heightened risks of HIV/AIDS in Kenyan and Ugandan schools. The paper is based on research undertaken in the concerned areas in 2006. To provide an effective descriptive and, by extension, analytical backdrop for the case, the paper provides important background information based on available literature on sexual violence in schools. As noted below, some of the major factors contributing to increased cases of sexual violence and rising incidences of HIV/AIDS in Kenyan and Ugandan schools are also presented. With that in place, issues related to policy development and possibilities of implementing those policies to address the problem of sexual violence in Kenyan and Uganda schools are examined, with recommendations for policies and programs provided.

African Women and Spirituality

When I was asked to write a paper on African women and spirituality, I readily accepted, despite knowing that the task would be fraught with difficulty. Spirituality was not a topic easily woven into an academic framework, or so I thought. This notion was dispelled, however, by the call for papers in relation to a book entitled Transformative Learning: Essays on Praxis. I knew that this was going to be a text with difference. I also felt that my chapter would contribute toward the scant body of knowledge currently available on the subject on African women and spirituality. I also felt that the issue of spirituality has deep implications for teaching, a relationship that I hope to pursue in future research.

African Indigenous Feminist Thought

African feminism is part and parcel of African women’s lived experiences. African feminism is about African Indigenous ways of knowing which are holistic and not compartmentalized into neat piles but more fused together. African feminism is not exclusionary in terms of how gender participates and derives its impetus and meaning from particular historic-cultural specificities. African feminist thought is embodied through collectivism and collaboration (Wane, 2002). African feminism is about decolonization.

Traditional Healing Practices: Conversations With Herbalists in Kenya

Our African forebears introduced us to spiritual practices and the healing legacy left to them by their Ancestors. Ancient African healing practices were founded upon holistic approaches and grounded on spiritual guidance embothed in the Creator, the giver of life, harmony, balance, cosmic order, peace, and healing. However, these practices were and are not homogenous as African societies are highly heterogeneous in nature.

Narratives of Embu Rural Women: Gender Roles and Indigenous Knowledges

This research was an entry point for unpacking the complex nature of the often invisible and unacknowledged participation of African women in sustaining their communities through their accumulated indigenous knowledges. Embu rural women in Kenya use various herbs for preserving food and curing stomach ailments headaches or fever. This knowledge had been passed from generation to generation. The article provides a space for womens narratives that highlight their daily routines. It also interrogates gender roles in relation to food processing practices and womens knowledges. The article concludes with a discussion on the centrality of rural womens roles indigenous technologies and knowledge in sustaining their communities. (authors)

The Politics of Cultural Knowledge

The advent and implementation of European colonialism have disrupted innumerable epistemological geographies around the globe. Countless cultural ways of knowing and local educational practices have in some way been displaced and dislocated within the universalizing project of the Euro-Colonial Empire. This book revisits the colonial relations of culture and education, questions various embedded imperial procedures and extricates the strategic offerings of local ways of knowing which resisted colonial imposition. The contributors of this collection are concerned with the ways in which colonial education forms the governing edict for local peoples. In The Politics of Cultural Knowledge, the authors offer an alternative reading of conventional discussions of culture and what counts as knowledge concerning race, class, gender, sexuality, identity, and difference in the context of the Diaspora.