Table Of ContentTA
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For a long time, African Studies as a discipline has been spearheaded by e CoFR AFRICAN STUDIES
academics and institutions in the Global North. This puts African Studies on rnuIC
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the continent at a crossroads of making choices on whether such a discipline can oA
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be legitimately accepted as an epistemological discipline seeking objectivity of T S in the ACADEMY
and truth about Africa and the African peoples or a discipline meant to hT
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perpetuate the North’s hegemonic socio-economic, political and epistemic ory, PUD
csahocaondutrelodml poyr vboeodrt uAhc foer ifwc tahh. eaT tN haeon rcdtoh wm ahnpidoch uo nfs dpth aqecu eSe osshtuiotohun?l d tCh Aaoftnr ifimcroamnnt eSeddtiu abdtyei eslysu acohrcic saeu qsp uiyse :i snWt itohhnoe, raxis and TranIES in t The CTorrannuscfooprmiaa otfi oTnh ieno rAy,f rPircaax?i s and
one wonders whether the existence of African Studies Centres in the Global sformhe
North academies open opportunities for critical thinking on Africa or it opens aA
pfoors stirbanilist-ideiss cfoipr ltihnea reym deerbgaetnec.e W ofh tihlee saapmpreo daicshceips lcinriet iicna Al fforirc ath aes ad feevretliolep smpeancet tion in ACAD Edited by
of African Studies are pervasive in African universities through fields such as fricaEM
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cultural studies, social anthropology, history, sociology, indigenous knowledge Y
Munyaradzi Mawere and
studies and African philosophy, the discipline of African Studies though
critical to Africa is rarely practised as such in the African academy and its
Tapuwa R. Mubaya
future on the continent remains bleak. African Studies in the Academy is a
testimony that if honestly and objectively practised, the crossroads position
of African Studies as a discipline makes it a fertile ground for generating and
testing new approaches critical for researching and understanding Africa. It
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also challenges Africa to seriously consider assuming its legitimate position d
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to champion African Studies from within. These issues are at the heart of the e
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present volume. Tap by M
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MUNYARADZI MAWERE is currently professor at Great Zimbabwe University. a Rnya
He is an author of more than 50 books and holds a PhD in Social Anthropology from . Mrad
the University of Cape Town. ubzi M
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TAPUWA RAYMOND MUBAYA is a Lecturer at Great Zimbabwe University e
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and a PhD candidate at Tilburg University, The Netherlands. Mubaya is author a
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of 5 books and more than fourteen articles in internationally esteemed scholarly d
journals.
Langaa Research & Publishing
Common Initiative Group
P.O. Box 902 Mankon
Bamenda
North West Region
Cameroon
African Studies
in the Academy:
The Cornucopia of Theory, Praxis
and Transformation in Africa?
Edited by
Munyaradzi Mawere &
Tapuwa R. Mubaya
Langaa Research & Publishing CIG
Mankon, Bamenda
PPublisher:
Langaa RPCIG
Langaa Research & Publishing Common Initiative Group
P.O. Box 902 Mankon
Bamenda
North West Region
Cameroon
[email protected]
www.langaa-rpcig.net
Distributed in and outside N. America by African Books Collective
[email protected]
www.africanbookscollective.com
ISBN-10: 9956-762-22-9
ISBN-13: 978-9956-762-22-4
© Munyaradzi Mawere & Tapuwa R. Mubaya 2017
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, mechanical or electronic, including photocopying and recording, or be
stored in any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission
from the publisher
List of Contributors
Munyaradzi Mawere holds a PhD in Social Anthropology from
the University of Cape Town (UCT) in South Africa. Professor
Mawere also holds a Master’s Degree in Social Anthropology from
UCT, a Master’s Degree in Development Studies, and Master’s
Degree in Philosophy and B. A. (Hons) Degree in Philosophy from
the University of Zimbabwe. He is currently Professor in the
Department of Culture and Heritage Studies at Great Zimbabwe
University. Before joining this university, Professor Mawere was a
lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe and at Universidade
Pedagogica, Mozambique, where he has worked in different
capacities as a Senior lecturer, Assistant Research Director,
Postgraduate Co-ordinator and Associate Professor. He has an
outstanding publishing record of more than one hundred and
twenty pieces of work which include more than twenty-five books
and over a hundred book chapters and papers in scholarly journals.
Professor Mawere has published extensively on poverty and
community development, knowledge studies, political
anthropology, science and technology studies (STS), environment
and agrarian issues, democracy and African states, coloniality,
decoloniality and transformation, African philosophy and political
systems, culture and heritage studies. Some of his bestselling books
are: Humans, Other Beings and the Environment: Harurwa (Edible
stinkbugs) and Environmental Conservation in South-eastern Zimbabwe
(2015); Democracy, Good Governance and Development in Africa: A Search
for Sustainable Democracy and Development, (2015); Culture, Indigenous
Knowledge and Development in Africa: Reviving Interconnections for
Sustainable Development (2014); Harnessing Cultural Capital for
Sustainability: A Pan Africanist Perspective (2015); Divining the Future of
Africa: Healing the Wounds, Restoring Dignity and Fostering Development,
(2014); African Cultures, Memory and Space: Living the Past Presence in
Zimbabwean Heritage (2014); African Philosophy and Thought Systems: A
Search for a Culture and Philosophy of Belonging (2016); Colonial Heritage,
Memory and Sustainability in Africa: Challenges, Opportunities and Prospects
(2016); Underdevelopment, Development and the Future of Africa (2017),
and Theorising Development in Africa: Towards Building an African
Framework of Development (2017).
Johnson O. Olaniyi holds a PhD Degree in Political Science from
University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria. He is a Senior Lecturer in the
Department of Political Science University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria
where he has been teaching core courses in Political Science since
1992. His area of specialization is Political Theory/Comparative
Politics with special bias in Electoral Studies. Dr. Olaniyi obtained
his B.Sc. Hons and M.Sc. Degrees in Political Science from
University of Ibadan, Nigeria. He has published extensively in
reputable journals, contributed chapters in edited books and
authored three books: Introduction to Contemporary Political Analysis;
Foundations of Public Policy Analysis; and An Introduction to Constitutional
Development in Nigeria which have all become reference points in
Nigerian Universities. He is happily married and blessed with
children.
Fidelis Peter Thomas Duri is a lecturer in the Department of
History and Development Studies at Great Zimbabwe University.
He is a holder of a PhD in History from the University of the
Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. He has published a
number of books and articles which focus on environmental
history, socio-cultural dynamics, subaltern struggles, African border
studies and politics in Zimbabwe during the colonial and post-
colonial periods. He has also reviewed and edited a number of
scholarly books and articles and is also a member of the editorial
boards of international journals such as the Zimbabwe Journal of
Historical Studies and the International Journal of Developing Societies.
Bankie Foster Bankie was born in Europe of African parenthood,
a lawyer by training, with experience in diplomacy, the Academy
and Youth matters. After 1972, Bankie resided in a number of
African countries in West, South and North East Africa. From 1984
– 6, he served as Charge d’Affaires at the Ghana Embassy in
Luanda, Angola with concurrent responsibility for Congo (
Brazzaville ), SWAPO, ANC and FRETLINE ( East Timor). In
1991, Bankie moved to Namibia where he worked in the
Transitional Planning Team (TPT) for the new University of
Namibia (UNAM), as Personal and Executive Assistant to The
Vice-Chancellor Designate, which University was established by law
in 1992. Thereafter, Bankie served as Staff Development Officer
for the new University, going on to the new Faculty of Law, as
Researcher in the Human Rights and Documentation Centre. In
1996, Bankie joined the Secretariat of the Law Reform and
Development Commission of The Ministry of Justice, serving as
Researcher and acted as assistant to The Government Coordinator
for Human Rights. Between 2000 and 2004, Bankie served as Head
of Administration in The Centre for Advanced Studies of African
Society (CASAS) in Cape Town, South Africa. Thereafter, he
returned to Namibia. From 2006-8, Bankie worked in Juba, South
Sudan in an administrative capacity towards the establishment and
in the Kush Institution, in the Office of the President of South
Sudan. He then worked for five years at the National Youth
Council of Namibia (NYCN) as acting Secretary to its Board and
Sub-Committees, trained Youth on Pan-Africanism in the Youth
Leadership Development Programme (YDLP). Since 2015, Bankie
is the Director of the Pan-African Institute for the Study of African
Society (PAISAS) Trust, in Windhoek, Namibia.
Tapuwa Raymond Mubaya is a Lecturer at Great Zimbabwe
University and a PhD candidate at Tilburg University, Netherlands.
Before joining Great Zimbabwe University, Mr. Mubaya worked for
National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe (NMMZ) for
eight years as the Curator of Archaeology and Head of the Great
Zimbabwe Monument Conservation Centre. Currently he is
heading the Department of Heritage Studies at Great Zimbabwe
University. Mr Mubaya holds a Master of Arts Degree in Heritage
Studies from the University of Zimbabwe. He is also a member of
the Association of Southern African Professional Archaeologists
(ASAPA) and the Zimbabwe Association of Professional
Archaeologists and related Disciplines (ZAPAD. His current
research interests are focussed on heritage management and
conservation, cultural tourism and museums. Mubaya has written
and published fourteen articles in internationally esteemed scholarly
journals and is the co-editor/author of the books: African Cultures,
Memory and Space: Living the Past Presence in Zimbabwean Heritage (2014)
and Colonial Heritage, Memory and Sustainability in Africa: Challenges,
Opportunities and Prospects (2016); and co-author of African Philosophy
and Thought Systems: A Search for a Culture and Philosophy of Belonging
(2016).
Gertjan van Stam is a Research Fellow at the Scientific and
Industrial Research and Development Centre (SIRDC) of
Zimbabwe. He holds an MTech (cum laude) from Nelson Mandela
Metropolitan University (NMMU) in South Africa and is at the
verge of completing his PhD with Tilburg University. Gertjan and
his family lived in the rural areas of Zimbabwe and Zambia for over
13 years. His broad academic interests focus on the nexus of society
and technology in the so-called periphery with the goal to identify
and inspire local talent and engender local capacity for community-
led activities.
Conrad Chibango is a lecturer of religious studies in the
Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Great
Zimbabwe University. He is interested in analysing religious and
social policies and practices in contemporary developing societies.
His work is mainly shaped by his particular interest in the
interaction between religion and development as well as between
religion and law. He is a PhD holder in Canon Law with the
Pontifical Urban University, Rome and a master of Development
Studies with the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He attained a BA
Honours in Religious Studies at the University of Zimbabwe.
Outside his academic activities, Conrad Chibango is a member of
the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) where he is
actively involved in promoting social justice in grassroots
communities.
Bernard Pindukai Humbe is a lecturer in the Department of
Philosophy and Religious Studies at Great Zimbabwe University,
Masvingo. Bernard Humbe is a PhD candidate with the University
of Free State. He is a subscribed member of African Consortium of
Law and Religion. His areas of research interest include: Symbolism
of Animals in African Indigenous Religion, Onomastics, Traditional
Law and Social Development, Religion and Entrepreneurship,
Religion and Social Transformation, and Religion and Power.
Chenjerai Muwaniki is a Lecturer in Adult and Continuing
Education at Great Zimbabwe University. He is currently studying
for a PHD in Adult Education at the University of KwaZulu-Natal,
South Africa. Mr. Muwaniki’s research interests are in Vocational
Education and Training, Entrepreneurship, Financial literacy and
emerging issues in Adult Education.
Ephraim Matanda is a lecturer at Great Zimbabwe University,
Munhumutapa School of Commerce, Department of Banking and
Finance, Masvingo, Zimbabwe. He has been with the University for
the past 8 years, teaching courses at both under and post graduate
levels in Banking and Finance programmes. He is well published
with six books, three book chapters and nine referred journals. His
most recent publications are a refereed paper entitled ‘Micro Finance
Sector in Zimbabwe: An Appraisal of the Socio-Economic Performance of the
Sector in Masvingo Province, Zimbabwe in the Dollarisation Era’ (2017) and
a book accepted for publication by Cambridge Scholars publishers,
with the title, Modern Financial Investment Management (2017).
Nyasha Madzokere is a lecturer of Biblical Hebrew and Old
Testament in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies
in Simon Muzenda School of Arts, Culture and Heritage at Great
Zimbabwe University. He has been with the University for past 9
years. He is a PhD candidate at the University of Botswana. He has
published widely on the Bible and its contextual relevance to
Zimbabwe. His most recent publication reads: “Let My People Go!’’
A Contextual Reading of the Book of Exodus in Light of Political and
Economic Crisis in Post-independent Zimbabwe.
Edmore Dube holds a Masters in Religious Studies (1995) and a
DPhil in Christian-Muslim Dialogue (2003) from the University of
Zimbabwe. He is currently a lecturer in Biblical and Islamic Studies
with the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies (Great
Zimbabwe University). He has passion for religion and ethics,
particularly how religious institutions can impact positively on
public health, business and human rights. He has special concern
for the interrogation of theological positions with the intention of
envisioning a better world order informed by interreligious
dialogue. Of great concern to me is the radicalisation of religion and
politics resulting in polarisation, deprivation and armed conflicts.
Marshal Madambura holds two Master’s Degrees in
Development Studies (from Great Zimbabwe University, GZU)
and Peace and Governance (from Africa University). He also holds
a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Zimbabwe and a
Graduate Diploma in Education from Great Zimbabwe University.
His current placement is with the Family AIDS Caring Trust
(FACT) Zimbabwe as a Project officer. Madambura also worked as
a secondary teacher in Zimbabwe for several years before joining
Family AIDS Caring Trust. In his current placement, Madambura
has been working with rural people in areas to do with HIV/AIDS
and other development projects for the past seven years and this
has given him a broad base from which to approach many topics on
education, gender and development. His current research interests
are in the areas of Education, Gender studies, Peace and conflict
studies, and development issues.
Table of Contents
Chapter One: Africa’s Past and
Present Predicaments: Reflections on
African Studies in the 21st Century……………………….. 1
Munyaradzi Mawere & Tapuwa R. Mubaya
Chapter Two: The Coming-of-age of
Super-Colonialism………………………………………… 13
Gertjan van Stam
Chapter Three: African Indigenous
Belief Systems on the Crossroads:
The Tsikamutanda and Witchcraft-related
Disputes in the 21st Century Zimbabwe…………….……. 41
Fidelis P. T. Duri
Chapter Four: Climate Change and
Environmental Degradation: Implication
for Agriculture, Food Security and Poverty
in Southern Africa………………………….……………… 79
Munyaradzi Mawere & Marshall Madambura
Chapter Five: Reinventing Nhimbe:
The Deployment of Indigenous
Knowledge Systems in Partnerships
for Development…………………………………….…….. 91
Conrad Chibango
Chapter Six: Entrepreneurship,
Social Capital and Community
Development in Zimbabwe’s
Buhera District: A Faith-based Reflection………………. 119
Bernard Pindukai Humbe & Chenjerai Muwaniki
ix
