College of Human Sciences
Owuor speaks on the core crisis afflicting Africa
The inaugural Africa Speaks lecture, one of the College of Human Sciences’ most prestigious flagship programmes, unfolded in the virtual world of Microsoft Teams and featured a keynote address by Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor, a distinguished author and prominent figure in African literature. The lecture, held on 19 April 2024, was a platform for her to expound upon the lecture’s theme, "SPEAK, LIFE, STORY".
Dr Yvonne Owuor (Esioc44, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Her discourse delved into the core crisis afflicting Africa: an estrangement of its imagination. This crisis, she contended, is engendered by the adoption of foreign and surrogate fantasies which obscure the continent's unique imaginative landscape. Emphasising the profound influence of storytelling on attitudes, ideas and reality, she lamented Africa's passive acceptance of external narratives, oblivious to their imposition of foreign values and ideologies.
Central to Owuor’s address was the assertion that Africa, tragically, embraces these alien fantasies as divine decrees, assimilating them into the fabric of its existence as truth. She explained the mastery exercised by dominant nations in wielding storytelling as a potent weapon, a craft practiced to an art, a science and a strategic instrument of control. Through this lens, Owuor underscored the imperative for African leadership to recognise the significance of narrative sovereignty and the urgent need to reclaim agency over indigenous storytelling traditions.
The dialogue prompted by Owuor’s address transcended the confines of the virtual space, igniting lively discussions on the imperative of decolonising Africa's imaginative landscape. Attendees at the lecture grappled with the complexities of narrative agency and the profound implications of her insights on Africa's cultural identity and creative autonomy.
Owuor's stature as an achiever in literature lent seriousness to her address, elevating the discourse surrounding Africa's cultural renaissance and imaginative resurgence. Her address, characterised by its impassioned plea for the reclamation of Africa's narrative sovereignty, resonated as a clarion call for collective action in the pursuit of cultural emancipation.
Owuor's participation in the Africa Speaks lecture served as a catalyst for introspection and dialogue, illuminating the path towards reclaiming Africa's imaginative landscape. Through her eloquent articulation and profound insights, Owuor galvanized attendees to confront the legacy of colonialism and embrace the transformative power of indigenous storytelling in shaping Africa's future.
The Africa Speaks Lecture Series was first introduced in 2008 under the leadership of the then Executive Dean of the College of Human Sciences, Prof Rosemary Moeketsi. The series has featured numerous scholars over the years. Conceived as the African Visiting Scholar Lecture Series, the series was later named the Africa Speaks Lecture Series, with the aim to give voice to the African continent and allow her people to indeed “speak”.
Two more lectures are planned for this year. Watch this space for more details!
* Written by IHlubi Veli Mabona, Marketing Assistant, Unisa College of Human Sciences
Publish date: 2024/05/03
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