Prof Z Cakata

Qualifications

• PhD Psychology
• MA Research Psychology
• BA Honours Psychology
• BA (Psychology & Political Science)

Fields of academic interests

• African Epistemologies
• African Psychology
• Epistemic Value of Indigenous African Languages

Field of Specialisation

• African Epistemologies
• Decolonization and Re-Africanisation of the curriculum
• African Psychology

Books

• Cakata, Z., Radebe, NZ. &  Ramose, MB. (eds.), Azibuye Emasisweni: Reclaiming our space and centering our knowledge, AOSIS Books, Cape Town.
• Radebe NZ & Cakata Z. Still To Be Named: An Exploration of African Epistemologies using Simphiwe Dana’s selected works. Unisa Press, Pretoria.
• Cakata, Z. (2017). Twin Tongued: Azanian Double Speak (Poetry collection). National Library of South Africa’s Centre for the Book, Cape Town.

Chapters in Books

• Cakata, Z (2023), ‘Colonial template in decolonial efforts: A case example of psychology’, in Z Cakata, NZ Radebe & MB Ramose (eds.), Azibuye Emasisweni: Reclaiming our space and centring our knowledge, AOSIS Books, Cape Town, pp. 85–99. https://doi.org/10.4102/aosis.2023.BK364.06
• Cakata, Z. (2023), ‘We want to speak to our children: Introducing Azibuye’, in Z Cakata, NZ Radebe & MB Ramose (eds.), Azibuye Emasisweni: Reclaiming our space and centring our knowledge, AOSIS Books, Cape Town, pp. 1–7. https://doi.org/10.4102/aosis.2023.BK364.01
• Cakata, Z. (2023). Names Are Hisses of Divinity from Our Forebears: Exploring Names Through the Lens of Ntsiki Mazwai. In: Oyěwùmí, O., Girma, H. (eds) Naming Africans. Gender and Cultural Studies in Africa and the Diaspora. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-13475-3_8
• Cakata,Z. (2022). Ingoma ka Simphiwe: The Healing Epistemology of Song, in Still to be named: An exploration of African Epistemologies using Simphiwe Dana’s selected works edited by Radebe NZ& Cakata Z (2022). 
• Cakata, Z. (2022). Ingoma, Isingqi, Ihlombe: The importance of language in Simphiwe Dana’s music,published in the volume, Still to be named:  : An exploration of African Epistemologies using Simphiwe Dana’s selected works edited by Radebe NZ& Cakata Z (2022). 
• Cakata, Z. (2021). ‘Because Of This Khephu’: Dehumanisation Through Language in South African Media. (In Zubeida Jaffer, Mvuzo Ponono, Ylva Rodny-Gumede, Colin Chasi eds, Decolonising Journalism in South Africa: Critical Perspectives (203-212) Pretoria, Unisa Press.
• Cakata.Z. (2021). South Africa Belongs to All Who Speak Colonial Languages. In  Derilene (Dee) Marco, Tiffany Willoughby-Herard, and Abebe Zegeye, eds.
• Black Feminist Approaches to Cultural Studies in South Africa’s Twenty Six Years Since 1994 (87-102).  New Jersey, Africa World Press
• Cakata, Z. (2019).  Childhoods Rooted in Land: Connecting Child Development to Land Using Cultural Practices of the IsiXhosa Speaking People of South Africa. In De-Valera N.Y.M. Botchway, Awo Sarpong, and Charles Quist- Adade (Eds), Africa Childhood: Constructions, Histories, Representations and Understandings (pp 168-175). Malaga: Vernon Press.
• Geffen, N.,Cakata, Z., Pillay,R., Ebrahimzadeh, P. (2009). Mobilizing gay and lesbian organizations to respond to the political challenges of the South African HIV epidemic. In V .Reddy, T. Sandfort, L. Rispel,. (Eds), From   Social Silence to Social Science: Same-Sexuality, HIV&AIDS Gender in South Africa (pp 168-175). Cape Town: HSRC Press.
• Reddy, V., & Cakata,Z. (2009) Marriage,Citizenship and Contested Meanings. In M.Judge, A. Manion and S. De Waal (Eds), To have and to Hold: The making of Same-Sex marriage in South Africa (pp.274-277). Johannesburg: Fanele Publishers.

Journal articles

• Cakata, Z. & Ramose,M.B. (2021) When ukucelwa ukuzalwa becomes bride price: spiritual meaning lost in translation, African Identities, DOI: 10.1080/14725843.2021.1940091

• Cakata, Z. (2020). Safely Nestled in IsiXhosa is a Psychology of a People, In the Special Issue- Afrikan-Centred Psychology: Illuminating the Human Spirit - Spirit(ness), Skh Djr, Moya, Alternation 27,1 https://doi.org/10.29086/2519-5476/2020/v27n1a7

• Cakata,Z. (2018). ABPsi 2018- The 50th anniversary: A gathering of wounded and healing deers. National Political Science Review 19 (2): 86-88.  

•  Cakata, Z. & Segalo, P.J. (2017). Obstacles to Post-Apartheid Language Policy Implementation: Insights from Language Policy Experts, Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies 2017, 35(4): 321–329
• Cakata, Z. & Segalo, P.J. (2017). A Psychology in our own language: Redefining Psychology in an African context. PINS, 2017, 54, 29 – 41, http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2309-708/2017/n54a3

• Cakata, Z. (2007). Review “The African University in the 21st Century”, South African Journal of Higher Education19.Special Theme issue,2005. Feminist Africa, 9,121-128.

Paper presentations

• Oral Presentation- Ikhaya: Homecoming as a reclamation of self. Association of Black Psychologists, United States of America. July 2023. 
• Oral Presentation - Learning from the Elders: Restoring our dignity through language World Indigenous Peoples Conference (WIPCE) Australia, September 2022
• Oral Presentation- The place of indigenous African languages in the new curriculum: An African Psychology case study. International Conference “Leadership and Power in Africa in the Past and the Present: Studies in Russia, Tanzania and Beyond held in Tanzania, March 2022.
• Oral Presentation- Learning from the elders: Reclaiming African dignity through language recovery.  World Indigenous Conference on Education (WIPCE 2022) held in Australia, September 2022. 
• Oral Presentation - Ubugqirha: Healing beyond the Western Gaze. Presented at the Association for Black Psychologists, July 2019
• Oral Presentation- When ukucelwa ukuzalwa becomes bride price: Spiritual meaning lost in translation. Association for Black Psychologist Convention, July 2018
• Oral Presentation- Safely nestled in Isixhosa is the Psychology of a people. 24th Psychology Society of South Africa (PSYSSA) Conference. September 2018
• Oral Presentation- Names are sighs of divinity from our forebears.  Unisa Decoloniality Conference. August 2018

• Oral presentation- In search of the absent voice: The Status of Indigenous Languages in July 2016

• Oral presentation- Obstacles to post-apartheid language policy implementation: Insights from language policy experts. Presented at the 6th International Conference on Community Psychology, held in Durban in May 2016

• Oral presentation- Women’s voices and silences as they deal with culture. Presented at the 2007 Human Sciences Research Council held in Johannesburg

Professional positions, fellowships & awards

• Awarded the Teaching and Learning Award for Scholarship category by the University of South Africa in 2022.
• Awarded an African Pathways Programme Grant by the NIHSS in 2021
• In May 2019, I received a Scholarship Award from the Association of Black Psychology which is based in the United States of America.
• Awarded book publishing grant by the Centre for the Book in 2015 for the publishing of a poetry volume (published in 2017).
• Awarded a literature grant by National Arts Council in 2015 for the development of a novel manuscript.

Projects

• Learning from the elders- a community project on knowledge recovery

Other

• https://protect-za.mimecast.com/s/PJd_C1j735fnJXmxcLrViz?domain=orcid.org