Unisa Press
Still to Be Named
An Exploration of African Epistemologies Using Simphiwe Dana’s Selected Works
| Author: | NZ Radebe & Z Cakata |
|---|---|
| Published: | December 14, 2022 |
| ISBN: | 978-1-77615-134-9 |
| Number of pages: | 81 |
| This book is also available in electronic format | |
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| ISBN: | 978-1-77615-135-6 |
About the book
In this book, the authors discuss some of Simphiwe Dana’s songs from the decolonial perspective which has gained traction in academic circles, especially after the fallist movement. Still to be named: An exploration of African epistemologies using Simphiwe Dana’s selected works is a call for Africans to go back to their roots by denouncing Western ways of life and begin to embrace African epistemologies and ontologies that were destroyed by colonisation and Western imperialism. The authors advocate for the restoration of land and wealth of Africans after being dispossessed of these resources by ruthless colonialists who will at times forcefully move people from fertile land and dispossess them their livestock in the process. This has forced Africans to abandon indigenous ways of living by producing their own food to become migrant labourers which has led to the disintegration of African families as they were forced to support the capitalist economy. The book unveils that songs are a way of invoking healing to the soul and challenges readers to rebuild themselves from the damage caused by colonialism. The authors reveal that Simphiwe Dana’s music and literary art are underpinned by Black Consciousness as espoused by Biko and decolonialism as coined by Ngugi Wa Thion’go among others. The authors lament that racism and colonialism are still rife despite democratic governments in Africa which still perpetuate structural systems of colonialism and fail to effectively redress the injustices of the past. The book contributes to constructive discussions on decoloniality and it is hoped that it will make meaningful impact in changing the current status quo.
About the Author
Dr NZ Radebe is a lecturer and researcher affiliated with University of South Africa's Department: Anthropology and Archaeology.
Prof Z Cakata is an associate research fellow at the University of South Africa specialising in psychology