{"id":42783,"date":"2026-09-09T16:01:31","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T16:01:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/?p=42783"},"modified":"2026-09-09T16:53:58","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T16:53:58","slug":"why-universities-must-re-centre-african-knowledge-in-the-curriculum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/en_gb\/why-universities-must-re-centre-african-knowledge-in-the-curriculum\/","title":{"rendered":"Why universities must re-centre African knowledge in the curriculum"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Vuyolwethu Seti-sonamzi presents de-centring to re-centre a decolonial curriculum at the VUT Teaching and Learning Conference, with Ms Julia Mofokeng.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

09 September 2026 | Story by: Sadiki Siphiwe | Picture: Siphephelo Dlamini<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 minutes read time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\nDr Seti-Sonamzi challenges delegates to critically examine the foundations of higher education and rethink the assumptions shaping teaching and learning.\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The future of higher education cannot be reimagined without reimagining whose knowledge is valued in the classroom. This was the central message delivered by Dr Vuyolwethu Seti-Sonamzi during a thought-provoking breakaway session at the Vaal University of Technology’s (VUT) Teaching and Learning Conference, held from 8 to 10 September 2026 at Emerald Resort & Casino in Vanderbijlpark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Presenting her paper, “De-centring to Re-centre: A decolonial curriculum as a just cause,” Dr Seti-Sonamzi challenged delegates to critically examine the foundations of higher education and to reconsider how knowledge is produced, taught and recognised within South African universities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Describing her presentation as “an invitation to think with me”, she situated the discussion within ongoing debates about curriculum transformation and decolonisation in higher education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The South African higher education sector has, over the last two decades, taken a keen interest in the ideal of education and curriculum transformation, favouring a decolonised and re-Africanised education as the alternative,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drawing on the work of philosopher Mogobe Ramose, Dr Seti-Sonamzi argued that South Africa’s transformation journey requires more than incremental adjustments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“What is lacking in the conversation about education transformation is the desperate need for a paradigm change rather than a paradigm shift,” she said, adding that true transformation must address long-standing questions of epistemic justice and the continued dominance of Western knowledge systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Central to her presentation was the concept of epistemicide, which refers to the systematic erasure of indigenous and alternative knowledge systems through colonialism and apartheid. She argued that despite political liberation, many historically marginalised ways of knowing remain excluded from mainstream academic discourse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Dr Seti-Sonamzi, this challenge is particularly evident in how universities often view first-year students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the heart of her presentation was a simple but powerful question: “Does a first-year student know?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She argued that higher education frequently positions students as lacking knowledge, rather than recognising the rich experiences, cultural practices and understandings they bring into the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Referencing the concept of the “cognitive empire” developed by Professor Sabelo Ndlovu-Gatsheni, she explained how dominant knowledge systems continue to shape perceptions of what is regarded as legitimate knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Our challenge to this cognitive empire is epistemic disobedience,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To illustrate her argument, Dr Seti-Sonamzi invited delegates to redefine familiar concepts from African-centred perspectives. Using the traditional definition of communication as the transmission of messages from a sender to a receiver, she challenged participants to consider broader cultural understandings of communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She proposed a re-centred approach in which communication encompasses talking, writing, dancing, music, storytelling, food practices, dreams, ceremonies and spiritual expressions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The attempt here is to open communication education up to other realities, contexts and lived experiences. To create an environment where all students could see themselves in their study material while also seeing the other,” she explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her presentation emphasised that African knowledge systems continue to thrive in everyday life through language, cultural practices, food traditions, ceremonies and community experiences, despite centuries of marginalisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The discussion resonated strongly with the aspirations of VUT Strategy 2033+, which seeks to position the University as a leading institution driving innovation, future-focused education, research excellence and societal impact. Dr Seti-Sonamzi argued that preparing students for the future must include recognising diverse ways of knowing and understanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The session became especially engaging during the question-and-answer segment when Ms Julia Mofokeng, a second-year lecturer in Food Service Management at VUT, connected the presentation’s themes to her own discipline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mofokeng reflected on how food education is often rooted in Western frameworks and questioned how African food knowledge can be meaningfully integrated into academic teaching and assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“My students know morogo, they know dikgobe, they know how to brew mageu, they know ukuphahla food, but when they come to class, that knowledge becomes informal, it becomes background,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She asked how lecturers could create space for indigenous knowledge while ensuring graduates remain competitive within industry environments that often prioritise Western standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building on her redefined understanding of communication, Dr Seti-Sonamzi encouraged educators to recognise food practices as meaningful forms of knowledge production and communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Your classroom is the centre, Julia. The fact that you see morogo, dikgobe and mageu as knowledge, not as anecdote, is already epistemic disobedience,” she responded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She argued that food service can be understood as a process of sharing meaning, memory, identity, healing and celebration, and that these dimensions are academically rigorous and worthy of recognition within curricula.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Seti-Sonamzi further challenged the assumption that students must adapt entirely to industry expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Industry must also be re-educated,” she said. “VUT 2033+ says our stakeholders are our real-world laboratory. That means industry is not only where our students go to fit in. It is where our curriculum goes to transform industry.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The exchange between Dr Seti-Sonamzi and Mofokeng was widely regarded by delegates as one of the highlights of the session, demonstrating how debates about curriculum transformation can be grounded in practical teaching and learning realities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Closing the session, Dr Seti-Sonamzi reiterated that curriculum transformation begins with recognising the knowledge students already possess when they arrive at university.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We cannot keep teaching our students that they know nothing on day one,” she said. “They come with knowledge of food, of storytelling, of dreams and visions. Our curriculum must recognise that as curriculum.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her presentation reinforced the conference’s broader theme of “Reimagining Teaching and Learning for the Future”, while challenging educators to consider a fundamental question: if universities are preparing students for the future, whose knowledge will shape that future?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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