Decoloniality Through Inclusion – Towards a Vision of Promotion and Support of Marginalised Communities through Bridging the Oppressive Divide between Arts, Humanities, Sciences and Technology, was the title of a colloquium at UKZN.
Hosted by the College of Humanities’ School of Built Environment and Development Studies, the event was convened by Professor Yashaen Luckan and aligned to his Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant presentation – Unsettling Paradigms, a Decolonial Turn.
The two-day event highlighted the need for curriculum reformation as well as community engagements as the main route to achieve the purpose of inclusivity and diversity, decolonising architectural pedagogy and practice; and promoting inclusive education in South Africa and Ubuntu in the Higher Education curriculum.
Dean and Head of the School Professor Ernest Khalema spoke about reforming the curriculum as well as the importance of a good relationship among individuals working together, saying that ‘the manner in which lectures are conducted are very important for certain groups to achieve a great deal of efficiency in the production process’ and this included building a relationship to understand the community an individual was working for where community infrastructure needs were concerned as this would bring about positive change in the field.
Dr Mark Olweny of the University of Lincoln in England drew from the book The Rede Lecture by Charles P Snow and Musa Okwonga’s book titled One of Them, while discussing a chapter which shed light on the breakdown of communication between the sciences and the humanities as a major hindrance to solving the problem. ‘The intake of students at university level within the architecture field remains an issue as learners from poor backgrounds are indicating a negative shift,’ said Olweny, who argued that ‘architecture is not a pure discipline, and that not only those who pass well in high school-leaving exams qualify.’
He said the belief that there was a single path through architectural education was a myth.
Mr Zhenping Liow of the University of Singapore, critiqued architectural education/pedagogy arguing that romanticising the vernacular as stylistic formal appropriation had often overshadowed important aspects such as content and function, leading to detrimental outcomes.
Mr Alex Ndibwami of the University of Rwanda, focused on the vital significance of peer learning to inspire intrinsic motivation, especially in students from disadvantaged backgrounds. His presentation framed the key reflections of two experiments he conducted with peers and students, that explored nurturing learner-centered pedagogical approaches for architectural education in sub-Saharan Africa.
Dr Nomusa Mlondo noted how coloniality had favoured a “boy child” resulting in underprivileged girls’ school memories often being unpleasant. Mlondo discussed declining literacy rates, poor school attendance and sexual violence.
Professor Mandla Masuku aligned closely with the theme of decoloniality through inclusion. In a thought-provoking discussion on the value of incorporating Ubuntu in Higher Education he effectively probed the meaning of decoloniality through the principles of Ubuntu and posed some direct questions to academic leaders and custodians of disciplines, who were in attendance. Masuku’s method unearthed some inherent systemic problems in the South African Higher Education sector that posed various impediments to decolonisation through inclusion.
Day two of the colloquium focused on architectural practice, activism and pedagogic transformation.
Mr Denver Hendricks of the University of Lincoln in England delved into studies focusing on the interface between middle-class neighbourhoods and the local state, through a case study of his Johannesburg practice. His case study interrogated the Melville Precinct Plan against the challenge of a divided community striving to maintain but also to protect their neighbourhood from failing services and perceived negative transformations. His project explored the paradox of community participation, where the intention to broaden democracy through increased participation could paradoxically expand inequality, as the voices of the residents and technocrats become more dominant.
Ms Leslie Tochukwu, a third-year student at University of Lincoln, interrogated the design principles of her own culture – the Musgum in Cameroon – to determine how culture could inform contemporary approaches in architecture. Her in-depth research project examined how contemporary architectural thinking and making could benefit from indigenous knowledge systems.
The next session brought together a panel of disadvantaged community-based architectural practitioners from different socio-economic and cultural contexts to highlight the real problems facing mid-late career practitioners in post-apartheid South Africa. The session was an “off the cuff” impromptu discussion led by the convener and with robust audience participation. The discussions and debates revealed critical areas where the transformed legislative frameworks since democracy failed at the level of implementation, which continued to marginalise those who faced oppression during apartheid. This further exposed the need for alternative pathways for knowledge and skills development of disadvantaged communities.
The closing session was led by Luckan and his panel of students, who were admitted to the Master of Architecture programme through an alternative pathway facilitated by UKZN’s Rule GR7(b). These students who successfully completed their coursework gave insight into their struggles while in practice all but one ran their own practices and employed UKZN graduates. They further discussed how the university experience improved their competency and the ability to perform their architectural services at the highest professional level, while being able to procure more complex projects and execute them with increased confidence.
Discussions continued in the informal spaces of the Shepstone building and the University grounds well into the evening with participants further engaging with presenters and the convener.
