Title : Knowledge free and ‘unfree’: Epistemic tensions in plant knowledge at the Cape in the 17 th and 18 th centuries
Author/s: Geri Augusto
Page: 136
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Abstract:This article utilises the same epistemic objects, particular indigenous medicinal plants of the Cape region, to explore the gamut of epistemologies in contested, dynamic tension in the early Cape Colony: That of the frontiersman, the Khoikhoi, the Sonqua or Sankwe, and the slave. Drawing on a transdisciplinary set of litera­tures, the article puts Africana studies, the study of indigenous knowledge systems, and social studies of science and technology in wider conversation with each other, and argues for the adoption of an epistemic openness, methodologies which ‘braid’ seemingly separate strands of social history and differing knowledge practices, and cross-border collaboration among scholars of African and African diasporas’ knowl­edges. The findings and interpretation suggest new ways to view the ‘multiplexity’ of early indigenous southern African botanical, therapeutic and ecological knowledges, as well as the necessity for rethinking both the construction of colonial sciences and contemporary concerns about indigenous knowledge, biosciences and their 21 st century interaction.[back to top]

Title : The role of mathematics and scientific thought in Africa: A Renaissance perspective
Author/s: Daniel Thanyani Rambane and Mashudu C Mashige
Page: 183
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Abstract :This article examines the centrality of mathematics and scientific thought in the sociocultural, human and intellectual development of a sampling of African societies. Evidence is presented which refutes the theory that Africans had no ‘intelligible sense of numeracy’ before contact with the West, and demonstrates that the propagation of this myth was part of the larger colonial project to marginalize and ‘otherwise’ African knowledge systems. Tracing Africa’s early contributions to mathematics and scientific thought forces a shift from the standard Western-based approach to pedagogy in this field. It renders a subject that is perceived and presented as alien to African culture, more accessible to African learners. And ultimately, acknowl­edging the long history of mathematics and scientific thought in Africa is a step in foregrounding African epistemologies in knowledge production, human and social development and towards the realization of the African Renaissance. [back to top]

Title: Indigenous African marriage and same-sex partnerships: Conflicts and controversies
Author/s: Gugulethu Nkosi
Page: 200
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Abstract :In 2006 the Constitutional Court of South Africa ruled the common law definition of marriage to be unconstitutional because it did not accord same-sex couples the same benefits and responsibilities as heterosexual couples. This defect was corrected by the legislature with the enactment of the Civil Unions Act. The recognition of same-sex partnerships or marriages by the Act reflects and acknowledges the di­verse nature of a changing South African society. A question triggered by this legal development is the impact that same- sex partnerships will have on the country’s customary law on marriage. This article presents a critical analysis of a possible co-existence between same-sex partnerships and customary laws on marriage. The author explores the customs upon which customary laws of marriage are founded, and assesses their flexibility in accommodating same-sex partnerships.[back to top]

Title: Knowledge generation, political actions and African development: A polycentric approach
Author/s: Shittu Raimi Akinola
Page: 217
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Abstract :Knowledge generated to meet societal needs is the bedrock of development. Africa’s development crisis is marked by the persistent gap between the application of intel­lectual rigours and political action. Despite abundant development potential (human and natural resources, and scientific knowledge), coupled with reform declarations and commitments by African leaders over the past four decades, development remains illusory. This article examines the relationship between key development players (African public officials and African scholars), and how generated knowledge is applied to respond to the needs of African citizens. Using the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework (otherwise known as new institutionalism) this article examines weaknesses in the interaction of knowledge, political action and development, while at a local level African citizens, through shared strategies and problem- solving interdependency, are effectively transforming indigenous knowledge inherited from their parents to confront daily challenges. The article suggests ways of bridging the gap between development players by proposing an African Develop­ment Institutional Mechanism (ADIM) aimed at enabling key development players to operate in synergy. [back to top]

Title : IMBIZO: Towards a common understanding of corruption in Africa
Author/s : Minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi
Page: 239
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Abstract: This Article does not have an abstract. [back to top]

Title : THE RECORD
African Union–Caribbean Diaspora Conference: Combating racism and the issue of reparations
Author/s : Hakim Adi
Page: 250
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Abstract :This paper looks at previous Pan-Africanist attempts to combat the legacy of slavery and colonialism, and concludes that one of the lessons that can be learned from the Africanists of the 20th century is the necessity for unity, internationalism and placing working people at the centre. In terms of the need for the kind of repair that is now required, the paper highlights the continuing impact of Eurocentrism and racism in all its forms. In particular it stresses that the countries of Africa and the Caribbean must reject the so-called ‘universal values of the major powers’ and develop their own political institutions and paths of development, based on their own traditions. There is still the need to reclaim the history and heritage of those who are of African and Caribbean descent, but most importantly to reclaim the sov­ereignty of the peoples of Africa and the Caribbean. This requires that the people empower themselves, and that they become the decision makers. [back to top]

Title : Gender equality, Pan-Africanism and the Diaspora
Author/s: Rhoda Reddock
Page: 255
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Abstract : In 2003, the same year that the African Union (AU) officially recognised a role for the African Diaspora in the future of continental Africa, it also adopted the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa, a document which seeks to enhance women’s human rights across the Union. These official actions by this body, representing the vision of a more unified Africa, marks a new stage in a history of interactions, conversations and collaborations between Africa and its Diaspora, as well as a renewed commit­ment to gender equity on the continent. This paper examines the feminist tradition within Pan-Africanism in the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries and the developments in relation to gender equality with the emergence of the new women’s movement of the 1960s and 1970s. The United Nations’ Declaration of the Decade for Women heralded a new phase in the movement for gender equality in the world. These developments, however, are taking place within a context of neo- liberal globalisa­tion, which has had many negative impacts on the peoples of the African Diaspora. While it has contributed to the creation of some new millionaires of colour, it has also ruined the agricultural base of many economies, destroyed manufacturing (including indigenous crafts and production systems) and reduced the economic options open to most of our countries – unless they are oil and mineral-producing states. This article concludes with recommendations for greater South – South col­laboration on issues of gender equality, including the production and dissemination of audio-visual materials to challenge the power of the globalised US media and its gendered images. [back to top]

International Journal of African Renaissance Studies