School of Arts Conference
Prof Tendai Chari
Prof Tendai Chari: Senior Lecturer at the University of Venda, South Africa.
Prof Tendai Chari is an Associate Professor and a National Research Foundation (NRF) C3 Rated Researcher in the Department of English, Media Studies and Linguistics at the University of Venda, South Africa. He holds a PhD in Media Studies from Wits University. After graduating from the University of Zimbabwe with a BA in 1995 Professor Chari was awarded a Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) scholarship to study for a Post-Graduate Diploma in Media and Communication Studies at the University of Zimbabwe, and a National Committee for Development Related Research and Education (NUFU) scholarship to read for his Masters in Media and Communication Studies at the same institution. His academic career started at the University of Zimbabwe where he taught for 7 years, during which period he was the Head of the Media Programme in the English and Media Studies Department. In 2008 he joined the University of Venda. He has authored and co-authored more than 70 publications in the form of articles in internationally acclaimed peer reviewed journals, chapters in books and five (5) co-edited books. His latest co-edited books are Global Pandemics and Media Ethics; Issues and Perspectives” (Routledge, 2022) and “Communication Rights in Africa: Emerging Issues and Perspectives” (Routledge 2023). Some of his publications feature on the “Essential Reading” lists for undergraduate and post-graduate courses across disciplines at various institutions locally and abroad. Professor Chari’s research mainly focuses on exposing coloniality in political and everyday communication, popular culture and music, with a broadened horizon on the interface between digital media, communication and indigenous African languages. He has read papers at more than 47 local and international conferences. Professor Chari serves on the editorial boards of several local and international journals, including the Journal of African Media Studies (Intellect), Communication & Sport (Sage), Journal of Metal Music Studies (Intellect), Commonwealth Youth and Development Journal (UNISA). He is also a member of the South African Communications Association (SACOMM) and the Academic Non-Fiction Authors Association of Southern Africa (ANFASA), a member driven association that empowers academic and non-fiction authors in South Africa. Professor Chari is also a fellow of the African Peace-building Network (APN) of the Social Sciences Research Council, and the African Humanities Programme (AHP) of the American Council of Learned Societies. Professor Chari attributes his research trajectory and success mainly to insights gleaned from fruitful engagements with colleagues and with highly motivated and exceptionally talented students, his expansive conference paper presentations around the world, as well as other scholarly engagements that have helped him broaden the scope of his research interests which are anchored on decoloniality.