Dr Nduduzo Makhathini to headline 2027 Unisa Decoloniality Summer School

The University of South Africa (Unisa) will bring together leading scholars, intellectuals and practitioners for its 2027 Decoloniality Summer School, with renowned South African jazz pianist, composer and academic Dr Nduduzo Makhathini among the headline contributors.

The summer school will take place from 11 to 15 January 2027 at the Function Hall in the Kgorong Building at Unisa’s Muckleneuk Campus in Pretoria. It will be held under the theme “Decolonising the Classroom: From Epistemic Critique to Transformative Praxis.” The 2027 edition will deepen discussions on the decolonisation of knowledge, African-centred scholarship and the transformation of teaching and learning. It will provide a platform for participants to examine how colonial knowledge systems continue to influence education and consider practical ways of advancing epistemic justice and more inclusive teaching approaches.

Makhathini’s participation brings an interdisciplinary perspective to the programme. His work as a musician, composer and scholar explores the intersections of music, African cosmology and postcolonial thought. His contribution is expected to broaden discussions on the relationship between knowledge, culture, identity and African ways of knowing, including the role of creative expression in decolonial thinking. Music will feature prominently in the 2027 programme. Makhathini’s engagement will include a keynote address, interactive lectures, workshops with participants and a masterclass for postgraduate Music students.

Makhathini will be joined by a line-up of internationally recognised scholars and practitioners whose work spans indigenous research methodologies, African knowledge systems, education and decolonial scholarship.

They include:

• Professor Linda Tuhiwai Smith of Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi in New Zealand, one of the most influential Māori scholars and researchers of the 21st century.
• Professor Bagele Chilisa of the University of Botswana, a postcolonial scholar whose work focuses on indigenous research and evaluation methodologies.
• Dr Mmatshilo Motsei of Afrika Ikalafe Pluriversity, an integrative healer, author and thought leader whose work connects academic research, the creative arts, African spirituality and indigenous knowledge.
• Professor Nampombe Saurombe of Unisa’s Department of Information Science, whose scholarship focuses on the decolonisation of archives.

The programme will draw on their varied expertise to examine how indigenous knowledge systems and alternative intellectual traditions can contribute to more inclusive approaches to research, teaching and knowledge production. According to Unisa Decoloniality Summer School project leader Kelebamang Mokgupi, the 2027 theme calls for a shift beyond the theoretical examination of colonial legacies towards practical change in classrooms and institutions of higher learning.

“It challenges educators, researchers and students to reconsider whose knowledge is recognised, whose histories are represented in curricula, and how teaching and learning can become more inclusive and responsive to African realities,” she says. Mokgupi says the summer school will also engage with changes in the humanities and social sciences while promoting decolonial approaches to knowledge production and practice.

“It aims to contribute to the decolonisation of minds, foster new paradigms for understanding power, knowledge and being, and promote the development of decolonial consciousness and ethics. Furthermore, the school seeks to nurture a new generation of decolonial thinkers and thought leaders while expanding the frontiers of knowledge beyond Eurocentric perspectives.” Building on the 2026 summer school, the 2027 programme will place greater emphasis on decolonial praxis: translating the theory, ethics and principles of decoloniality into practical interventions.

The intention is to encourage participants to consider how decolonial thinking can be reflected in curricula, teaching methods, research practices and the broader institutional culture of universities. Established in 2013, the Unisa Decoloniality Summer School has become an important intellectual platform within the university’s College of Human Sciences. It provides a space for critical engagement with the continuing effects of colonialism and the relationship between power, knowledge and identity.

Over the years, the programme has attracted African and international scholars, contributing to debates that challenge dominant knowledge frameworks and give greater recognition to intellectual traditions from the Global South. The 2027 edition continues Unisa’s focus on epistemic justice, Africanisation and the transformation of higher education. Through its emphasis on indigenous knowledge systems, African worldviews and alternative approaches to knowledge production, it seeks to strengthen the link between critical scholarship and meaningful institutional change.

As universities continue to grapple with curriculum transformation, multilingualism and epistemic inclusion, the summer school will provide an opportunity for scholars, practitioners and students to exchange ideas and consider how higher education can better reflect diverse knowledge traditions and African realities.

* By Nnana Martina Jege (CHS: Communications and Marketing)