15/05/2026
The Department of History and Political Studies recently hosted an engaging two-part engagement led by Professor Simphiwe Sesanti from the University of the Western Cape, consisting of a masterclass and seminar exploring African philosophy, decolonised education, Black Consciousness, and Pan-Africanism.
The masterclass, “Justice Through Education 50 Years On: An Afrocentric Engagement”, reflected on the enduring intellectual and political significance of the 1976 Soweto Uprising and the philosophy of Black Consciousness. Prof Sesanti challenged participants to rethink education as never neutral, but deeply ideological, shaped by culture, values, and power. Central to the discussion was the continued relevance of Afrocentric and decolonised education in reclaiming African intellectual traditions and advancing social transformation.
This conversation flowed into the seminar, “African Languages as Carriers of African Philosophy and Instruments for African Unity (Pan-Africanism)”, which examined African languages as living repositories of African memory, identity, and philosophy. Through comparative examples across African languages and cultures, Prof Sesanti demonstrated the deep philosophical and cultural connections that exist across the continent despite colonial borders and imposed divisions.
Together, the masterclass and seminar encouraged critical reflection on the relationship between language, education, identity, and liberation, while foregrounding the importance of African-centred thought in ongoing debates about curriculum transformation, social justice, and continental unity.
