Call for Papers
6th International Conference on
Africa Unity for Renaissance (AUR)
May 22-25, 2016
UNISA CAMPUS, Pretoria, South Africa
Theme
The Knowledge, Spiritual and Struggle
Heritage for Re-imagining Innovative Africa
- Debunk
the negative narrative that Africans have made no substantial
contribution to science, knowledge, history and civilisation
- Systematically
document African knowledge creation, spiritual and struggle heritage
and draw relevance for African structural transformation by employing
grounded and context-specific approaches and conceptual and theoretical
frames
- Relate how
knowledge, spiritual and struggle heritages can change the current
fragmented governance, institutions, leadership and systems into a
united and robust pan-African direction
- Look
back to glorious achievements of struggles, knowledge and spirituality
of Africa in order to move ahead and re-imagine the continent as
competent, independent and innovative continent.
- Appropriate
and apply positive data and history to help deal with and respond to
various global influences that Africa faces from knowledge transfer
instead of knowledge creation; reliance on donor aid; failure at
achieving the MDGs and now moving to the SDGs
- Provide
a forum for networking on Africa Liberation Month by opening the
opportunity for vast education using Africa Expo Day so that all
Africans globally can learn to find shared Pan-African solutions where
the 54 states currently can learn to develop a united voice.
Background
The
rejuvenated African Union was launched in Durban on 9 July 2002:
African leaders agreed to chart a new future for the continent. New
institutions such as the New Partnership for Africa's Development
(NEPAD), the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), Peace and Security
Council and the Pan-African Parliament were established. These
notwithstanding, Africa continue to depend on aid from the so-called
developed economies... African leaders have, unfortunately, further
deferred the unity of the continent to 2063! And 2063 is indeed too far!
Africa remains in a precarious position in the global order and many
challenges remain.
Today more than ever, Africans need to look
back, in order to successfully go forward. What do Africans see when
they look back? They are often overwhelmed by the 500 years of
de-humanisation and destruction. Annually, African Liberation Month of
May should provide the time when Africans learn to appreciate,
recognise, and promote the positive and constructive African knowledge,
spirituality and struggle heritage. Who in Africa knows that Africa is
the origin of humanity? Who in Africa knows that Africa has made many
discoveries in mathematics, astronomy, science and technology? Who knows
Africa is the origin of universities. It is about time positive
narratives replace dominant negative narratives by resurrecting the
glorious and rich knowledge, spiritual and struggle heritages. The more
Africans learn to unite and stand up together, the more the opportunity
will be opened to all Africans to resurrect the positive struggles,
knowledge and spiritual heritage data to bring about constructive
transformation and futures.
Africans have invented spirituality
and religion. African spirituality is very holistic. Truth and justice,
honesty and scholarship are expressed by Ma'at. Both Ma'at and Ubuntu
provide the spiritual foundation to life for all humanity in the world.
The Ubuntu philosophy is built on the foundation of: "I am because you
are". Ubuntu sends the message that Africans are very associational in
building human relations. Humanity will be saved by values that
originated from Africa. Africa radiates the spiritual landmark and
frontier of the world. This spiritual heritage must be resurrected to
help decolonise and reconstitute all the systems, incentives,
capabilities, leadership, institutions and governances of Africa as a
whole.
2015 marks the 70s year of the 5th Pan-African Congress,
the 60s year of the Bandung Conference and the 70s year of the birth of
the post-war United Nations. The relevance of the African struggles in
varied forms from the 16th century to the period of political
de-colonisation in the 1960s to the African quest for realising full
freedom remains to be explored. Little is known about the rich Africa
struggle heritage let alone the need to draw lessons to build a better
African future. It is urgent that the constructive and positive heritage
of liberation struggles from every part of Africa be excavated,
recorded, studied and resurrected in order to re-educate and wean
generations of Africans to know that Africans have continued to
sacrifice throughout the over 500 years of conquest, destruction,
slavery, and subjection to varied forms of oppression, exploitation and
plunder. The glorious past, particularly of early Africa and resistance
to numerous imperial advances, and the stolen legacy should be
recovered. One example of the successful resistance against colonialism
is the battle of Adwa in 1896 - The Ethiopians chased out Italians in a
humiliating defeat when Italians attempted to conquer Ethiopia. Another
example of the successful resistance against colonialism is the
Anglo-Zulu War, Impi YaseSandlwana (Battle of Isandlwana), which
culminated to another humiliating defeat of the English by the Zulu
nation. Among memorable moments that Africans should celebrate is the
first Haitian republic declared in 1804. Between 1801and 1802, Napoléon
Bonaparte sent the largest colonial venture of his reign: the Leclerc
expedition to remove the famous revolutionary Toussaint Louverture from
office and possibly bring back slavery. Napoleon's huge army was
defeated under the leadership of General Toussaint Louverture and his
lieutenant, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, who remained the most revered
historical figures in Haiti to this day. The African anti-colonial
struggle is global and continues to remain so until Africans are fully
liberated everywhere on this planet.
In 2016, it will be 120
years of Adwa's African decisive Victory. Like the war against the
British fought in South Africa until 1986, the Adwa African Victory
against colonialism and for African liberation took place on March 2,
1896 as indicated earlier. It has come to be recognized as one of the
most significant African liberation struggles that took place during the
time of the European Scramble for Africa. The Adwa Victory reinforced
Ethiopianism and Ethiopianism reinforced pan-Africanism, and both
Ethiopianism and Pan-Africanism reinforced the Africa Renaissance. They
are one in three and three into one. The best highway of African
liberation is symbolized by the successful resistance of the 1896 Adwa
Victory. Africans must value and cherish their history. The Adwa Victory
has to live on until Africa is fully free and united. The lessons from
Adwa Victory make Africans never to give up resisting all varieties of
injustice that Africans are still subjected to. The African spirit of
liberation will continue to shine ever brighter by remembering all the
liberation struggles that the great African Adwa Victory represents.
It
is envisaged that the Patron of the Thabo Mbeki African Leadership
Institute, former President H.E Thabo Mbeki, would address the 6th
Africa Unity for Renaissance Conference with a focus on 120 Years of
Adwa's African liberation victory. Other eminent people would also
address the conference.
Website
Abstracts Deadline is January 15 (this has been extended to January 31,
2016). Full papers must be submitted by April 25, 2016.
Abstracts, Papers, Posters and Projects
Abstracts
for full papers, posters and project presentations will be accepted and
will be reviewed. Abstracts and full papers will be double blind peer
reviewed. Abstracts must be between 200 and 500 words. Please denote
abstract category upon submission, full paper, project or poster. |
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