Ngomhla we-4 kweyeDwarha, intloko yethu yeLebhu yase-SU yokuBhala, uRose Richards, waye wazimasa inkomfa yezifundo eyayisingathwe ngobuxhaka-xhaka bale mihla kwi-intanethi neyayimalunga nokupheliswa kobukoloniyali kumaziko okubhala aseMzantsi Afrika. Wabelana nathi ngeengcinga zakhe malunga naloo nkomfa yezifundo.
Njengomsebenzi wakwiziko lokubhala, ndivuya kakhulu ukubona abanye abasebenzi bakumaziko okubhala kwilizwe jikelele besabelana ngeembono zam malunga namandla amaziko okubhala okutshintsha imbonakalo yezemfundo.
La nkomfa ndandiyizimasile yayisingathwe yiYunivesithi yeTekhnoloji yaseThekwini, iYunivesithi yeTekhnoloji yaseCape Peninsula neYunivesithi yeTekhnoloji yaseMangosuthu. Yayingumsitho wokuqala wamaziko okubhala owawusingathwe ziiyunivesithi zetekhnoloji kwaye ndandinemincili yokubona oko kwakuya kutshiwo ngabo babeya kuprezenta. Umxholo wawuthembisa ukuvusa ingxoxo ezinzima kwaye andizange ndibe nakudaniswa.
Ukupheliswa kobukoloniyali ngumxholo ovusa umnyele kwabaninzi kwaye ngenxa yoko, abantu abakuphengululi okona kuthethwa ngulo mxholo ngokwenene. Sisindululo esithi ‘akunakwenziwa oku kungenziwa okuya’ apho iinqobo zezithethe zaseYurophu zilahlwayo ukuze kusetyenziswe ezase-Afrika. Sisindululo esithi ‘zombini … nakunye’, esineengcambu ezimiliselwe kubulungisa bangokwentlalo nokusetyenziswa kwentando yesininzi. Ukuba ufuna ukucakacwa okuhle kwentsingiselo namandla okupheliswa kobukoloniyali, thathela ingqalelo ukuba ufunde eli phepha lika Njing Gift Mheta, omnye wezithethi, neli likaSavo Heleta (Nceda ujonge iinkcukacha ezipheleleyo ekupheleni kweli nqaku).
Ulwimi, ukuchithwa kwamanqwanqwa emigangatho yobomi nobuntu yayiyimixholo eyayingumongo wezo ngxoxo. Ukufunda kwilizwe elineelwimi ngeelwimi ngomnye umngeni abathi abafundi baseMzantsi Afrika bajongane nawo. Ngenxa yoko, abasebenzi bakumaziko okubhala bavamise ukusebenzisa utshintshwano lweekhowudi nokuxuba iilwimi xa bethethana nabafundi. Le yenye indela yokunika abafundi amandla nokudala ithuba lokuba abafundi bazivakalise.
Indlela yokutyhutharishana koontangandini neendlela zokuziphatha zeziko lokubhala zokwamkela wonke ubani nokungagwebi mntu zidala indawo esebenza ngentando yesininzi nangakumbi nalapho abafundi banokuzilungiselela ububona bangokwezifundo kwaye benze iimpazamo ngaphandle kokugxekwa. Abafundi abanikwa sithi ilizwi labo – sele benawo kakade amazwi, koko thina siyabanceda ekubeni bawaphuhlise amazwi abo baze bafumane iindlela zokuba bavakale.
Ezi nezinye iindlela ezisetyenziswa kumaziko okubhlala ziyinxalenye yoko kwaziwa eMzantsi Afrika njengobuntu. UBaken Lefa, umphandi wezifundo zenzululwazi, uchaza ubuntu njengamandla omoya athi “avakalise uvelwano, imbuyiswano, isidima, imvisiswano nobuntu ngeenjongo zokwakha nokugcina uluntu olunobulungisa nenkathalo omnye ngomnye”. Ngokokwam ukubona, loo mandla aluqilima kumaziko okubhala.
Yayingoobani izithethi?
UNjing Mheta (weYunivesithi yeTekhnoloji yaseThekwini) waye wathetha ngomxholo othi ‘Towards decolonised writing centre spaces: ‘The reflections-for-action of a DUT Writing Centre practitioner’. UNjing Mheta yintloko yeziko lokubhala lase-DUT. Izinto elugxila kuzo uphando lwakhe zimbaxa, zinika ingqwalasela kuphuhliso nononotshelo lweekhopasi, ukubhala okungeekhompyutha nokusetyenziswa kweetekhnoloji zeelwimi ukuphuhlisa iilwimi zase-Afrika.
UNkszn Puleng Sefalane-Nkohla (weYunivesithi yeTekhnoloji yaseCape Peninsula) waye wendlala umxholo othi ‘Being and Becoming: Decolonising the Writing Centre space. How do We Decolonise Students’ Academic Support at CPUT?’. UNkszn Sefalane-Nkohla ulibambela lentloko yesebe leYunithi yokuFunda kwaBafundi kwiZiko lase-CPUT leMfundo ePhakamileyo noPhuhliso iFundani. Sele esebenze kumaziko okubhala iminyaka engama-22 kwaye unobudlelwane beminyaka engama-20 kunye neLebhu yokuBhala yase-SU. Umsebenzi wakhe ugxila kuncwadi lwezifundo, kunye nolwimi netekhnoloji.
Isithethi sokugqibela, uMnu Ntuthuko Mhlongo (weYunivesithi yeTekhnoloji iMangosuthu), waye wathetha ngomxholo othi ‘Location and Power: Appraising the opportunities and challenges for writing centres as spaces for transformation and decolonisation in the South African university context’. UMnu Mhlongo wayiqala indlela yakhe yokubhala e-DUT. Kungoku nje usebenza kwizifundo zakhe zesidanga sobuGqirha (PhD), nezimalunga nemingeni eluthi ulutsha lwasemaphandleni lujongane nayo eMzantsi Afrika. Uphando lwakhe lugxila ekuphuhliseni ulutsha ngokujoliswe ekutshintsheni kwemeko-bume yehlabathi jikelele kwaye umdla wakhe kumaziko okubhala umalunga nendlela enye yokufezekisa oko.
– nguRose Richards (uguqulo lolwimi lwenziwe ngu Siphumeze Mrwetyana noZama Bekweni)
Amanqaku akhankanyiweyo
Heleta, Savo. 2016. Decolonisation: academics must change what they teach, and how. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/decolonisation-academics-must-change-what-they-teach-and-how-68080
Lefa, Baken. 2015. The African Philosophy of Ubuntu in South African Education. Studies in Philosophy and Education 1(1):15.
Mheta, Gift, Lungu, Bwalya Nyangu, & Govender, Thaiurie. 2018. Decolonisation of the curriculum: A case study of the Durban University of Technology in South Africa. South African Journal of Education, 38(4), 1-7. https://dx.doi.org/10.15700/saje.v38n4a1635
