With the dawn of democracy, access to a different group of society was afforded in Institutions and campuses that wasn’t built to accommodate that group. Twenty one years later into that democracy, the structures, culture and curriculum that held these spaces are still as static to their imperial inception as ever. In all its forms, asking this group to conform and prevail to an experience which is not continuous to that of their own.
A reevaluating in fact revaluation of universities and curriculum is needed to accommodate the group. Through the process of decolonization, such an revaluation and implementation of it is possible. Decolonization of the curriculum is possible only if universities and the academic fraternity commits itself to opening up the channels to do so. Not only does the academic curriculum need to speak and relate to the people it is addressed to, it needs to reflect the current times as well as challenge the status quo.
This however, cannot be attained if we do not have decolonization of academia as a whole. The lack of female, black, and LGBTQI faculty members drives the single view narratives that we have been experiencing in the way curriculums are being offered in all programs. Wait I am wrong, one thing that academia is proud and emphasise is the face value of diversity. Bravo to the When you look deep into that PR glorified diversity is a clear neo-liberal exercise to keep the status quo as is. Okay,
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Decolonisation asks us to consider how the location and identity of an author shape their perspective. Designing modules entails narrating stories and we need to reflect more critically on how these stories are told. Which actors are privileged and placed at the centre? Whose voices are authoritative and considered as part of the canon while others are left at the margins?
Sceptics should realise that the campaign is not a witch hunt, but a legitimate concern about addressing how the forces of racism and colonialism have shaped our past and present. This is a campaign that all academics should be actively promoting in their departments – as many already do.