AC Jordan Day: Centering African Intellectual Scholarship, Methods and Theory In A Decolonizing University
The African Languages Department and the A C Jordan Chair in African Studies, at the Center for African Studies at the University of Cape Town, will co-host an inaugural A.C Jordan Day on the 30th October 2023. The event will honor the life, intellectual contribution, and influence of Professor Archibald Campbell Jordan, famously known for his novel, Ingqumbo yeminyanya (The Wrath of the Ancestors). The day will become an annual collaborative event which will provide a platform for critical reflections and engaging dialogues which will center African intellectual histories, scholars and scholarship across the continent, in the ongoing process of decolonizing the university. Moreover, in 2023, the event marks a significant milestone - 200 years since isiXhosa was converted into an alphabet in the Tyme banks, which later sparked many vibrant debates in the early newspapers by African intellectuals on various issues, including political authority, justice, the translation of the bible, and issues related to orthography.
When: 30th October 2023
Time: 15:00-17:00
Where: CAS Gallery
Programme
Programme directors : Dr Hleze Kunju and Dr Zuziwe Msomi
15h00-15h10 -Musical performance nofundo lwencwadi
Welcome and Introductory remarks : Dr Wanga Gambushe
15h25-15h30 “ I am going to open that door and keep it ajar” a reading of an extract from A.C Jordan’s UCT appointment acceptance speech.
Opening remarks : DVC Prof Elelwani Ramugondo
15h40-15h50 -Opening remarks :Prof Shose Kessi
15h50-15h55 -Musical Performance : Thiyane Duda, Sky Dladla and Thandeka Mnyongo
Keynote address: Dr Sindiwe Magona
16h25-16h30 -Reading from A.C Jordan’s Ingqumbo Yeminyanya
16h30-17h00 - Panel discussion
Chair : Dr Duane Jethro
The Legacy of A.C. Jordan: His Impact on Teaching and Research in Humanities and the Arts at UCT and Beyond, and Exploring Future Intellectual Possibilities.
Prof Pamela Maseko (Nelson Mandela University, Dean of humanities)
Prof Suren Pillay (UCT, Center for African Studies)
Mr Sanele, Ntshingana (UCT, African Languages and Literatures)
Vote of thanks: Ass/Prof Markus Arnold
17h00
Reception and exhibition of A.C Jordan’s work