‘Andizi’: black women remaking the university in KwaZulu-Natal

ABSTRACT

This paper represents narratives from black women who work at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Their stories unearth their impossible existence within the institution and deliberateness on their survival tactics through theorising Nguni concepts of Ukuzilanda, Ukufukuza, and Andizi. In a world that does not ‘trust’ black women to have a voice, have feelings, and have a story, the dialogue amongst these academics sheds light on how their everyday resistance is their survival. The paper takes a self-study approach to record the moment and define survival in anti-black, anti-women employment space. The paper also explores how the Covid-19 pandemic revealed distrust that the world usually shows towards black women.

KEYWORDS:

• Black women
• Andizi
• Ukuzilanda
• Ukufukuza
• conversation
• COVID 19

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Zembylas (2021, p. 2) states that the concept of refusal is prevalent in cultural anthropology and Indigenous studies. The act of refusing is to disengage from ways and rules that stem from coloniality which don’t honour humanity. It is to resist in order to make space for the ‘possibilities of decolonization’.

2 Lecturer at UKZN, School of Social Science, Department of Political Science.

3 Ongezwa Mbele, lecturer within School of Arts, Department of Drama and Performance.

4 Nomcebisi Moyikwa, lecturer with School ofArts, Department of Drama and Performace

5 Luthando Ngazile Ngema, lecturer within School of Arts, Department of Media and Cultural Studies.

6 The Process of Ukufukuza was explored by Prof Nomalanga Mkhize at the JL Dube Lecture (2020), the title of her talk was ‘LOCATING THE UMBILICAL CORD IN AFRICA: WHY THE SOUTH AFRICAN DECOLONISATION DEBATE MUST RESIST NORTH AND LATIN AMERICAN ACADEMIC TRENDS’. How we adopt this concept for this paper will be explored further in the article.

7 Vilakazi accounts regarding death via email communication, and states: ‘I just couldn’t write it down, even as I could still speak about it, due to COVID19 related deaths and bereavements in my family, communities, colleagues and close friends. Bereavement has held me back emotionally, psychologically, politically, intellectually and spiritually. My soul was captured for a while, still is yearning for freedom. I just couldn’t do anything except the work of healing for myself, family, friends and communities, which is something that I continue to pursue and are able to wake up and do during this moment of soul capture. I wanted to, I tried, I desired, I committed, I woke up even at night, many sleepless nights to do, but just couldn’t. The idea of rewriting our blackness was in itself a soul capturing project of rewounding!

8 Students would manipulate the covid-19 pandemic issue to avoid submitting assignments.

9 Ukuzilanda, is a Nguni/isiXhosa word that means ‘fetching yourself’ (when directly translated to the English language). The process of ukuzilanda is spiritual and complex and varies from each individual or community.

10 Direct translation: I am not coming.

11 Prof Nomalanga Mkhize discussed how African forms of decolonisation should be rooted in our own context, she proposed that African should employ Ukufukuza, and scholars should build on the older lineages of building independent Black institutions … , as well as the organic education of our grandmothers and community.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Luthando Ngazile Ngema

Luthando Ngema is an emerging scholar at the School of Arts (AADP), Media and Cultural Studies department at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Her multidisciplinary interests include understanding urban cultures; representation of gender and race issues in the media; political communication; communication for development. Ngema, teaches and supervises at post graduate level. She is currently in the process of completing her Doctoral studies.

Ongezwa Mbele

Ongezwa Mbele is an applied theatre practitioner, storyteller, and published poet. She is a lecturer at University of KwaZulu-Natal, Master's graduate, and Ph.D. candidate at the University of Cape Town. Her professional interest is in using theatre techniques and storytelling to engage with diverse communities about their relevant matters.

Nomcebisi Moyikwa

Nomcebisi Moyikwa is a mother, artist, and an educator. She is currently a Lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She is interested in death, composition, and possibilities. She is obsessed with Fred Moten's writing and blown away by her mother's neck. She is a black womxn who experiments with freedom.

Fikile Vilakazi

Fikile Vilakazi is a Lecturer at the school of social science, University of KwaZulu-Natal. Her work engages Indigenous knowledge systems, within an array focused on traditional medicines, language, culture and religion, intergenerational knowledge, Oral histories, African rituals and dance. Vilakazi is also a gender and sexuality activist.