Home > Research > Publications & Outputs > "Remembering” as a Decolonial Praxis in African...

Electronic data

  • AfriCHI_2023-23

    Accepted author manuscript, 427 KB, PDF document

    Available under license: CC BY: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Links

Text available via DOI:

View graph of relations

"Remembering” as a Decolonial Praxis in African HCI and Design

Research output: Contribution in Book/Report/Proceedings - With ISBN/ISSNConference contribution/Paperpeer-review

Published
Publication date27/11/2023
Host publicationAfriCHI 2023: 4th African Human-Computer Interaction Conference: Beyond Limit
Place of PublicationNew York
PublisherACM
Pages118-124
Number of pages7
ISBN (electronic)9798400708879
<mark>Original language</mark>English
Event4th African Human Computer Interaction Conference: Beyond Limit. - East London International Convention Centre, East London , South Africa
Duration: 27/11/20231/12/2023
https://africhi2023.org/

Conference

Conference4th African Human Computer Interaction Conference: Beyond Limit.
Country/TerritorySouth Africa
City East London
Period27/11/231/12/23
Internet address

Publication series

NameProceedings of the 4th African Human Computer Interaction Conference
PublisherACM

Conference

Conference4th African Human Computer Interaction Conference: Beyond Limit.
Country/TerritorySouth Africa
City East London
Period27/11/231/12/23
Internet address

Abstract

The fourth wave of HCI sought to engage with the ethics, politics, and values of design as an engine of modernity/coloniality. In doing so, we’ve witnessed a series of critiques and reflections on how the broadening of context and application in the third wave does not equate to any substantial structural changes in the ontologies and epistemologies informing HCI research and design. This can be attributed to the inevitable chaos of multiplicity inherent in HCI - and issues that we reckon could further implicate the efforts towards politicizing design as applied in the context of Africa. In this conceptual paper, we take the politics of design to another level by integrating distinct religious and sociopolitical practices across Africa in showing the colonizing dimension of the entirety of modern design enterprise. We argue that remembering the onomatopoeic dynamic of Amun-RA and the Ekumeku - both as theological thoughts and political praxis that are situated in African traditions - could provide a powerful instrument for ‘asking questions’ and ‘forming conversation’ on how technology can be developed and evaluated in/from African communities. Building on this year’s theme of ‘beyond limit’, this study showcases how decolonizing African design entails, on an abstract level, a decolonisation of the imagination. To go beyond colonially imposed limits in computing research and design, we ought to remember our histories and cultures clearly, there is a designerly power in remembering.