Two students from the North-West University (NWU) presented a joint paper on the decolonisation and Africanisation of the law curriculum at the annual South African Law Deans’ Association (SALDA) Law Students’ Conference.
Fourth-year LLB-students Bophelo Seleke and Leo Maphosa, president of the Student Campus Council on the campus in Mahikeng, attended the conference on 15 July 2019 at the University of Venda in Thohoyandou.
The duo’s research abstract submissions were selected from many other applications. This offered them the opportunity to present their research findings on how legal education can represent existing African legal theories in the best way, and be reflective of the legal society in Africa, among others.
This year’s Law Students’ Conference aimed to examine the various meanings and implications of decolonisation and Africanisation of legal education from a law student’s perspective.
The conference encouraged discussion on pertinent issues such as the decolonisation of legal knowledge, epistemic diversity in legal education and transformation of the law curriculum and pedagogy.
Other topics that were discussed included the political economy of legal knowledge production, decolonisation and internationalisation, the role of transformative constitutionalism in decolonisation, infusing African values in the South African law curriculum, the role of African languages in legal education, and ways of measuring progress.
As part of the national mandate given by government to develop young academics in universities, the pair’s research paper will be published and made available across academic platforms as part of their introduction to academia and exposure into the research space of legal education.
“It is an honour to be selected from hundreds of legal scholars to represent our faculty and university at such an important platform for academics, researchers and deans of law faculties from all over the country,” says Leo and Bophelo.
“The call for the decolonisation and Africanisation of universities and their curricula is not unique. From as recent as the Fees Must Fall protest, activists have led the charge in calling for a more inclusive and representative higher education structure that also takes into account the African values of the people they serve,” adds Bophelo.
“Our research paper is but one among many where constructive dialogue on what is meant by decolonising the curriculum and what it presents, is encouraged.”
Bophelo Seleke and Leo Maphosa.
