Critical Capacities: Facing the Challenges of Intellectual Development in Africa

In this lecture presented at the Institute of Social Studies, Amina Mama discusses the need to develop institutions within and outside of African universities that are capable of engaging continental knowledge in a manner that is critical towards the diverse cultural identities and political aspirations of Africa. Mama stresses the role of African intellectuals in contributing to this intellectual development, underlining the emergence of alternative theories and methodologies, such as feminism, as key contributors in the struggle to escape colonial epistemologies that are not critical to the needs of Africa’s socio-political contexts. Mama uses her platform at the Prince Claus Chair in Development and Equity to advocate the value of intellectual development for the advancement of African liberation, democratization and social justice, exemplifying the key role African universities can play in communicating with youth in the communities in which they are situated.

The writer concludes her speech by encouraging African intellectuals to continue to contribute their efforts towards the development and promotion of alternative epistemologies that are sensitive to the cultural, linguistic and social variations of the African continent. Support of intellectual development, whether within universities or independently, according to Mama, is crucial, and post-colonial and feminist resources must be allocated so that they are at the source of public, national and higher education in order to provide sufficient cultural resources that will inspire creative solutions for the obstacles facing Africa in the twenty-first century.

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