AFTER DECOLONISATION: WHOSE KNOWLEDGE, WHOSE FUTURE? Power, Technology and the Making of African Thought

KÍÀBÀRÀ: JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES
Faculty of Humanities, University of Port Harcourt
CALL FOR PAPERS
RAINFALL EDITION — VOLUME 33.3
MAY/JUNE 2027
AFTER DECOLONISATION: WHOSE KNOWLEDGE, WHOSE FUTURE?
Power, Technology and the Making of African Thought
Political independence did not erase the intellectual structures established under colonial rule. Their traces remain in university curricula, languages of scholarship, historical narratives, cultural institutions, and the systems through which knowledge is produced, authorised and circulated.
Decolonisation must therefore be examined beyond the transfer of political power. Who determines what counts as knowledge? Which languages and intellectual traditions are recognised, and which remain marginal? Who writes African histories? What happens to indigenous knowledge when it enters universities, archives, laboratories and digital platforms? Who controls the technologies through which knowledge is now produced, stored and circulated?
Nigeria provides a particularly urgent setting for these questions. Insecurity, violent conflict, corruption, unemployment, poverty, weak infrastructure, educational decline, energy shortages, oil pollution and environmental degradation shape the conditions in which people live, work and learn. Displacement, migration, communal tensions, gender inequality, youth vulnerability, digital misinformation and unequal access to technology raise further questions about citizenship, identity, dignity and social responsibility.
Across Africa, these concerns intersect with climate change, resource extraction, political instability, debt, migration, technological dependence and unequal access to intellectual and material resources.
Frantz Fanon reminds us that “Each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfil it, or betray it” (The Wretched of the Earth, p. 166). The statement places a responsibility on each generation to examine the inheritance it has received, determine what should be retained or transformed, and imagine what must be created anew.
The Rainfall Edition of KÍÀBÀRÀ: Journal of Humanities, Volume 33.3, invites original scholarship that examines these questions across the Humanities, Education and the Social Sciences. The issue foregrounds knowledge, power, language, education, history, memory, culture, religion, identity, technology, environment and human experience in Africa and beyond.
Particular attention may be given to the relationship between inherited intellectual structures and contemporary African problems, including the future of the university, decolonised curricula, knowledge inequality, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, environmental justice, public memory, cultural heritage, migration, health, democratic practice and the role of younger generations in shaping African societies.
At its centre, the issue asks a direct question: what kinds of knowledge will shape Africa’s future, who will produce that knowledge, and in whose interests will it operate?
AREAS OF INTEREST
Contributions are invited in the following areas:
1. Literature & Oral Traditions — African and comparative literature, literary criticism, creative writing, folklore, oral traditions and translation.
2. Cultural & Media Studies — Cultural identity, popular culture, film, media representation, audiences and cultural production.
3. Philosophy & Ethics — African philosophy, epistemology, ethics, aesthetics, political philosophy, philosophy of science and technology, and bioethics.
4. History & Memory — African history, historiography, intellectual history, archives, collective memory and historical consciousness.
5. History and Diplomatic Studies — Diplomatic history, foreign policy, colonial encounters, treaties, sovereignty and African diplomacy.
6. Education, Curriculum and Knowledge Formation — History and philosophy of education, curriculum studies, educational thought, indigenous education, African educational systems, decolonising curricula, higher education, the African university, academic freedom, intellectual labour, knowledge transmission, pedagogy, literacy, educational technology, digital learning, artificial intelligence and education, and knowledge inequalities.
7. Linguistics & Language Studies — African languages, multilingualism, sociolinguistics, language policy, discourse and language identity.
8. French & Foreign Languages — French and Francophone studies, foreign-language studies, language and culture, language pedagogy, comparative language studies, postcolonial and decolonial language studies, and intercultural communication.
9. Gender & Feminist Studies — Gender, feminist thought, masculinities, sexuality, embodiment, feminist epistemologies and representation.
10. Religion & Society — African religions, Christianity, Islam, theology, spirituality, religious ethics and religion in public life.
11. Theatre & Performance Studies — Drama, theatre, performance, dance, ritual, festivals and performance traditions.
12. Political Thought & Political Humanities — Political ideas, sovereignty, citizenship, democracy, nationalism, Pan-Africanism, governance, resistance and human rights.
13. Sociology & Anthropology — Social organisation, community, kinship, identity, ethnography, indigenous institutions, social change and inequality.
14. Archaeology, Heritage & Material Culture — Archaeology, museums, monuments, material culture, conservation, restitution, repatriation and heritage.
15. Art, Music & Visual Culture — Art history, aesthetics, music, photography, architecture, visual representation and African artistic traditions.
16. Science, Technology & Environmental Humanities — Science and society, technology and culture, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, ecological knowledge, environmental change and climate justice.
17. Medical, Health & Disability Humanities — Medicine and culture, health, disability, indigenous healing, embodiment, ageing and medical ethics.
18. Migration, Diaspora & Transnational Studies — Migration, displacement, exile, diaspora, borders, mobility, transnational identities and belonging.
19. Digital & Emerging Humanities — Digital humanities, computational methods, digital archives, data, algorithmic cultures, virtual environments and emerging technologies.
20. Broadcasting — Radio, television, broadcast journalism, programme production, broadcasting policy, regulation and technological change.
21. Fine Arts and Design — Painting, sculpture, drawing, graphic design, fashion, crafts, visual communication and design practice.
The areas are indicative rather than exhaustive. Interdisciplinary, multilingual and comparative submissions are welcome.
SUBMISSION INFORMATION
Submission Deadline: 31 March 2027
Publication: May/June 2027
Submission Email: editorkiabara@uniport.edu.ng
Research Articles: 6,000–9,000 words
Critical Essays: 4,000–6,000 words
Abstract: 200–250 words
Keywords: 5–7
Review Process: All submissions will undergo double-blind peer review.
PUBLICATION CHARGES
Local Subscribers: ₦45,000
Foreign Subscribers: US$100

PAYMENT DETAILS
Account Name: Dr. Dufua Sharp-Akosubo
Bank: UBA
Account Number: 2052172322


AUTHORS' GUIDELINES
Authors should consult the KÍÀBÀRÀ Authors’ Guidelines on the journal website before preparing their manuscripts.
KÍÀBÀRÀ: Journal of Humanities
Faculty of Humanities, University of Port Harcourt
Rivers State, Nigeria
Email: editorkiabara@uniport.edu.ng