018 – African ethnoastronomy Book – Venus Rising: South African Astronomical Beliefs, Customs and Observations

Tags

2010s, African Renaissance, Astronomy, Book, books, South Africa

Venus Rising: South African Astronomical Beliefs, Customs and Observations Written by Peter G. Alcock

“Venus Rising: South African Astronomical Beliefs, Customs and Observations examines traditional South African celestial knowledge, ranging from the Venda in the north to the /Xam San (Bushman) in the south. Also considered are eclipses, comets and meteors. Likewise discussed are place names, stories, poetry and riddles as well as other linguistic expressions which are linked to the heavens. The book, the first of its kind in this country, is a beginning and not an end, given that there is still more information to be collected in the vastness of South Africa’s cultural heritage. Readers, reinforced with information contained in this book, are invited to scan the night skies from a truly South African perspective.” [1]

The book is given away as a pdf for free by the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa. Visit the Book’s Homepage or Download Book

“Peter Alcock is a science graduate with a Ph.D. who has become interested, in more recent times, in South African indigenous scientific knowledge and history as well as geographic interpretations of selected South African novels. Peter published a book in 2010 on indigenous weather knowledge in this country. A companion volume on South African indigenous celestial knowledge is presently being considered by a local publisher. Peter prefers to avoid the “well-trodden path” in his research, and generally concentrates on the road less travelled.” [3]

Notes

1. http://assa.saao.ac.za/astronomy-in-south-africa/ethnoastronomy/venus-rising/

2. http://assa.saao.ac.za/astronomy-in-south-africa/ethnoastronomy/

3. Peter Alcock’s KwaZulu-Natal research, http://www.archivalplatform.org/news/entry/peter_alcocks/

 

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017 – Suggested reading materials for young Africanists – by Thabo Mbeki

Tags

African Renaissance, Literature, Thabo Mbeki

The Thabo Mbeki African Leadership Institute released a list of books recommended by Thabo Mbeki. There are a few unexpected surprises like “The Eighteeth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte” by Karl Marx. Read the list below. Source: Thabo Mbeki African Leadership Institute

1. The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte – by Karl Marx

Gutenberg link: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1346/1346-h/1346-h.htm

Written: December 1851 – March 1852

The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte poses the challenge to us always to understand that history, even as an ‘academic’ discipline, is about the general (multi-disciplinary) development of human society. This means that we must constantly seek to understand African and global society in all its elements.

011- [Akiiki Original] Art Criticism: African Renaissance, how the prefix ‘Afro-’ may arrest imagination & Manifesto Salesmanship

Tags

2000s, 2010s, African Renaissance, Afro-Punk, Afrofuturism, AfroSurrealism, Art

Art Criticism: African Renaissance, how the prefix ‘Afro-’ may arrest imagination & Manifesto Salesmanship

The Work of David Osagie |http://www.behance.net/davidosagie

 1.

I initially planned this essay for the “Afro-surrealism” call that I saw published on Shadow & Act, but it became apparent as I went on and explored my own viewpoint that I was not comfortable with the idea of the book, though I thought it necessary.

I concluded that: The prefix ‘afro-’ has acquired a parasitic character, leeching off manifestos. And it has the capacity to arrest African imagination, so that the African imagination follows other manifestos, only to attach itself to them and never coming up with an original of its own.

005 – Paper: The Relevance of Karl Popper’s Philosophy in African Renaissance by Joseph Kahiga

Tags

2000s, African Renaissance, Joseph Kahiga, philosophy

The following paper is added to the catalog in its original form, without comment or notes about its merits.

source: http://www.the-rathouse.com/Kahigapopper.html

Biography – “Joseph Kahiga has been a Lecturer in the Department of Philosophy at Moi State University in Kenya since 1999.  He lectures in critical thinking, philosophy of language, philosophy of Religion and Contemporary Philosophy for undergraduates; and metaphysics and methodology for post graduate students.