Rematriation as Reparation in Afrikan Spirituality: The Untold Wonder of Ubulungisa (Justice) in Afrikan Cosmology
Dr. Khanyisile Litchfield-Tshabalala
Prise de parole (Keynote)
Sa., 25.1.2025
20:00
Mrinalini Mukherjee Hall
Free entry
There are as many cosmologies as there are over three-thousand recognized languages and cultures throughout the continent. However, the notion of an Afrikan cosmology is rooted in the persona of the Originator (God in religion) and the two strata of sacred hosts under them. The Originator’s sex is almost always undisclosed, yet the Deities and the Ancestral hosts compose of all sexes and a fluid gender construct. Furthermore, both sexes come into being simultaneously. Therefrom flows ubulungisa, the ontological concept of justice in Nguni culture, which is much more than the western understanding of justice. It is a continuous process of a balancing act permeating all aspects of life and afterlife. Khanyisile Litchfield-Tshabalala’s keynote examines the integral relationship between gender and cosmologies in Africa, emphasizing how traditional beliefs often refrained from assigning gender to originators. It delves into the gender-neutral nature of many African languages and how these structures fostered societal balance.