Knowledge production and publishing in Africa

Abstract

This article explores the practice of 'knowledge production' and 'publishing' in Africa. Knowledge production and publishing in Africa has been and still is dominated by Western experts, most of whose interests do not serve Africa. Powerful social groups in post-colonial Africa construct knowledge about Africa from the sites of universities. Ordinary people also produce knowledge, most of which is elaborated through unwritten forms, and actually contest dominant modes of knowing. Publishing in Africa ought to be controlled by Africans if African states are to realise the dream of an African renaissance. African governments ought to invest in knowledge production and publishing. African intellectuals with university education should work with ordinary African intellectuals to create new sites of knowledge. Knowledge production and publishing is not an ideologically neutral phenomenon. Therefore, African governments should create, and not thwart, conditions conducive to knowledge production and publishing that is self-interrogating.

Collaborative Teams for Self-Publishing: A model for creating locally-relevant educational books

“…Our hope is that the framework for a collaborative team described above can serve as a model that others can adopt, adapt and remold to suit their needs. Perhaps more importantly, we hope to inspire the innovation and entrepreneurial spirit that can help our fellow educators become "knowledge creators" (Zegeye & Vambe, 2006) who produce high-quality, cultural relevant educational resources for schools. As we explained earlier, the doors truly are open if a handful of individuals with a vision for indigenous books are willing to step out of the traditional box to take advantage of the opportunities at hand.…”

Learning from Africa: Publication and Research

“…Although these efforts are notable, it is nonetheless important to reflect on why a number of tentative efforts to publish academic journals in the social sciences failed within the continent in different countries. The issue of potential readers and economic sustainability are among the many other reasons often forwarded when this issue comes up for discussion within African academic circles (Zegeye & Vambe, 2006). A more basic explanation is the difficulty of conducting research in many universities in the continent.…”

Publishing South African scholarship in the global academic community

“…Zegeye and Vambe, while arguing for the location of African knowledge in African hands, acknowledge the importance of good marketing platforms for local knowledge, and Taylor & Francis provides this infrastructural support for the journals. 82 Some of the original fears have been allayed through the differential pricing for African institutions. But the fairness of the co-publishing arrangement, and the unequal power relations between publishing industries that it seeks to obscure, can be called into question if one considers how costly it has been for Unisa Press to underwrite many of the costs associated with co-publishing.…”