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Dance scholars urged on decolonizing tertiary dance education

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A virtual international conference on  “decolonising tertiary dance education: time to act”, was on 7th April 2022 opened with a call on the dance scholars and practitioners to reform dance in higher education to churn out graduates   with skills and competencies that are responsive to the ever-changing local and global conditions.

The two day conference (7th-8th April 2022) was collaboratively hosted by  Stockholm University of the Arts, Department of Dance Pedagogy and the Department  of Dance, and the Department of Performing Arts and Film, Makerere University.  

The conference held was opened by  the Vice Chancellor, Makerere University Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe and attended by the Principal CHUSS represented by the Dean School of Liberal and Performing Arts Prof. Patrick Mangheni. It  brought together dance scholars, performers, and educators from across the world.

The conference organizing committee comprised of Dr. Sylvia Antonia Nakimera Nannyonga-Tamusuza and Dr. Alfdaniels Mabingo from the Department of Performing arts and Film, Makerere University; Dr. Lena Hammergren, Dr. Tone Pernille Østern, and Kristine N. Slettevold from the Department of Dance, Stockholm University of the Arts; and Dr. Rose Martin from the Department of Teacher Education, Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

While opening the conference Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe said, the collaborative effort reveals the possibilities for the partnering institutions to engage in further collaborations in research, teaching, community engagement, and academic mentorship in the field of dance education.

Prof. Nawangwe said, Makerere University places a lot of value on international collaborations and knowledge transfer partnerships describing the conference as another testimony of the University commitment to cultivate internationalization of knowledge production and exchange.

“The conference is going to offer opportunities for international scholars, performers and researchers in dance to share their research output. We hope that the conference will inspire more exchanges between scholars, researchers, and performers”. Nawangwe said.

Noting that the conference comes at a time of profound changes in  society’s social, cultural, economic, and intellectual life, the Vice Chancellor said,  in Africa in general and Uganda in particular, the discipline of dance has always been an essential practice of communication, expression, and connection.

 This centrality of dance to human life according to Prof. Nawangwe  manifests itself in the diverse dances that different communities in Uganda are endowed with.

“The diversity of the presenters and topics of presentation underscores the importance and value that scholars, researchers, and practitioners attach to the issue of decolonizing tertiary dance education. As the Ugandan economy undergoes rapid transformation, dance practices are taking center stage in spurring creative innovations and availing opportunities for people to earn a living.

 Therefore, reforms in dance in higher education are needed to produce graduates with skills and competencies that are responsive to the ever-changing local and global conditions. The theme of decolonization in higher education is crucial to the work of dance scholars and practitioners because it seeks to value and elevate knowledge, people, and practices that dominant Western academic systems have marginalized”, Prof. Nawangwe stated.

 The Vice Chancellor said, as Makerere celebrates 100 years of impacting the world, Makerere University is at the forefront of decolonizing higher education through teaching, research, and community engagement.

He reported that the Department of Performing Arts and Film was founded on the pillar of Indigenizing the performing arts through higher education and as such, the joint conference aligns with this historical agenda of centering indigenous knowledge, people, and practices in the academy.

Dance, being one of the most profound ways of cultural expression and practice in Uganda, Nawangwe said, it will remain an essential academic discipline at Makerere University.

“The dance research and scholarship that staff in the Department of Performing Arts and Film have undertaken and developed continue to be valuable to academic work and practices locally and globally. The joint conference adds immeasurable contribution to the relevance of the dance discipline at Makerere University”, The Vice Chancellor underscored.

Representing the Principal College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the  Dean, School of Liberal and Performing Arts Assoc. Professor Patrick Mangeni said, the  conference comes at a time when the college is examining the historicization of the humanities at Makerere University since 1922, as part of the celebrations to mark 100 years since Makerere University was founded.

Prof. Mangeni said, the discipline of dance has been part of the history of Makerere University ever since it was established as an academic discipline in the department of Performing Arts and Film in 1971. He said, the college values the subject of dance because it has always been part of the social and cultural experience and reality of our society.

Mangeni  explained that the embodied nature of dance knowledge is so essential to human existence.

“Dance has the ability and power to connect people, spur innovation and creativity, build communities, facilitate positive social transformations, and advance transdisciplinary collaborations.

The theme of decolonizing dance in tertiary education – time to act, fits well into the grand vision of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, which seeks to reimagine and rethink knowledge production in humanities at Makerere University from the perspective of Indigenous epistemologies”. Prof. Mangeni said.

Prof. Mangeni  told participants that the involvement of the Performing Arts and Film department in this conference demonstrates the commitment to initiate and support critical actions to advance the decolonization of knowledge in higher education and communities, expressing  hope that the conference is just the beginning of transdisciplinary and transnational collaborations aimed at centering knowledge from the global south in tertiary education.

He announced that the Department of Performing Arts and Film, Makerere University and The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) have been honored to organize and host the 2nd conference on decolonizing tertiary dance education, which will take place in 2024.

Read more from Dr. Alfdaniels Mabingo latest book on Ubuntu as Dance Pedagogy

https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-15-5844-3

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Jane Anyango

Humanities & Social Sciences

Call for Abstracts: International Social Work and Social Development Conference

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An aerial view of Left to Right: Mitchell Hall, Senate, CoCIS Blocks B and A, Lincoln Flats, Frank Kalimuzo Central Teaching Facility and School of Social Sciences (white) Buildings, Makerere University, with Kampala City in the background, October 2018. Uganda.

International Social Work and Social Development Conference

Call for Abstracts

Extended Deadline for abstract submission | Conference registration now open!!

Theme:  Building Resilient Communities to Promote Equity and Social Inclusion for the attainment of Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) 

16th to 18th June 2025, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda

Makerere University’s Department of Social Work, in partnership with the East African Social Work Regional Resource Centre (EASWRRC) and the Association of Schools of Social Work in Africa (ASSWA) will host an International Conference on social work and social development from 16th – 18th June 2025 at Makerere University, Kampala. The Conference seeks to galvanise academic knowledge, debate and critical inquiry and engagements on the topical issues of equity, social justice and inclusion within the framework of attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while foregrounding practice knowledge as experienced by development actors across the globe.  This conference is organised under the auspices of the NORAD-supported RESILIENT Project, implemented since January 2021 by a consortium comprising  Makerere University, the University of Rwanda,  the Institute of Social Work, Tanzania and the University of Agder Norway. The project seeks to enhance the participation of the vulnerable and marginalized members of society in the south in the development process itself. For more details on the conference and the ongoing project please visit the following website: https://resilient.uia.no/about-resilient/.

The Conference further seeks to enhance local content and scholarship through the applicability of generated knowledge to addressing local and regional development problems, within the confluence of the greater agenda for social work and social development and its emphasis on social change. This no doubt has ramifications for the application of good practices in social development interventions in other contexts within Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas and contributes to the evolution of global social work/social development practice which promotes contextual specificity and relevance without removing the need for international networking and collaborative engagement. 

We are now pleased to invite you to submit abstracts to be presented at the International Social Work and Social Development Conference.  We are particularly interested in presentations and contributions that reflect perspectives on social justice, equity, and inclusion within the framework of attaining the SDGs within developing countries.

Conference Justification 

The proposed conference is conceptualised within the indigenisation and decolonisation model of social work which seeks to promote social development through culturally and contextually relevant interventions from the grassroots. The major thrust of the indigenisation and decolonisation perspective is based on the notion that the process of social development can only be meaningful and effective if it provides context-specific and tangible responses to the given social problems in a particular local or regional context (whether it be Africa, Asia, Latin America or any other setting). These responses must be related to the socio-cultural realities in that region (Twikirize and Spitzer, 2019[1]).  The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (United Nations, 2007[2]) unequivocally recognises that respect for indigenous knowledge, cultures and traditional practices contributes to sustainable and equitable development and proper management of the environment.

The Declaration of the United Nations World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen in 1995 and the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000, and their successor SDGs in 2015[3] all call out the need for role players such as social work and social development practitioners to review their strategies in addressing social injustices, poverty, social exclusion and inequalities. Within this context, social work is well positioned to explore more innovative ways to reach out to the poor and vulnerable and in doing so contribute more efficiently to addressing social exclusion and social inequality and to directly contribute to the realization of several SDGs (3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 13, 16 and 17).  Moreover, SDG progress monitoring reports seem to suggest that much work needs to be done to attain these targets by 2030 (Halkos and Gkampura, 2021[4]).

Conference objectives

The conference aims to:

  1. Bring together social work and social development practitioners, researchers, students, educators and policy makers in order to interact, learn and share each other’ experiences on pertinent social development issues.
  2. Generate topical resolutions that can be utilised by local and central governments and institutions in the global South and North to further advance the debate/efforts regarding the attainments of SDGs.

Conference Themes

We welcome submissions on any of the following themes, broadly conceived:

  1. Child Wellbeing and Child Protection
  2. Youth Participation and Inclusion
  3. Older Persons, Social Protection and Socio-economic Participation 
  4. North-South and South-South Partnership and Collaborations in Social Development
  5. Green Social Work and Environment 
  6. University and Community Engagement/ Role of Universities in Community Transformation
  7. Migration, Refugees and Development
  8. Civil Society, NGOs, Social Work and Development Practice
  9. The role of Social Work in Emergencies, Pandemic Crises and Conflict
  10. Climate change
  11. Rights Equity and Social Justice
  12. Technology and social development
  13. Mental Health
  14. Creative features, languages literature and social transformation

Conference level

This is an International Conference targeting academics, development practitioners, policy makers, students, researchers and the general public from all continents across the global North and South. We however strongly encourage participants from the global South and the Africa region to submit abstracts and papers for the conference.

Specific instructions to authors: 

  • The abstract submitted should not be more than 250 words
  • Nature of presentation:Poster presentations, oral presentations, panels and workshop formats
  • All abstracts should be submitted in Microsoft word format
  • The font type should be Times New Roman 12pt, 1.5 spacing
  • The presenting author should be presented first and underlined
  • Indicate the institutional affiliation and the country
  • Indicate the email address of the presenting/corresponding author
  • All abstracts should be submitted in English
  • Themes of the submission should also be indicated.  
  • Abstracts can be sent via Email to: resilientconference2025@mak.ac.ug copied to ainembabazi.dorynn@gmail.com or submitted online at https://resilientconference.mak.ac.ug/submit-abstracts

Potential benefits and impacts of the conference

  • International networking and benchmarking on social development issues generally
  • Opportunity to influence social agendas within the global development landscape and social programming through impacting the regional and international social work associations and the United Nations agencies .

Conference Keynote Speakers

  1. Prof. Antoinette Lombard, IASSW President and Professor of Social Work at University of Pretoria.
  2. Prof. Jeannette Bayisenge, former Minister of Gender and Family Protection in Rwanda and Professor of Gender Studies, University of |Rwanda.
  3. Prof. Ann Christin E. Nilsen, PI of the RESILIENT project and Professor of Sociology at the University of Agder, Norway.
  4. Dr. Zena Mnasi Mabeyo, Head of the Department of Psychology at the Institute of Social Work, Tanzania.

Registration

Online: https://resilientconference.mak.ac.ug/conference-registration

Or in person: With $100 registration fees for non-Africa-based participants; Students $10 or UGX 30,000; National applicants $30 or UGX 100,000.

For Registration

Extended Deadline for abstract submission: 30th April 2025

Date for confirmation of acceptance of abstracts: Given on a rolling basis effective 15th of March 2025. This will continue up to the 15th of May 2025.

Chair Local Organizing Committee
Prof. Eric Awich Ochen
Tel: +256 772 352 887
Email: eric.ochen@mak.ac.ug

Conference Secretariat
Ms Doreen Ainembabazi
Tel: +256 774 468 902
Email: ainembabazi.dorynn@gmail.com and

Ms Prisciline Aciro
Tel: +256 778 549 669
Email: resilientconference2025@mak.ac.ug


[1] Twikirize, Janestic and Spitzer, Helmut (2019) Social work practice in Africa: indigenous and innovative approaches. Kampala: Fountain Publishers

[2] https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2018/11/UNDRIP_E_web.pdf

[3] See https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda

[4] Halkos, George & Gkampoura, Eleni-Christina, 2021. “Where do we stand on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals? An overview on progress,” Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier,  70(C), pages 94-122.

Mak Editor

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Humanities & Social Sciences

Call for abstracts on relationality between the US and Uganda

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Flags of Uganda and the U.S. Photo: ImageFX

Background

This call for abstracts is under the new U.S. Studies Center in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration supported by the U.S. Mission Uganda. As part of the startup grant for the Center, funds were earmarked for the initiation of the research agenda on the Study of the United States. The research agenda is pitched on how Uganda’s civilizational experience—related to progress in culture, economy, peace, science, and technology; can be strengthened by leveraging fraternal relations between the people of Uganda and the United States. Therefore, the Department of Political Science invites contributions to a special publication on, “Relationality Between Uganda and the US since 1945”.

The sense of “Relationality”

We take “Relationality” to connote encounters between civilizations. It speaks to the debate on how civilizations can transform each other through engagement. Where civilizations are suggestively transformed on account of relationality, the outcome is “relational interdependence”— relating to how the aspects drawn from other civilizations become constants in the national life of a people. Relational interdependence is a debate and it is sufficient to note that its generative power is drawn from “cross-fertilization—relating to enriching the existing ways of knowing and understanding life in general and “sharing”—relating to forms of exchange among people from different civilizations.

We, therefore, invite researchers from the disciplinary boundaries of humanities and social sciences to engage with the notions of “cross-fertilization” and “sharing” to examine how Uganda-United States relations have impacted Uganda’s civilizational experience as reflected in the different domains of (our) Uganda national life, including:

  1. Peace and Security
  2. Development/Foreign Assistance
  3. Public Health
  4. Education
  5. Press and media
  6. Socio-economics
  7. Political organization
  8. Arts, Music
  9. Literature, Language
  10. Visualization of national history and heritage

The researchers should interrogate the extent to which relations between Uganda and the United States have impacted one of the domains of Uganda’s national life (as listed above) since 1945.

The Plan

  1. We plan to commission researchers to undertake studies on the domains of Uganda’s national life and how Uganda-US relations have impacted them since 1945. We shall publish an edited book volume with Routledge Publishers as part of the dissemination of the findings.
  2. We thus ask interested researchers to submit 500-word abstracts proposing a paper contribution to the research agenda. The abstracts should revolve around one of the domains of Uganda’s national life. Researchers should also provide the titles of two recent publications on related topics.
  3. Selected researchers will receive a research grant of USD 4000, to facilitate data collection and writing.

The Process

A. Abstracts should be submitted by 15th January 2025, to the investigators:

  1. Dr. Edward S Kaweesi (PI) edward.kaweesi@mak.ac.ug
  2. Prof. Paul Omach (Co-PI) paul.omach@mak.ac.ug
  3. Prof. Phillip Kasaija(Co-PI) phillip.kasaija@mak.ac.ug

B. The selection process will be concluded on 20th January 2025, and the results will be communicated on 22nd January 2025
C. The meeting between the selected researchers and the investigators will take place on 30th January 2025.
D. Launch of the research agenda will take place on 21st February 2025.
E. Data Collection will take two months, from 1st March to 1st May, 2025
F. Review meeting, 9th May 2025
G. Writing process to take two months, from 15th May to 15th July
H. Peer Review of the first drafts (August)
I. 15 August, 2025, U.S Studies Center Public Dialogue on “Relationality Between Uganda and the United States since 1945”.
J. Revision of the drafts to take one month (September)
K. Peer review of the second drafts (October)
L. Revision of the drafts to take one month (November)
M. Submission of the final paper, 1 December 2025
N. Editorial Review and Proof Reading (January 2026)
O. Submission to the Publisher (February 2026)

Please direct inquiries to the investigators listed above.

Mak Editor

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Humanities & Social Sciences

Mak Reviews Bachelor of Chinese and Asian Studies Program to Address Key Gaps

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A section of Mak staff and stakeholders in a group photo after the BICAS Program review workshop on 5th December 2024. School of Languages, Literature, and Communication stakeholders’ workshop to review the Bachelor of Chinese and Asian Studies (BICAS) program, 5th December, 2024, Smart Room, College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS), Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.

The School of Languages, Literature, and Communication at Makerere University held a stakeholders’ workshop to review the Bachelor of Chinese and Asian Studies (BICAS) program. The workshop, held on 5th December, 2024 aimed at refining the curriculum to meet the evolving academic and professional needs of students and employers.

Assoc. Prof. Saudah Namyalo contributing during the discussion. School of Languages, Literature, and Communication stakeholders’ workshop to review the Bachelor of Chinese and Asian Studies (BICAS) program, 5th December, 2024, Smart Room, College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS), Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.
Assoc. Prof. Saudah Namyalo contributing during the discussion.

The Dean of the School, Associate Professor Saudah Namyalo emphasized the significance of engaging stakeholders in the curriculum review process. She noted that feedback from students, employers, and academia is crucial for identifying gaps and improving the program.
“It’s a very important stage in our curriculum review to ensure that we have stakeholders’ workshops. This is an opportunity to hear from potential employers, students, and academic experts. Today, for example, we’ve learned that many of our graduates are not fully grounded in the science of the language, and because of that feedback, we are going to improve on it,” she said.

The Dean highlighted gaps in the current curriculum, such as limited focus on linguistic aspects like syntax, morphology, phonology, and semantics, which are essential for students pursuing advanced degrees. Additionally, the cultural component of Chinese language education was found to be inadequate.
“There’s no way you can teach a language detached from its culture. We are going to introduce courses emphasizing the culture of the Chinese so that the two go hand in hand,” she added.

A section of former students, stakeholders and Mak staff during the meeting. School of Languages, Literature, and Communication stakeholders’ workshop to review the Bachelor of Chinese and Asian Studies (BICAS) program, 5th December, 2024, Smart Room, College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS), Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.
A section of former students, stakeholders and Mak staff during the meeting.

The review aims to address these gaps by incorporating courses that build linguistic competence and cultural understanding. The program will now cater to both beginners and advanced learners, allowing graduates to pursue academic careers, including master’s and PhD programs, in Chinese linguistics. It will also strengthen the Asian Studies strand, enabling students to specialize in either Chinese language or broader Asian studies.

Dr. Enock Sebuyungo: Aligning Uganda’s Needs with Global Opportunities

Dr. Enock Sebuyungo, Head of the Department of European and Oriental Languages, underlined the growing importance of Chinese proficiency in Uganda. He noted that China’s rise as a global economic superpower has strengthened ties with Uganda in trade, education, and infrastructure development.
“Chinese companies dominate Uganda’s major infrastructure projects, and increasing numbers of Ugandans engage in trade and studies in China. Proficiency in Chinese offers competitive advantages for accessing the Chinese market,” he said.

Dr. Enock Sebuyungo making his opening remarks. School of Languages, Literature, and Communication stakeholders’ workshop to review the Bachelor of Chinese and Asian Studies (BICAS) program, 5th December, 2024, Smart Room, College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS), Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.
Dr. Enock Sebuyungo making his opening remarks.

Despite this, students under previous programs faced challenges achieving desired proficiency levels in international tests like HSK3. Employers expressed dissatisfaction with graduates’ language skills, and scholarships for study in China remained underutilized. The proposed BICAS program aims to bridge these gaps by producing graduates proficient in Chinese, knowledgeable about Asia’s economic and geopolitical landscape, and skilled in business, tourism, and diplomacy.

The BICAS program aligns with Makerere University’s expertise in foreign language instruction and supports Uganda’s strategic need to engage with Asia’s rapid development. It is expected to attract students from Uganda and East Africa, where Chinese is currently offered only as a short course. The program projects an annual revenue increase of UGX 865 million from an estimated 200 enrolled students. Partnerships with Chinese companies will provide scholarships for 10-15 students per intake, ensuring financial sustainability and accessibility.

Mr. Tang Fei, one of the Directors of the Confucius Institute at Mak attending the curriculum review. School of Languages, Literature, and Communication stakeholders’ workshop to review the Bachelor of Chinese and Asian Studies (BICAS) program, 5th December, 2024, Smart Room, College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS), Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.
Mr. Tang Fei, one of the Directors of the Confucius Institute at Mak attending the curriculum review.

Uganda joins a growing list of countries incorporating Chinese studies into higher education, with similar programs established in Botswana, Australia, and the United States. Makerere University, which already trains secondary school Chinese teachers, is poised to create a critical mass of experts to sustain Chinese language education and strengthen Uganda-China bilateral relations.

Dr. Sebuyungo expressed gratitude to Associate Professor Helen Nkabala, Principal of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS), for her moral and financial support in organizing the workshop. He also thanked the Confucius Institute and Xiangtan University for their invaluable contributions to the program.
“Confucius Institute and Xiangtan University sent us professors who reviewed this course. What we are looking at is a revised course done by professors from Xiangtan University, and we deeply appreciate their support,” he said.

Some of the stakeholders attending the curriculum review. School of Languages, Literature, and Communication stakeholders’ workshop to review the Bachelor of Chinese and Asian Studies (BICAS) program, 5th December, 2024, Smart Room, College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS), Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.
Some of the stakeholders attending the curriculum review.

The Bachelor of Chinese and Asian Studies program positions Makerere University as a regional leader in language and cultural studies. It prepares graduates to address gaps in trade, diplomacy, and cultural exchange while enhancing Uganda’s ability to benefit from China’s global influence. The workshop marked a pivotal step in ensuring the program aligns with both local and international demands.

One of the stakeholders from Kyambogo University contributing. School of Languages, Literature, and Communication stakeholders’ workshop to review the Bachelor of Chinese and Asian Studies (BICAS) program, 5th December, 2024, Smart Room, College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS), Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.
One of the stakeholders from Kyambogo University contributing.

Jane Anyango

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