Research in Africa for Africa? Probing the Effect and Credibility of Research Done by Foreigners for Africa

Munyaradzi Mawere (1) , Gertjan van Stam (2)

1 GZU - Great Zimbabwe University
2 Macha Works

This paper probes research being carried out by researchers foreign to Africa. From an assessment of decennia of research, we address the many and varied ways in which the work of foreign researchers, often from countries with unresolved colonial baggage, cast their normalising shadows over African realities. From experiences in Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe, among others, through the exposit of the complex and expansive array of influences and coloniality, we paint a picture how foreign researchers benefit from enshrined and ongoing practices that dominate research scenes. These practices depreciate African research and development done by Africans, in Africa for utilisation in Africa. We propose the need to mainstream decoloniality and communiversity as to affect the primacy of African researchers researching in, on and for Africa.

Mots clés: Foreign researchers; Africa; Coloniality

Domaines: Informatique [cs]

Munyaradzi Mawere, Gertjan van Stam. Research in Africa for Africa? Probing the Effect and Credibility of Research Done by Foreigners for Africa. 15th International Conference on Social Implications of Computers in Developing Countries (ICT4D), May 2019, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. pp.168-179, ⟨10.1007/978-3-030-19115-3_14⟩. ⟨hal-02281299⟩