UNILAG Host Umoja summit/ Nelson Mandela Week

African student-leaders offer way forward in conserving African culture as University of Lagos (UNILAG) hosts Umoja summit/ Nelson Mandela week. 

Student-leaders from universities across Africa converged at the Arthur Mbanefo Digital Research Center (AMDRC) of the University of Lagos on Monday, July 17, 2023, for the 2023 Umoja African Students Leadership Network Summit/UNILAG Nelson Mandela Week.

Deliberations at the Summit focused on Technology and Culture Preservation. Speakers at the plenary and break-out sessions offered overwhelming evidences of Africa’s rich cultural heritage during various presentations even as representatives of participating institutions including UNILAG; Stellenbosch University, University of Free State, Wits University, and the University of Cape Town from South Africa shared diverse views on ways to conserve Africa’s history, culture and heritage.

The Summit also gave an opportunity to the student-leaders to interrogate issues on intangible cultural heritage which include performing arts, social practices, rituals, and festive events; knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe; the vital role of digital technologies in the preservation of cultural heritage, among others.

Speaking during the Opening Ceremony of the Summit, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Folasade T. Ogunsola, OON, FAS highlighted the importance of the forum to strengthen the unity in the diversity of the African culture, through youth inclusivity.

She noted that programmes such as the Umoja Summit will catapult Africa into an enviable global destination in the future. Her words,“…the forum’s mandate is to specifically seek ways to harness our academic capabilities in the African region”. I am more pleased that it will offer us new strategies aimed at creating a direction for educational development on the continent of Africa.

While welcoming the participants, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development Services), Professor Ayodele Atsenuwa pointed out that the forum would lead to mutual partnerships with educational institutions within the African region.

According to her, “..the week-long event is designed to enable cross-fertilization of ideas and will invariably bring about capacity development to the participants”. She underscored the importance of digital platforms in solving plethora of issues bordering on good governance and ethical leadership among student leaders.

In his remarks, the Dean of Student Affairs, UNILAG, Professor Musa Obalola remarked that the objective of the summit is to encourage student leaders to align their efforts on sustainable development in Africa and the Agenda 2063.

The representative of the South African High Commission at the event, Ms. Busisiwe Dlamini remarked that the relationship between South Africa and Nigeria extends to several areas including academic exchanges. According to her, the summit is not just about South Africa and Nigeria’s collaborations but it’s also about Africa achieving the aspirations of Agenda 2063 and overtly achieving the United Nations SDGs.

During one of the sessions, the Director, Institute of African and Diaspora Studies, UNILAG, and Guest Speaker, Professor Muyiwa Falaiye opined that the value of marketising culture cannot be overemphasized.

While alluding to culture as being complex, the Professor of African Socio-Political Philosophy averred that methods of creating virtual cultural storages do not always allow the preservation of the true reflection of memory, history, and tradition the same way a real museum does and consequently, the axiological meaning of the term heritage is lost.

According to the renowned expert in African and Diaspora Studies,“… whether in the primitive age or in modern times, culture encompasses that complex whole which includes shared ideas, knowledge, belief, morals, law, custom, and other differences. In other words, culture is the foundation of technology and not the other way around. The essence of technology is to be able to control your environment. It is not necessarily to develop fanciful things that perhaps you do not need”.

Other speakers at the event including Mr. Anele Motsepe and Ms. Nina Hugo of Stellenbosch University; Vusumzi Gqalane of University of Free State, among others also stressed the importance of technology as an important tool to preserve the African historical heritage. They unanimously agreed that technology has had a positive impact on the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage. However, they identified various technological elements be used responsibly to ensure that it does not negatively impact culture, tradition, or social values.

MySchoolNews reporting.