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The University of Fort Hare (UFH), together with African Hidden Voices, has opened the 2025 Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) Conference in East London on 02 December 2025. The three-day event brings together traditional leaders, scholars, policymakers and community knowledge custodians. It aims to place African knowledge at the centre of education, innovation and social development.
The conference is hosted at the UFH Early Childhood Care Education Centre.
Organisers say the programme is designed to strengthen African identity while promoting sustainable, community-rooted solutions.
UFH stresses its role in protecting Indigenous Knowledge
Day 1 began with an address from UFH Interim Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Teaching and Learning, Professor Patrick Osode.He told delegates that universities carry a duty to safeguard and revitalise Indigenous Knowledge.
He added that African ways of knowing should inform research, curriculum design and community engagement.
Prof Osode called for stronger collaboration between institutions and communities.
He said meaningful integration of Indigenous Knowledge must be deliberate and sustained.
Keynote sets a powerful tone
Keynote speaker Dr Nompumelelo Radebe explored African spirituality, identity and the wisdom carried by Indigenous Knowledge.
She emphasised its role in shaping community well-being, environmental harmony and personal belonging.
Her presentation opened the way for a panel on African Identities and Cosmologies for Sustainability. The Dean of Education, Professor Tsediso Makoelle, offered closing reflections that encouraged deeper engagement with African philosophies.
Parallel sessions followed, speakers unpacked themes including storytelling as an archive, traditional healing, ancestral knowledge and intergenerational transfer of wisdom.
What’s ahead for the conference
Over the next two days, the programme will explore biodiversity, climate resilience, governance and digital preservation of Indigenous Knowledge.
Sessions will also examine Indigenous education models, economic systems and sustainable development grounded in African philosophies.
Organisers say the conference aims to strengthen local communities while reaffirming the value of African knowledge in a modern world.
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