T H E T H I N K E R2 NOTE FROM THE EDITOR T he University of Johannesburg acquired The Thinker in April 2019 from Dr Essop Pahad. Over the last decade, The Thinker has gained a reputation as a journal that explores Pan-African issues across fields and times. Ronit Frenkel, as the incoming editor, plans on maintaining the pan- African scope of the journal while increasing its coverage into fields such as books, art, literature and popular cultures. The Thinker is a ‘hybrid’ journal, publishing both journalistic pieces with more academic articles and contributors can now opt to have their submissions peer reviewed. We welcome Africa-centred articles from diverse perspectives, in order to enrich both knowledge of the continent and of issues impacting the continent. Prof Ronit Frenkel CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS EDITION – All contributing analysts write in their personal capacity Asher Austen Fainman is completing a Master’s degree in Law at the University of Bristol. He has a strong interest in technology law and has also been involved with start-ups in the sector. Professor Alex Broadbent is the Director of the Institute for the Future of Knowledge at the University of Johannesburg University of Johannesburg. Alex holds a B1 rating from the National Research Foundation of South Africa (2019-2025) and is an alumnus of the South African Young Academy of Sciences. Alex is a philosopher of science, medicine and epidemiology, with particular interests in causal inference, explanation, and prediction, including the evolution of these abilities in humans and their implementation in machines. Alex was a founding figure in establishing philosophy of epidemiology, and is a leading philosopher of medicine globally. Alex has published three monographs, the most recent being Philosophy of Medicine (2019, Oxford University Press) and around 25 journal articles. Prof Maria Frahm-Arp completed her PhD at Warwick University in the UK. She is the author of Professional Women in Pentecostal Charismatic Churches in South Af rica (2010) and co-editor of Development and Religion f rom Below: Exploring Religious Spaces in the Af rican State  (2010). She has written several articles and book chapters on Pentecostal Charismatic Christians. In 2010 she participated in a Templeton Foundation Africa wide research project of the Catholic Charismatic movement. Prof Frahm-Arp has taught at Wits University and St Augustine College of South Africa and is an Anglican (Episcopalian) minister. She is currently the Executive Director of the library at the University of Johannesburg. Pier Paolo Frassinelli is Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Johannesburg. He has recently published Borders, Media Crossings and the Politics of Translation: The Gaze f rom Southern Af rica (New York: Routledge, 2019). He is book and film reviews editor of Journal of Af rican Cinemas and 2020 Writing Fellow at the Johannesburg Institute of Advanced Studies, where he will be working on a book project titled Af rican Cinemas: Spaces, Audiences and Genres. Ashraf Jamal (Cape University of Technology) is a cultural analyst, author, editor, and associate in the Visual Identities in Art and Design Research Centre, University of Johannesburg. He is the co-author of Art in South Af rica the Future Present, co-editor of Indian Ocean Studies: Social, Cultural, and Political Perspectives. He is also the author of Love themes for the wilderness, The Shades, Predicaments of culture in South Af rica, and In the World: Essays on Contemporary South Af rican Art. Shadrack M. Kithiia, is senior lecturer, Department of Geography & Environmental Studies, University of Nairobi. Dr. Kithiia is a Member of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS). He is a registered hydrologist and a lead expert on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). His research interest 3V o l u m e 8 2 / 2 0 1 9 includes, water quality assessment, control and management. He has taught physical geography at the University of Nairobi for over 25 years. Before then he worked as an hydrologist with the Kenyan government since 1990. Abel Matheba is a Mechanical engineering student at the University of Johannesburg. He is a founder and managing director of Noto Technologies (Pty) Ltd, working on innovative ideas that use the 4th Industrial Age technologies to solve problems in education, health care, green economy, transportation, and socio-economic issues. Zamanzima Mazibuko is the senior researcher in the Knowledge Economy and Scientific Advancement Faculty at the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA). She obtained her MSc (Med) in pharmaceutics from Wits University. Dr Steven Mufamadi is the founder and managing director of Nabio Consulting (Pty) Ltd and holds a PhD in pharmaceutics from Wits University. Francis Onditi is AISA Fellow at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), Pretoria, South Africa. He is also Head of Department, School of International Relations and Diplomacy, Riara University, Nairobi, Kenya. He was the lead editor for the recently published book, ‘Contemporary Af rica and the Foreseeable World Order’, Rowman & Littlefield, New York and London, 2019. Dr. Onditi is a conflictologist with specialization on regional & international conflict systems, and state relations. He is also a reviewer, mentor for young scholars, & strategy lead consultant. Carolyn Pedwell is Reader in Cultural Studies at the University of Kent, UK. She is author of Transforming Habit: Affect, Assemblage and Change in a Minor Key (McGill-Queens UP, forthcoming); Affective Relations: The Transnational Politics of Empathy (Palgrave, 2014) and Feminism, Culture and Embodied Practice: The Rhetorics of Comparison (Routledge, 2010). Email: c.e.pedwell@kent.ac.uk Twitter: @DrCarolynP Dominic Pretorius is a writer, based in Cape Town. He is currently completing a postgraduate degree in English Literature at the University of Cape Town, while also working as a political analyst. His first novel, Acts of Vertigo, was recently longlisted for the 2020 Dinaane Debut Fiction Award. Ylva Rodny-Gumede is the Head of the International Office and Professor in the School of Communication at the University of Johannesburg. Ylva is an NRF rated researcher and her current research focus is on transformation and innovation in higher education. Email yrodny- gumede@uj.ac.za Lisa Treffry-Goatley (University of Cape Town) has over two decades of experience in educational publishing as a publisher, editor and materials developer. She is the Senior Publisher for the African Storybook initiative, and a PhD candidate in Linguistics (School of African and Gender Studies, Anthropology and Linguistics) at the University of Cape Town. Her research is concerned with multilingual children’s literacy practices, especially reading. CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS EDITION The Journal for Progressive Thought www.thethinker.co.za Publisher English Department University of Johannesburg Kingsway Campus, Auckland Park, Johannesburg Tel:+27 11 559 2553 Editor Prof Ronit Frenkel editor@thethinker.co.za Design & Art Direction Liesel van der Schyf liesel@vdsdesign.co.za Tel:+27 82 336 7537 Advisory Council Dr Ademola Araoye (Nigeria), Professor Puleng Lenka Bula (South Africa), Dr Faisal Devji (Tanzania), Professor Chris Landsberg (South Africa), Professor Tshilidzi Marwala (South Africa), Professor Sabelo J Ndlovu-Gatsheni (Zimbabwe), Dr Morley Nkosi (South Africa), Dr Francis Onditi (Kenya) Professor Eghosa E Osaghae (Nigeria), Dr Mzulcisi Qobo (South Africa), Dr Garth le Pere (South Africa), Professor Alioune Sall (Senegal), Addai Sebo (Ghana), Dr Mongane Serote (South Africa), Professor Mammo Muchie (Ethiopia). Material in this publication may not be reproduced in any form without proper citation. Views and opinions expressed in The Thinker are not necessarily those of University of Johannesburg. They can accept no liability of whatsoever nature arising out of or in connection with the contents of the publication. © 2019 University of Johannesburg www.thethinker.co.za The ThinkerThe ThinkerThe Thinker A P A N A F R I C A N Q U A R T E R L Y F O R T H O U G H T L E A D E R S mailto:yrodny-gumede@uj.ac.za mailto:yrodny-gumede@uj.ac.za _GoBack