CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS EDITION The University of Johannesburg acquired The Thinker in April 2019 f rom Dr Essop Pahad. Over the last decade, The Thinker has gained a reputation as a journal that explores Pan-Af rican issues across fields and times. Ronit Frenkel, as the incoming editor, plans on maintaining the pan-Af rican 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 Af rica-centred articles f rom diverse perspectives, in order to enrich both knowledge of the continent and of issues impacting the continent. - All contributing analysts write in their personal capacity Prof Ronit Frenkel Narnia Bohler-Muller is Professor of Law and the Executive Director of the Developmental, Capable and Ethical State (DCES), Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), South Africa.She is also Adjunct Professor at the Nelson R Mandela School of Law, University of Fort Hare and a Research Fellow at the Centre for Gender and Africa Studies at the University of the Free State. Previously, she was Professor of Law at Vista University and Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) before joining Africa Institute of South Africa (AISA) as research director of social sciences in 2011. Prof. Bohler-Muller has over 100 peer reviewed publications and has co-edited five books on gender violence; human trafficking, the dynamic of BRICS, the evolution of the Constitution and the Blue Economy. She is an admitted Advocate of the High Court of the Republic of South Africa. Andy Carolin a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Education at the University of Johannesburg. He holds a PhD in English literature and has received a Y-rating from the National Research Foundation (NRF). He is the author of Post-Apartheid Same-Sex Sexualities: Restless Identities in Literary and Visual Culture (Routledge 2021). His research focuses broadly on race, gender, sexuality and history in South African literary and cultural studies. Thulani Andrew Chauke a youth development practitioner by profession is a National Youth Service: Provincial Coordinator at the National Youth Development Agency, Western Cape Province, South Africa. He holds a Doctorate Degree in Education from the Tshwane University of Technology, a Master of Arts in Youth Development degree with Cum Laude, and a Bachelor of Arts in Youth in Development degree from the University of Venda. He is a peer reviewer for eight accredited journals and holds membership for various academic associations. His research interest includes youth deviant behaviour, school violence, youth work, positive youth development, and youth entrepreneurship. Thulani has published 14 articles in DoHET accredited journals and author of the Vusiwana Va Hleka book. He has a vast of experience in project management ranging from local government, electoral democracy, investment, and youth service. His day-to- day job is to help all three spheres of government, private sector, civil society, and institutions of higher learning to deliver their youth development intervention through the National Youth Service Model. Edward Chikuni is a Professor in the Faculty of Engineering, and Technology at Botho University, Gaborone, Botswana. His area of expertise is Engineering Education as well as Energy and Power Systems. He has a BEng (First Division) Electrical Engineering f rom the University of Sierra Leone, an MSc in Electrical Power Engineering f rom the University of Manchester (UMIST) and a PhD (Electrical Engineering) f rom the University of Wales. His over 20 years of academic experience has included teaching major Universities in Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Af rica. He has over 25 years’ industrial experience acquired during his tenure of senior positions in the Railways and major private sector industries. Prof. Chikuni is registered as a Professional Engineer in the United Kingdom, Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Af rica. He is also a Certified Measurement & Verification Professional (CMVP). His consulting experience has included assignments funded by NOTE FROM THE EDITOR T H E T H I N K E R World Bank and Regulatory Authorities in Zimbabwe. He has published two books, two patents and over 60 scientific articles in refereed Conferences and Journals. His current Research is the development of Electric Vehicles to meet local and regional needs. Sally Field is a researcher at the University of Cape Town. She has an MA focussing on participatory practices for development. She authored a distance learning book on maternal mental health for health and social workers and has published book chapters and journal articles related to service development, screening tools and provider training for maternal mental health, as well risk factors for maternal mental illness in low-resource settings. She works as a consultant to Singizi and was involved in the Heartlines “What’s Your Story?” evaluation. John Boulard Forkuor is a lecturer at the Department of Sociology and Social Work, KNUST. He teaches social work at the undergraduate level and qualitative research methods at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. His research focuses on transformation in urban areas and its implication for urban social life. The urban street as an important space for urban actors (street beggars; street children and street hawkers) has also been a focus of his research. His research interest also include the provision of social welfare for vulnerable groups in urban areas, especially for the vulnerable aged and for persons living with intellectual disabilities. His publications have appeared in journals like Journal of Contemporary Af rican Studies; Urban Forum; Urban Review; Sage Open; Gender Studies and Qualitative Social Work. For his career development, his aim is to conduct research that will have implications for social work practice and social service delivery in Ghana and in Af rica. Candice Harrison-Train is a qualitative and quantitative researcher and M&E specialist who has worked with Singizi Consulting Africa for twenty years. She has worked with Singizi on global projects, projects in the SADC region and the rest of the continent, as well as projects in South Africa. These have included projects in the human rights, sexual and reproductive health and rights, general health and rights, employment, and skills development sectors. Candice has been involved in evaluating Heartline’s “What’s Your Story?” programme since 2017. Ashraf Jamal is a Research Associate in the Visual Identities in Art and Design Research Centre, University of Johannesburg. He is the co-author, with Sue Williamson, of Art in South Af rica: The Future Present and co-editor of Indian Ocean Studies: Cultural, Social, and Political Perspectives. Jamal is also the author of Predicaments of Culture in South Af rica, Love themes for the wilderness, The Shades, In the World: Essays on Contemporary South Af rican Art, and Strange Cargo: Essays on Art (forthcoming). Lehlohonolo Kennedy Mahlatsi holds a PhD degree in Public Management and Governance f rom North-West University (Vaal Campus). His Mini- Dissertation f rom the same institution evaluates the Developmental Role of Local Government in fighting poverty in the Free State. His dissertation explores the developmental Mandate of District Municipalities in the Free State in promoting environmental rights. He also holds B. Iuris and LLB f rom the University of the Western Cape. He has published dozens of newspaper articles and columns. He has extensive experience in public service, especially in local government. He was the former Municipal Manager of Metsimaholo Local Municipality and he is also accredited facilitator with the South Af rican Local Government Association (SALGA). He has interest in the Working Class Heritage and he is involved in the campaign for the recognition of Coalbrook Mine Disaster as National Heritage Site. He is a founder member of the Zamdela Youth Congress (ZAYCO) and he is currently Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) Member of the South Af rican Communist Party (SACP) in the Free State. Francis Onditi, D.Phil., heads the School of International Relations and Diplomacy, Riara University, Kenya. He was recently enlisted as professor of research and distinguished author at the Institute of Intelligent Systems, University of Johannesburg, South Af rica. He is the 2019 recipient of the AISA Fellowship awarded by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), South Af rica. He is a widely published pan-Af rican researcher specializing in conflictology with a bias in the geography of Af rican conflict and institutional evolutionary theory. He has published numerous research papers in peer reviewed journals, contributed several chapters to edited volumes and authored/co-edited 6 books. His current research focuses on “exploring the analytical conception of the V o l u m e 8 7 / 2 0 2 1 CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS EDITION closeness centrality and its implications for a theory of interactivities for enhancing understanding of the process of conflict excavators and extractives with the aim of providing an explanation of the intrinsic character of interaction among human beings, communities and states as a process of diffusion of power, conflict reversals, and peace interlocutors.” Tanusha Raniga teaches social work and community development at the University of Johannesburg. She is a C2 NRF Rated Researcher. She is actively involved in research primarily in the area of social protection policy, feminization of poverty and sustainable livelihoods. She has published widely in national and international journals and has presented at Social Work conferences. Her teaching areas include: Social Policy, Development Management and Integrated Social and Economic Development. Iqra Raza is a research scholar in the Department of English at Ashoka University, India. Her areas of academic interest include South Af rican Anglophone Writing, Muslim representation, Post 9/11 literature, empire studies, literature f rom conflict zones, human rights literature, critical race studies, identity (and) politics, literary studies and cultural studies. She is also a poet and a haijin (haiku poet) whose works have been published and awarded internationally. Douglas Yates is Professor of Political Science at the American Graduate School in Paris (France). He recently published the fourth edition of the Historical Dictionary of Gabon (Rowman & Littlefield, 2018), which brings the political affairs of this French- speaking, oil- rich, equatorial Af rican country up to date since the accession to power of Ali Bongo, eldest son of Omar Bongo, who died in 2009 after the publication of the third edition. Dr Yates is an established country expert who has been researching and writing about Gabon since 1993 with his doctoral dissertation at Boston University, later published as The Rentier State in Af rica: Oil-Rent Dependency and Neo-Colonialism in the Republic of Gabon (Af rica World Press, 1996). Since then, he has taught and directed graduate research on Af rican politics at the American Graduate School in Paris and has consulted for the State Department and Defense of the United States government as well as non-governmental organizations, private international investment firms, Af rican studies centres, and European development agencies. Yates is the co-author (with Marquette University’s David Gardinier) of the previous edition of the Historical Dictionary of Gabon (2006) and has also authored the annual chapter on “Gabon” for Brill’s Af rica Yearbook since its creation in 2004. V o l u m e 8 7 / 2 0 2 1 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 thethinker@uj.ac.za Design & Art Direction On The Loose matt@ontheloose.co.za Tel:+27 83 302 8969 www.ontheloose.co.za 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 Af rica), Professor Sabelo J Ndlovu-Gatsheni (Zimbabwe), Dr Morley Nkosi (South Africa), Dr Francis Onditi (Kenya) Professor Eghosa E Osaghae (Nigeria), Dr Mzulcisi Qobo (South Af rica), Dr Garth le Pere (South Africa), Professor Alioune Sall (Senegal), Addai Sebo (Ghana), Dr Mongane Serote (South Af rica), 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. © 2020 University of Johannesburg www.thethinker.co.za CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS EDITION T H E T H I N K E R thethinker@uj.ac.za