Exploring Zulu plants

Integrating the knowledge of indigenous Zulu medicinal plants into the teaching of chemistry is under investigation by Fulbright scholar Deshi Moodley, now a science education lecturer at the faculty of education at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Moodley’s study, which she says will take three years, integrates indigenous knowledge of Zulu medicinal plants into the teaching … Read more

City Cultures Seminar: DURBAN SINGS

DURBAN SINGS is a pilot project collaboratively initiated and collectively developed by Molefi Mafareka Ndlovu, community research scholar at the Centre for Civil Society (CCS, UKZN), and Dr. Claudia Wegener, a visiting scholar from the University of the Arts London (UAL), together with 50 young people from 12 Durban community organisations, many of them now trained and networked as editorial collectives of audio producers for micro-media hubs in their local organisations and areas.

The project has a base at the university as a CCS outreach initiative – it includes training and workshops for recording, interview, audio-editing, oral history and IT skills; oral history data-collection, on-line and off-line archiving, project management, public presentations, networking, blog-editing, and broadcasts. An extensive on-line audio archive is uploaded at www.archive.org; and collections of oral history interviews from Clermont, Folweni, Inanda, Ntuzuma, Marianridge, Mzinyathi, Umlazi and the inner city are networked via their own blogs, the ‘switch-board’ blog at www.durbansings.wordpress.com and a ‘community portal’ at the CCS web-site: https://ccs.ukzn.ac.za/

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Indigenous Knowledges and Intellectual Property Rights in the Age of Globalisation

Mombasa, Kenya, 15-20 July 2010 ISOLA – The International Society for the Oral Literatures of Africa hosts this conference on Indigenous Knowledges and Intellectual Property Rights in the Age of Globalisation. For all enquiries, contact the local conference organisers: Dr. Peter Wasamba Department of Literature University of Nairobi Tel: +254202245311 Tel: +254722734121 Fax: +2540202245566 E-mail: … Read more

Biopiracy: People of Alice win first round

In A David versus Goliath battle, the small rural community of Alice have won the first leg of their court case against German homeopathic giant Schwabe Pharmaceuticals.  The Eastern Cape community accused Schwabe of “stealing indigenous knowledge” in a case which stretches back to 2007. The pharmaceutical company attempted to patent a remedy made from … Read more

Let’s write the history of Durban soccer

Ulwazi needs your help to write the history of soccer in Durban.  If you have stories of famous football players or clubs in or from Durban please submit them to us, along with any photographs or audio/video recordings. We currently have a category Soccer in Durban but could do with a lot more information on … Read more