‘International students’: an existing disconnect between African students in the university space and its impacts on Africanisation.

 

 

The African Charter on Human and People’s Rights and the Constitutive Act of the African Union highlight the importance of African unity and acknowledge that dignity is an essential objective for the ‘achievement of the legitimate aspirations of the African people’. The African Charter further places a duty on all Africans to contribute at all times and levels towards the realisation of unity within the continent.  The African Union’s aspirations in its Agenda 2063 framework document recall the importance of unity in the development of Africa and its people. Concepts such as the African Renaissance reinforce that in terms of its cultural dimension, pride in African history, its languages, cultures, and traditions are essential components that not only catalyse the decolonisation of the mind but also contribute towards the achievement of unity in the continent.  

 

In this regard, it is worth investigating whether the disconnect between African students in the university space, particularly the use of the term ‘international’ to refer to students from African countries outside South Africa and the separate systems put into place to handle the administration of these students, and the lack of support programmes geared toward integration interfere with the transformative mandate of the institution and its ability to produce graduates that seek to not only serve the local communities of their origin but in the broader context, seek to dismantle the continued existence of the colonial boundaries that still hinder Africa’s growth. Furthermore, as a ‘dynamic African university,’ it is also worth examining the extent to which this disconnect impacts, inter alia, identity (coupled with human dignity), social inclusion, generous sharing, and hospitality, which are all encompassed in Nelson Mandela University’s value of ubuntu.