Africentric Engineering By Dr. Kwadwo Osseo-Asare
Africentric Engineering is engineering promoting sustainable livelihoods of Africans both in the Diaspora and on the African continent. Regarding earth and engineered materials, it includes helping students identify and unmask international earth resource predators and develop tools to counter their influences.
Another aspect of Africentric engineering is a search for tools that allow Africans to “own engineering,” enabling them to make needed contributions in their communities. A powerful tool towards this end is the concept of indirection central to African proverbial discourse.
“The function, the very serious function of racism is a distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining, over and over again, your reason for being. Somebody says you have no language and you spend twenty years proving that you do. Somebody says your head isn’t shaped properly so you have scientists working on the fact that it is. Somebody says you have no art, so you dredge that up. Somebody says you have no kingdoms, so you dredge that up. None of this is necessary. There will always be one more thing.”
Related Publications
- “Learning Factory Models – The Disease, the Herbs, and The Cure,” presented at the Conference on Bridging the Technology Gap Towards “Ghana Beyond Aid” and Youth Employment, Republic of Ghana Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), and Ghana Institution of Engineering, Peduase, Ghana, January 21-25, 2019. Served on Organizing Committee.
- “Is Changing Engineering Education in Ghana the Solution to Economic Development?”, contributor to panel, Heritage and Cultural Society of Africa (HACSA) Summit, Accra, Ghana, August 8, 2019. Chaired Organizing Committee.
- “Indirection: Exploring Science and Engineering Pedagogy through African Proverbial Discourse,” invited public lecture presented at Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa, August 29, 2019.
- “Iku Tangila tee Kufika: To be Earlier Is Not to Have Arrived – Bemba (Namibia). Indirection in African Proverbial Discourse: A tool for Science and Engineering Pedagogy,” invited lecture presented to School of Engineering and School of Biological and Physical Sciences, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya, Dec. 6, 2019.
- “Dua da nsu mu kyε a εnnan ɔdɛnkyɛm: No matter how long a log lies in water it doesn’t become a crocodile”. Deconstruction and Indirection in African proverbial discourse: New tools for science and engineering pedagogy,” invited lecture presented at Department of Chemical and Mining Engineering, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Dec. 9, 2019.
- “Sika ano yεnam sen sekan. Gold is sharper than the sword: On teaching and learning Materials Engineering with African proverbs,” keynote lecture presented at the 10th International Conference of the African Materials Research Society, Arusha, Tanzania, Dec. 10-13, 2019.
