Our life is filled with different colors, sounds, tastes, images, smells, textures, organs, bodies, dreams, and their memories and lack/plenty. Our understandings confronts ” ‘the structure and dynamics of the brain which evolves, wires and predicts’, ‘the genes replicating for millions of years in survival machines’, ‘the processes of production, consumption, distribution, exchange and recording of data from birth through childhood to death’, ‘the perceptions of senses’, ‘the chaotic movement of inextricably linked matter (including us), energy, space and time, by unleashing varieties of patterns and rhythms’, ‘the continuing struggle of survival machines and desiring machines to flow, occupy, discover, create, copy, penetrate, judge, punish, destroy, win, get recognised and die in richness…..’

To our understanding;- without a telescope there is no cosmos, without a microscope there is no cell, without a camera there is no cinema. Otherwise, cosmos or cells or cinema can exist as thoughts or as imaginations articulated on a canvas or a paper with words and colors, but nothing more, nothing beyond. It’s not like some medium or material or instrument just comes in and translates thoughts into expressions communicable. I write, primarily to get clarity of understanding. The piece of writing I plan as part of the workshop, in particular, wants to be read by researchers. I want to reach the general public too, by translating to malayalam. With much affection, I like the writing to reach those who are interested in the nuances of everyday social shaping the world. I look at socialities, the way people relate, connect or engage with each other, in the context of urban Kerala. The diffused and spreaded structure of urbanisation urges to study the movement of the people making connections and networks. The socialities of Keralites in different experiential space-time projects the nuances of everyday life translating to oppression and progression. The everyday violence, it’s embeddedness with the daily routines, through the practice of centuries, keys right into the neural networks that understand ‘others’ and the world. That makes it easy for oppressive ideologies like capitalism and brahmanism to maintain and deepen the social stratification in terms of wealth and caste. How is it that different human practices create and make use of different definitions of urban Kerala? How socialities are formed and get entangled to form the urban Kerala of varying scales, spaces and times?

Children learn their first lessons from their mothers. This ranges from speaking the first ‘sensible’ words to being able to express themselves or ask for their needs. Language is the tool for this self-expression. It builds up naturally and gradually. The mother does not need to sit the child down and ask it to learn. The child just learns. Through daily communication, bonds are built, self-confidence grows, simple commands are given and obeyed, and daily routines are followed all because of the use of a common language.

The school is supposed to be a place where children continue the learning process already initiated at home. However, for most Nigerian children, coming to school is a nightmare because they are barred from speaking and learning in the language they have used ever since they were born.

The school is presented to the Nigerian child as a place where they have to drop the ‘old yoke’, that is, the home language, and learn a new language in order to fit into the system. This, apart from disorienting the child somehow breaks the familiar bonds: parents who cannot speak the school language are made to ‘hands up’; they can no longer participate in teaching their child – even when it comes to the simplest concepts that pertain to their daily lives and experiences. The child is also barred from speaking the mother tongue as English becomes the new normal. Self-expression, thinking and every other act that flowed freely and naturally become a herculean task as the child tries to do so in an unfamiliar language. Going to school becomes the same as learning a new language and years that ought to be spent learning the curriculum contents are rather spent learning a new language.

My work, which is a research, will make a case for the use of children’s mother tongue in education. From my earlier works, I realized that this is a complex area of study in Nigeria due to the highly multilingual context in which the schools operate and the politicization of the language policy. In spite of those complexities, I would like to present a clearer picture of what goes on in typical Nigerian classrooms. Through this, I would like to draw attention to the fact that teaching in an unfamiliar language, that is, English, will continue to harm the Nigerian child.

The project’s Completion Report stated that, “The Komati Gorge survey area proved to be extremely rich in archaeological assets. The entire Mgwayiza Valley should be considered an important archaeological site because of the density and time range of the remains. These extend from the earliest humans, through the evolution of modern humans to the iron age and up to the recent past. Because of its archaeological richness the Mgwayiza Valley is worthy of special protection. Archaeological excavations in Mgwayiza will provide further details of the country’s rich past.”

Though archaeology provided the overall justification for the trip, campfire discussions during the expedition kept coming back to the incredible depth and variety of “time-perspectives” at work in the area. There was unanimous agreement that the area is a goldmine of facts and stories waiting (and deserving) to be uncovered.

The Makhonjwa Mountains, and its ancient rocks, are the oldest on the planet – they are a literal unchanged timepiece from the planet’s formation to the present day. The area was inhabited by humans (and pre-humans) for millions of years, all the way up to the contemporary era. It is also an incredibly diverse conservation area with wonderful flora and fauna, thousand-year-old cycads and a plethora of so-called ecosystem services.

The recent survey has, ultimately, helped frame the importance of the space and the findings – but other approaches are also required to better understand the variety of stories that comprise the multifaceted totality of the area.

I am interested in how art, imagination and storytelling can assist in portraying the depth of wonder that exists in the Mgwayiza Valley to a wider public audience. How can I weave the interconnected threads of geology, archaeology, ecology, anthropology, culture, spirituality and history into one narrative tapestry that both piques human interest whilst contributing data that strengthens the overall call for “recognition and protection”? What role can creativity play alongside historically utilitarian academic disciplines? Ultimately, how can existing archaeological endeavours become more interdisciplinary through creative arts research methods and storytelling, and how can these results be recognised, accessed and consumed by the general public – both globally and locally?

I am aiming to link my creative passions and professional experience with the mountains of my home – mountains that I have fallen in love with over the course of many adventures and explorations during my life. The area in question is at constant threat of industrial mining, biodiversity loss, poaching and general public indifference. It is my hope that the results of this process contribute in some meaningful way to existing archaeological efforts whilst increasing the awareness and overall protection of the greater Malolotja Nature Reserve.

The final product will be a piece of creative writing fully informed by facts obtained from research, fieldtrips and interviews with local experts and knowledge-custodians (jazzed up with a bit of creative license here and there). The piece will have visual accompaniments (photography and/or illustration) with the aim of enticing viewership from as wide a variety of people as possible. The final product may take both digital and physical form as a standalone booklet, potentially also translated into siSwati, and there is significant potential to embed the work within the archaeological academic efforts that are simultaneously underway. Adapted versions of work may also contribute as content to longer-term plans for the establishment of a museum in the park – though this remains to be seen.

I am Nikhil Mathew, and I research urban India in the purview of social anthropology. My dual master’s in sociology and social anthropology focusing on global and urban studies have sharpened my acumen to research socially sensitive issues about urbanism in India. Currently, I am pursuing my graduate study research at Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India. My research specifically focuses on critically analyzing the process of urban planning by delving into its theory and practice. The basis of my study is a historical-anthropological inquiry and presentation of archival and anecdotal evidence from secondary literature that shows how human settlements formed in India. Simultaneously, I analyze the contemporary aspects of urbanism by critically studying the theory and practice of urban planning from practitioners’ points. To further support my thesis and arguments, I capture the everyday life of the voiceless downtrodden who occupy these urban spaces.

As a writer, I wish to be known as someone who will address and asseverate critical issues about urban social stratification that hinder social progress and well being of oppressed communities. I will be writing from the point of view of equal rights to a city and public space, reflecting on citizenship and civil society.

My relation with the topic stems from my prior field research engagement where I studied why gated communities exist in small towns in India. In the conclusion of my research, I discovered that affluent classes have a disproportionate share and access to resources. The socio-political nexus between land developers, city administration, and local elites dictate city and town planning trajectory.  Many small cities in India have privatized development, and these private land developers are pooling resources to cater to the need of the privileged. Marginalized communities face the brunt of these development programs are they are evited or displaced. From the point of view of the right to the city, the whole urban development process is undemocratic and needs critical intervention.

The academic audiences I will address in this paper will be those working in the social sciences and urban studies. The non-academic audience I am interested in addressing fits into this juncture. I want to present the paper as an intervention, emanating from the preview of social-anthropology addressing exigent issues with community development and urban planning. Engaging with urban planners, architects, the public, and city policymakers is the only way to achieve a productive, critical, proactive, and change-oriented impact through a change in urban planning theory and practice.

My motivation to write comes from the need for a change maker. I’ve been in academics long enough and knows the banalities of armchair theorization and not be part of proactive change. However, I plan to draft this writing to get the attention of policymakers and practitioners of urban planning so that the underrepresented, marginal, and subalterns also have a voice. Therefore, I will draft my research paper with a rigorous balance between anecdotal stories rooted in post facto ethnographic data and theoretical analysis. Moreover, there are significant gaps in social scientific works that address city and town planning of small towns.

Through this workshop, I wish to gain nuanced skills in finding the right balance between presenting theory, ethnographic data, persuasive and argumentative writing to garner adequate outreach. I hope the worship, the assistance of the mentors, and a fantastic peer group of other writers will provide the intellectual temperament and constructive criticism to make writing better.

The passion that comes with this writing relates to my background in Information Communications Technologies for Development (ICTD) and adult and community education. In adult education, we focus on extending learning opportunities to less privileged communities for better livelihoods. The marginalized, who are always the majority in many developing countries lack access to education opportunities and adult learning and education are among means to extend access to learning opportunities.

The complexity of my journey relates to the fact that I enter a field where there is less integration of modern technologies to support learning.  Besides, such communities are often semi or non-literate, yet, technologies are programmed in foreign languages they sometimes do not understand. While I claim the available possibilities technologies can offer to the less privileged, such spaces are equally challenged. It is only when we explore ways they embrace technology use, that we shall know how technologies can support their livelihoods.

Mobile technologies are among technologies they currently use. The mobile phones have proved to be the most accessible technologies for many in developing countries. This is why, in this writing, I am analysing ways mobile technologies support learning about food security among smallholder farmers.

I obtained my B.A, M.A., and PhD in Yoruba language and literature in 2008, 2012, and 2017 respectively from Obafemi Awolowo University. My area of specialization includes, Yoruba literature (oral and written), sexuality and gender studies, environmental studies, postcolonial studies, and peace and conflict management. I have published articles in books and Journals in these areas. My most recent publication titled “Construction of Environmental degradation and (in)fertility in Yoruba Orature” was published by Religion Compass in September 2021. I am currently in the US at the University of Michigan doing a research titled “Lend me your penis: A critical analysis morality and sexuality in Yoruba lampooning rituals” and in January 2022, I will be at SOAS University of London working on a research titled “Ecocritical Analysis of Ifa corpus on climate change, environmental degradation and sustainability in southwestern Nigeria”.
For the SFA workshop, I am working on a paper titled “Àlọ́ (Yorùbá Folktale) and the Discourse on Herdsmen-Farmers’ Conflicts”. My study will focus on arguing that conflicts between herders (Hausa/Fulani) and farmers (Yorùbá) are not recent issues with evidence drawn from Àlọ́ (Yorùbá Folktale). Àlọ́ (Yorùbá Folktale with chorus) is a genre of Yorùbá orature (oral literature), that tells stories about myths and histories. One of such stories is the one about how farmers have been incurring losses because of cattle grazing on their farms.

Nigeria is a country in west Africa, and within it are three (3) major ethnic groups; Yorùbá, Hausa, Igbo. The Yorùbá are mostly farmers while the Hausa are mostly pastoralists. Open grazing as opposed to ranching which allows for cattle to roam freely is more popular among the Fulani because it is believed to be tied to their ancestry. With this open grazing, herdsmen can travel with their cattle on foot from the northern part of Nigeria where they are domiciled to other parts of Nigeria including the Southwestern part where the Yorùbá farmers are. They move from town to town without settling in a place for a long period. The open grazing method of herding makes the cattle eat crops planted by farmers and that has resulted into conflict between the herders and farmers which has caused displacement of hundreds of thousands, thousands of deaths and environmental degradation. The conflict has been going on for a long time and even currently, it has become a national issue so much so that the herdsmen are now been referred to as terrorists.

What makes this research interesting to me is that as both a scholar and a Yorùbá native, I find it exciting when Yorùbá orature addresses not only local issues but global issues as well. Studies about peace and conflict have posited that “only in understanding the nature of what divides us can we hope to ultimately come together”, so, there is not a better time than now to carry out research of this nature because the conflict is now claiming more lives than the Boko haram insurgency in Nigeria.