We
Are One People: Multiple Dreams of a Different World,
Transforming Thought, Learning and Action
What It Is: An Organization of a New Type
What it is
In Afrikan indigenous governance, Nabyama is the Keeper of all Strategic Community Secrets. A person is entrusted with Strategic Community Secrets after they have reached such stage in their spiritual development that they cannot use community privy knowledge or information for anything else other than the protection, defense and advancement of the community.
Mpambo, The African Multiversity is a unique Institution that is dedicated to the advancement of indigenous knowledge for community renewal and enrichment. It spearheads innovations to empower the community to anticipate and manage cultural change. In this way it enables the community to respond to contemporary opportunities and challenges. Mpambo is a timely product of the time, to address the time.
"Multiversity" is a space to affirm, promote, advocate and advance the multiplicity of thought and knowledge as a necessity to vitalize the world's knowledges, as well as human knowledge as a whole. It is a concrete valorization, celebration, application and popularization of pluralism at the intellectual level, and at the level of thought and knowledge.
Mpambo, the African Multiversity is a grassroots people's space for community wise men and women, philosophers and sages, particularly the ones who do not speak or think in "hard currency languages", and those who wish to reconnect with their indigenous roots, to revive and advance the tradition of indigenous African Scholarship, with the view:
Objectives
To liberate and rekindle the African spirit.
To catalyze and promote endogenous initiatives rooted in African thought and knowledge base, so as to enhance people's collective sense of self-respect, independence, honour and self-sacrifice.
To provide an appropriate popular space, centre and network for the most gifted persons in indigenous knowledge and skills, at the highest level of quality and sophistication, to advance and deepen their thought, knowledge, skills and techniques, replicate and improve on them.
To articulate new syntheses between African indigenous knowledge on the one hand, and on the other, modern, Western and other knowledges.
To stimulate and build energies and capacities for systematic and participatory processes to manage and anticipate cultural reform and innovation.
To articulate new, participatory civic forums and processes for sustainable community governance, rooted in African indigenous democracy.
To interface and connect with other peoples outside the Africa Region, their thought and knowledges.
Vision
To be a sovereign, self-articulating, self-organizing, self-directing and self-managing Afrikan Civil Society.
Goals
To create a Civil Society imbued with an inquiring and innovative mind, a sense and spirit of independence, honour, community service, self-sacrifice and adventure.
Whose Initiative?
Mpambo, the African Multiversity is the initial collective child of the intellectual labours of several hundred African scholars, social leaders and activists in a series of strategic reflections, formal, informal and on-formal consultations over a period of eight years (since 1990), with the solidarity of scholars, social leaders, activists, friends and well-wishers from all the continents of the world. The people who have participated come from all levels and walks of life, from the private and public sectors, as well as from civil society. They are persons who have been active in the local, national, regional and global levels; at the policy, technical or operational level. They belong to a multiplicity of political and ideological backgrounds and persuasion; but are united in their belief and search for an Africa with the capacity to determine her destiny in the post-cold war era. Mpambo, The African Multiversity captures and crystalises several thousand hours of reflection rooted in people's popular practice, experience, memory, hopes and aspirations.
The collective intellectual labours continue, and each day are strengthened by the purifying fire of practice.
We Hold These Truths and Beliefs.
Mpambo, The African Multiversity emerged at a time when increasingly more people believe that it is the resurgence of civil society and its active and sustained initiatives that will generate the additional critical energies for sustainable solutions to some of the contemporary, strategic global challenges. Mpambo is born out of the struggles of the African peoples to address the widening crisis they face. It is conceptualized as AN ORGANIZATION OF A NEW TYPE:
Rooted in the REALIZATION that dynamic home-grown intellectual viability and sovereignty is the fountainhead of a people's sustainable development.
Based on the UNDERSTANDING that without being deep in our own culture, philosophy and knowledge we cannot understand, nor appreciate, let alone be deep in other people's culture, philosophy and knowledge.
Founded on the firm belief that neither indigenous knowledge and skills by themselves, nor modern Western knowledge and skills, by themselves, can be adequate to resolve the strategic problems which the world faces today. For this reason, Mpambo has set itself the task of articulating a new synthesis between African indigenous knowledge on the one hand and other indigenous knowledges, oriental, middle east, mediterranean, and other knowledges.
Seeking to solidly root itself in the people's indigenous thought, knowledge base and culture. Culture not as a romantic frozen jail, but culture as a dynamic foundation and inspiration for a people's thirst and search for a purposeful, all-round move forward.
Founded yet again on the realization that neither the state, nor the private sector, for civil society, each on their own, can find deep and durable solutions to the problems we face today. The hope for such solutions lies in the combined and coordinated efforts of these three sectors. For that reason therefore, Mpambo shall work for the articulation of new, imaginative and synergetic collaborative partnerships between the state, the private sector and civil society.
Further, Mpambo, the African Multiversity is premised on the following firm beliefs:
Knowledge is concrete, to solve concrete and specific problems, in a specific and concrete eco-cultural reality.
There are as many eco-cultural knowledges as there are eco-cultural regions.
The existence and thriving of a broad spectrum of thought and knowledge is as important for the vibrance of each of the knowledges, and human knowledge as a whole, as biodiversity is essential for the vitality of each of the species, and nature as a whole.
We cannot know that is modern without knowing what is indigenous.
In His/Her infinite wisdom and mercy, God made persons of average intelligence, fools and geniuses, and evenly distributed them in the South and North; East and West. All peoples and Regions of the world, therefore, have the necessary home-grown brain firepower to spearhead the resolution of their own problems.
MPAMBO, THE AFRICAN MULTIVERSITY IS CENTERED AROUND THE WISE
AND BASED ON THE COMMUNITY
Who are the Wise
A person is wise when, by standing on the shoulders of the wise in their community before them, they become so knowledgeable and skilled in one or more aspects of human endeavour that they are compelling experts in the understanding of reality, as well as the understanding and solving of social and technical problems. Their outlook, understanding of issues, the position they take, etc. is not coloured by, comprised or interfered with by the partisan interest of self, family, friends or clan. In thought, intent and deed the wise are driven by the good of the community in perpetuity. Moreover, community does not mean only the living, and the yet unborn, but the dead too. Community does not mean the people only, but nature as a whole, in wholesome perpetuity. The wise are not parasitic. Indeed being engaged in productive activity to support a good livelihood for oneself and family is the starting point of wisdom.
By standing on the shoulders of the wise in their community before them, today's wise are able to see farther and clearer than any of the people around them.
Core Roles and Functions
As a space, centre and network, Mpambo, the African Multiversity, has essentially five roles and functions:
Research
To provide an appropriate institutional space for African wise men and women, philosophers and sages who want to improve their knowledge in matters which are on the frontiers/cutting edge of knowledge in their respective areas of specialization and/or interest, through reflection and research at a high level of quality and sophistication, as well as want interaction with their peers. This is a research role and function.
Education and Training
To create the space and opportunities for those who want to acquire socially relevant knowledge and skills from the expects to do so effectively. This is an education and training role and function for experts to replicate and improve on themselves.
Knowledge Bank
To create and build a knowledge bank and pedagogy on the basis of which community education and training can be articulated and managed.
Collect, document, preserve, share...
To collect, document, preserve, share and disseminate information, knowledge and wisdom generated by Mpambo, the African Multiversity.
Network...
To network with other organizations involved in similar or related work, as well as articulate partnerships and joint initiatives with them.
The Scientific Basis for the Multiversity
The wisdom and appropriateness of a multiversity is vindicated by current preoccupation with issues of recovering and preserving indigenous seeds and plants, and the whole question of bio-diversity. Indeed, genetic and seed banks have been set up.
Many of the seeds and plants for which banks have been set up are an embodiment of, and testimony to, indigenous scientific research and breakthroughs.
If to face the future with a bit more confidence we need seed and genetic banks, it is quite clear we would enhance our confidence even further if we maintained live indigenous knowledge banks.
Guiding Principle
The key concept and guiding principle behind Mpambo is dialogue, synthesis, collaboration, partnership, synergy and cross-fertilization, across sectors, knowledge, cultures and civilizations.
The Programme
In motion, evolution and action, Mpambo's programme focusses on the following thematic areas: indigenous, pedagogy; spirituality; raising a new crop of contemporary leaders, and leaders for tomorrow; popular community governance; new collaborative partnerships between the state, private sector and civil society; indigenous methods, techniques and processes of conflict identification; prevention, management and resolution; roles, responsibilities and relationships in family and communities of, between and among men, women, boys and girls; indigenous foods and indigenous agricultural science; games and sports; music, dance and drama.
Membership
Mpambo, the African Multiversity has four categories of members:
Fellows
The Fellowship category of member is open to persons who profess the Mpambo Philosophy and who in the process have distinguished themselves. In addition they are persons who are actively engaged in the application and advancement of the MULTIVERSITY ideals. They come together in Mpambo, the African Multiversity to strengthen their own work; to share and enrich their experience; to engage in joint-initiatives; and to generally spread and advance the Mpambo ideals.
Associates
The Associates category of membership is open to persons who support Mpambo, the African Multiversity and its programme strongly enough to be able, willing and available to undertake specific initiatives or assignments in the furtherance of the mandate of Mpambo, the African Multiversity.
Partners
The category of Partners is open to institutions which support Mpambo or whose mandate and work is relevant or related to Mpambo's mandate and programme. They are organizations which on an on-going basis will benefit from, and on that basis articulate mutually empowering joint initiatives and networking.
Patrons
These are men and women of means, fame and power who allow their names to be associated with Mpambo. They are encouraged to identify and mobilize resources for Mpambo.
The Board
Chair
Hon. Sithembiso Nyoni, M.P.
(Zimbabwe)
Nabyama
Hon. Paulo Wangoola
(Uganda)
Treasurer
Mr. David Nyende
(Uganda)
Member
Dr. Jack Githae
(Kenya)
Chair, International Advisory Council
Dr. Budd Hall
(Canada)
For more information contact:
NABYAMA*
Mpambo, the African Multiversity
P.O. Box 16692
Kampala, Uganda
Tel: 256-77-489081
Fax: 256-41-348468
email: mpambo@yahoo.com
Mpambo,
The Afrikan Multiversity -
THE
CONCEPT PAPER
BACKGROUND
Whatever
the area or level of human endeavour, it is always political.
Whether in the public, private or the civil society sector; or in the
domain of academe, such endeavours are either for the maintenance of reality or
for reform (giving old essence some new form); or for transformation, that is
going beyond form, to create some new essence – all of which are political.
Today we
find ourselves in an old and expiring world, heavily pregnant with the
There is
a North in the South and a South in the North.
The combined global South constitutes an overwhelming and ever-growing
majority of the have-nots which are getting poorer, while the rich are getting
fewer and richer. It seems that the
resource and power divide between the masters of globalization and their
collaborators, on the one hand, and the people, on the other, is so wide, it can
neither be bridged, nor maintained, by peaceful means.
Indeed the chasm itself is an intensifying act of war against the people
and the environment. As the war
rages on, fundamentalism, and its attendant fanaticism, comes to the fore.
The
fundamentalism and fanaticism of the oppressor, and that of the oppressed,
combine in a determined attempt not only to stop the forward march of history,
but actually to reverse it into a backward gallop.
Moreover, the two streams of fundamentalism and fanaticism on either side
seem to feed on and legitimize each other.
This can only mean that the people's rights and progress won by blood and
tears, is drowned in even more blood and tears.
In reality the two fundamentalisms and fanaticisms stifle the creative
powers of millions of men and women who dare dream of a different world, a world
of peace, social progress, justice, self-determination and solidarity,
consistent with the forward march of history; a history in which all peoples and
civilizations of the world are recognized and their future is assured.
"WE
ARE ONE PEOPLE"
The world
has never been in greater need for women and men who dare to dream of a different world as a commonwealth of inter-connected peoples and
civilizations than at this time.
Official website: http://www.uvcs.uvic.ca/conf/mpambo/