On Regenerative African Futures

Sovereignty, Becoming Human, Death, and Forgiveness as Fertile Paradoxes for Decolonial Soul Work

Abstract

This think piece is a sensorial grappling with slippery paradoxes within Regenerative African Futures that persist in elusive ways. It hopes to trouble conditionalities (either /or thinkings) that stagnate our ability to move into Regenerative Futures. In a world where the tendency to bifurcate is part of our programming, this piece wonders how practicing a sense of awareness around the paradoxes of sovereignty, belonging, death and forgiveness might help us arrive at a more radical embrace. Perhaps by attending to the slippery edges of the continuum we can begin to be aware of the streams we are embroiled in, and make greater strides into praxis-based responses that do not shy from these. This piece reflects the collective work underway over the last few years for co- conspirators who have been working with and around the Environmental Learning Research Centre at Rhodes University, South Africa. It suggests that transcending these paradoxes requires a deep sense of soul-based grounding that can help us make home and sanctuary for our most expansive selves.