Prof Mpume Zondi, Head of the African Languages Department at UP, chats about her time as a Fulbright scholar at the Ohio State University and about her research focus.

“Being part of the Fulbright South African Research Scholar Programme is something I hold in the highest esteem,” says Professor Mpume Zondi, Head of the African Languages Department at the University of Pretoria (UP). She tells us about her time as a Fulbright scholar at the Ohio State University in the US.

Tell us about yourself and how you came to be at UP.

I am a black female academic who has experienced life during both the grim apartheid period and the improved, hope-inspiring post-apartheid period. I am passionate about literature (traditional and modern) as well as gender issues. I employ literature to address gender disparity in various contexts.

I joined UP as an associate professor and Head of African Languages in February 2017. This was after serving as a lecturer and senior lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (1995 – 2011) and at the University of Zululand as an associate professor (2012 – January 2017).

Being at UP and in the Faculty of Humanities has been so rewarding. Because of the support that the Dean and his office provided, I saw myself almost reaching my highest potential. I am a National Research Foundation-rated scholar and a full professor, and I participated in the prestigious UP Vice-Chancellor Programme for Academic Leadership in 2019.

You were admitted to the Fulbright South African Research Scholar Programme. Tell us about this experience.

I believe the accolades I mentioned contributed to my success in being one of 10 scholars nationally who made it to the final selection of the Fulbright South African Research Scholar Programme, which receives thousands of applicants who hope to be admitted. Being part of the programme is something I hold in the highest esteem.

I participated in the 2022 to 2023 programme, and my host institution was the Ohio State University (OSU) in the US. It was a nine-month programme, and during this time, I was able to travel to various universities giving keynote addresses and guest lecturers, and attending seminars and conferences.

My Fulbright experience was a life-changing experience. I delivered a few guest lectures in various OSU departments and visited a few universities in different states, sharing my research and discovering potential collaborations. The exposure gained through meetings with fellow “Fulbrighters” from all over the world opened up possibilities for networking. Among the meetings we had, I was delighted to participate in the African Studies Association conference in Philadelphia. Annually, this conference brings together scholars from all over the globe. I engaged with fellow Fulbrighters from Africa during the closed sessions, which were only open to Fulbright scholars. We formed close associations and discussed possible collaborative areas.

Another meeting which I enjoyed was the Fall Seminar in Cleveland. The theme was ‘Climate change’. I read a paper that received a standing ovation. The title was ‘Ubuntu in times of catastrophe with specific reference to the recent floods in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa’. I discovered that more than 80% of my audience had never heard of the word “ubuntu” before. Most of the participants stated that even if they forgot some presentations delivered during the Fall Seminar, they would never forget mine because it taught them about ubuntu.

The world would certainly be a better place if we all practised ubuntu. It felt good to know that I had made a difference in other people’s lives.

Why did you choose to apply to the Fulbright programme?

After working at three institutions of higher learning, each one with a different historical context, I felt that the Fulbright programme would be a great way to consolidate my career. Aimed at improving intercultural relations, I felt that the programme was the right space for me to be South Africa’s ambassador and to share the story of our rainbow nation while learning from the American culture.

What is your primary area of study?

My scholarship converges on African literature (traditional and modern) and addresses issues of gender equality, especially in African patriarchal societies. The title of my Fulbright project was ‘The black archive(s) as a resource for (South) African and African American Studies’.

Why did you decide to work in this field?

Much of the work that exists in what is conceptualised as the Black Archive(s) excludes works by black authors in South Africa. This is due to South African literary historiography that has, for socio-political and ideological reasons, relegated black writers to a marginal position in comparison to other developed languages such as English. My project focuses on ‘The Black Archive(s)’, which is the concept I metaphorically use to refer to the uncelebrated works of African scholars whose contribution to the scholarly project is not given attention in the same way that other literary establishments are.

The project intends to promote the long overdue strengthening of the African paradigm in our institutions of higher learning by recognising and acknowledging such works as a pillar of excellence in African scholarship and for them to be awarded a pivotal position in various disciplines both locally and internationally, thus facilitating the thinking about the reformation of disciplinary knowledge in the 21^st century.

You regularly visit the US – why is that?

On a personal level, the US has become my second home. I have been in and out of the country since my first trip from 2002 to 2003. I made long-lasting friendships and relationships with Emmaus Catholic Worker House in Albany, New York, which I fondly call “my transatlantic family”. This community provided education for needy kids at my rural village of KwaNdebeqheke, outside Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal, kids who would otherwise have found it difficult to attend school. Through them, a number of school-going children have benefitted from school uniforms, school supplies, backpacks and tuition fees. That is why whenever I attend a conference in the US, I always make it a point that I meet our sponsors.

Professionally, the scope of the work is premised on the fact that the Black Archive(s) is a critical contributor to the thinking and work emanating from African and Africana Studies (found in the US). The proposition here is that in the geographical conversation between the scholarship of South Africa and the US, the capacity for mutual beneficiation becomes all the more possible. Mutual cooperation takes place through the Black Archive(s), informing the scholarship and thinking of the disciplinary domains of African and Africana Studies.