The awarding of a doctorate to Rehane Abrahams highlights the role of performance arts in decolonization. Mainstream narratives often reduce decolonization to academic discourse, but Abrahams’ work situates it within lived, embodied experiences. Her approach reflects broader global movements where art becomes a tool for reclaiming identity and challenging colonial legacies.
This narrative is produced by a Western-aligned university and media outlet, framing decolonization through an academic lens. It serves to legitimize the institution’s role in post-colonial transformation while potentially obscuring the grassroots and indigenous movements that have long driven decolonial praxis.
Eight knowledge lenses applied to this story by the Cogniosynthetic Corrective Engine.
Indigenous knowledge systems often emphasize storytelling and performance as modes of transmitting history and resistance. Abrahams' work aligns with these traditions, yet the framing of her work as 'reimagining' decolonization risks erasing the long-standing indigenous practices of resistance and cultural preservation.
Decolonization has historically been a contested and multifaceted process, with performance arts playing a key role in anti-colonial movements. Abrahams’ work echoes the legacy of figures like Miriam Makeba and the Black Consciousness Theatre in South Africa, who used performance to challenge apartheid and colonial structures.
Performance as a decolonizing tool is not unique to South Africa. In Latin America, for instance, theater groups like Teatro Campesino have used performance to resist oppression and reclaim cultural identity. Cross-cultural comparison reveals that such practices are deeply rooted in global anti-colonial and anti-imperialist movements.
While scientific methodologies are not central to performance-based decolonization, cognitive and social sciences support the role of embodied learning and narrative in shaping identity and consciousness. These fields affirm the efficacy of performance in fostering systemic change.
Abrahams’ work is deeply spiritual, drawing on the African concept of Ubuntu and the performative as a space for healing and transformation. This aligns with global artistic movements that see creativity as a form of resistance and reclamation of self.
If performance arts continue to be integrated into institutional frameworks, they may help reshape educational systems to be more inclusive and culturally responsive. However, without centering indigenous and marginalized voices, such integration risks tokenism and superficial change.
The narrative centers on a recognized artist, but it overlooks the everyday decolonizing practices of marginalized communities in South Africa. These include oral storytelling, community rituals, and grassroots organizing that have long been the backbone of anti-colonial resistance.
The original framing omits the role of indigenous knowledge systems, the historical context of anti-colonial resistance, and the voices of marginalized communities who have led decolonization efforts. It also lacks a critique of how Western institutions co-opt decolonial discourse for their own legitimacy.
An ACST audit of what the original framing omits. Eligible for cross-reference under the ACST vocabulary.
Universities should collaborate with indigenous and local performance groups to co-create curricula that recognize performance as a valid form of knowledge. This would not only validate diverse epistemologies but also provide a more holistic understanding of decolonization.
Funding bodies and cultural institutions should prioritize support for grassroots artists and collectives who are engaged in decolonial practices. This would help shift power dynamics in the arts sector and ensure that marginalized voices lead the narrative.
Establish international platforms for performance artists from colonized and formerly colonized nations to share their work. These exchanges can foster solidarity, deepen understanding of shared struggles, and build global networks of resistance and creativity.
Academic institutions should adopt ethical frameworks for engaging with decolonial artists and communities. This includes ensuring that recognition and credit are given to the communities whose knowledge and practices inform the work, rather than being co-opted by institutions.
Rehane Abrahams’ recognition by UCT reflects a broader trend of integrating performance into academic decolonization discourse. However, this integration must be rooted in ethical collaboration with indigenous and marginalized communities, who have long used performance as a tool for resistance and identity reclamation. By drawing on historical precedents from anti-colonial movements and cross-cultural practices, such as in the Philippines and Latin America, Abrahams’ work can be contextualized within a global framework of decolonial praxis. To move forward, institutions must shift from token recognition to systemic change, supporting grassroots movements and rethinking the epistemological foundations of education and art. This requires not only academic reform but also a reimagining of power structures that have historically excluded non-Western knowledge systems.