Research and research funding have traditionally been dominated by the Global North. Fortunately, there has been an encouraging increase in the recognition of content and research outputs by African scientists and scholars in recent years. It is essential that researchers on our continent now use this forward momentum, enhanced by an increased appreciation of the value of traditional knowledge systems, to take their rightful place in the global research environment with confidence and full understanding of their worth, says Prof Corli Witthuhn, Vice-Rector: Research and Internationalisation at the University of the Free State.
Recognising African scholars
The recent decision by the respected global medical journal The Lancet to reject papers with data from Africa that fail to acknowledge African contributors, has rightfully been applauded by the global research community. This brave act is confirming ethical research protocols that should never have been abandoned in the first place. Even more important than acknowledging the contribution of African scholars, is to recognise the work they produce on its own merit and not to continuously look at it through a Eurocentric lens to gauge its value. Africans should contribute more to global narratives. This would prevent universal issues such as global warming from taking centre stage in the media only when it is relevant to the North, such as this year…
