CALL FOR ARTICLES FOR PUBLICATION IN THE AAS NEWSLETTER ON THE HISTORY OF
SCIENCES AND INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS IN AFRICA
The African Academy of Sciences (AAS) has established four commissions, including a
Commission on the African Scientific Heritage.
Objectives of the Commission
The objectives of the Commission on the African Scientific Heritage as defined by the AAS
Governing Council are as follows:
1. To improve communication among those interested in the History of Sciences and
Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Africa;
2. To promote and develop active cooperation among scientists, historians,
anthropologists, archaeologists, sociologists, etc. doing research in or related to the
History of Sciences and Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Africa;
3. To promote research in the History of Sciences in Africa and the publication of its
results in order to contribute to the demystification of bias in the historiography of
Sciences and Indigenous Knowledge Systems; and
4. To cooperate with any and all organizations pursuing similar objectives.
Activities of the Commission
In order to achieve the above objectives, the Commission will implement the following
activities:
1. Publish a quarterly Newsletter on the History of Sciences and Indigenous Knowledge
Systems in Africa;
2. Develop an online database and establish an African Network of Experts on History
of Sciences and Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Africa;
3. Encourage researchers to publish their results in the Journal of History of Sciences
and Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Africa that will be published by the
forthcoming Pan African Association of Scientists in Indigenous knowledge systems;
4. Establish a virtual documentation center; and
5. Organise lectures on the History of Sciences in Africa at national, regional and
continental levels as well as international congresses and conferences.
The AAS Newsletter on the History of Sciences and Indigenous Knowledge Systems in
Africa
The Newsletter will be published quarterly under the editorship of Professor Juma Shabani,
President of the AAS Commission on African Scientific Heritage and Professor Peter
Okebukola, Immediate Past Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission of
Nigeria and currently President of the Global University Network for Innovation (GUNi)-
Africa.
The Newsletter will mainly cover the following areas:
1. National, regional and institutional policies on indigenous knowledge systems;
2. Contribution of Indigenous Knowledge to socio-economic and cultural development;
3. Research on History of Sciences and Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Africa;
4. Issues related to the History of sciences in Africa;
5. Activities of Regional and International organizations related to the History of Sciences
and Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Africa;
6. Copyright protection and enforcement;
7. Incorporation of History of sciences and indigenous knowledge in the curriculum of
schools at all levels; and
8. Forthcoming conferences.
Call for Articles
We are inviting experts to submit articles for publication in the AAS Newsletter on the
History of Sciences and Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Africa. The articles should not
exceed 1500 words. They should preferably include some pictures to better illustrate their
contents. Articles should be sent by email to both [email protected] and
[email protected].
The first issue of the newsletter will be published on 1 October 2015 and will cover the
period from October to December 2015. Electronic versions of the newsletter will be widely disseminated in Africa and beyond through experts networks and mailing lists.
Management/Coordination
Under the overall coordination of the AAS President and with the support of the AAS
Secretariat, the publication of the Newsletter will involve the following persons:
1. Professor Juma Shabani and Professor Peter Okebukola as Co-Editors;
2. Members of the Commission on the African Scientific Heritage: Juma Shabani
(President), Wambebe C. O (Secretary), Balkiss B, Ngadjui T. B, Nkwi P, and El-Fouly
M.
