The Institute for African Knowledges (IAK) just participated in the 2025 Wakati Wetu Festival in Nairobi (Kenya), where its founder shared about the positive Afrocritical approach.
From 22 to 23 October, discussions, animations, and collaborative efforts addressed reparatory actions for Africa. Attended by global entrepreneurs, representatives of civil society organisations, policymakers, and researchers, the event has been an incredible experience for Africa-oriented changemakers, including people from African descent.
During the roundtable on global alliances and ecosystems, the IAK’s founder, Aziza Maria Braekevelt, introduced the positive Afrocritical approach and called for empowerment through education. “We need to build communities intellectually first, through history and knowledge, which will lead to economic empowerment”, she stated.
In addition, IAK Expert Nyanchama Okemwa reflected on technological colonization, as part of the roundtable on reparations and artificial intelligence (AI). She highlighted “a new form of colonization” and emphasized how “reparations must reclaim wisdom and imagination, centering human intelligence”.
This falls in line with the Institute’s social mission to enhance Peace and development through education, as illustrated by the ongoing IAKshare social media campaign. By disseminating bite-sized, little-known facts about Africa, the IAK aims to engage, entertain, and help change biased narratives.
