Nelson Mandela University recently hosted the 2026 Annual Conference of the South African Journal of Art History (SAJAH), bringing together academics, creatives, practitioners and Indigenous representatives to explore the growing role of Indigenous Knowledge Systems in arts and architecture.
Hosted by the University’s School of Architecture, the conference was held under the theme “Place, Practice, and Knowledge: Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Arts and Architecture.”
The event created a multidisciplinary platform for conversations around Indigenous knowledge, creative practice, architecture and the ways communities preserve and transmit knowledge across generations.
Scholars explore Indigenous knowledge and creative practice
The conference featured 22 contributions from scholars across South Africa, alongside international presenters from Australia, England and Spain.
Presentations covered a wide range of topics, including:
- Craft and the transmission of knowledge
- Community and spatial practices
- Indigenous architecture
- Climate resilience and adaptation
- Teaching and pedagogy
- Memory and heritage
- International perspectives on Indigenous knowledge
The conference was a collaborative effort involving Mandela University’s Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and Technology (EBET), School of Architecture, Faculty of Humanities, School of Visual and Performing Arts, and the Indigenous Knowledge Systems of the Built Environment Unit (IKSBEU).
Indigenous leaders take centre stage
The opening programme placed strong emphasis on Indigenous participation, with Paramount Chief Gert C. Steenkamp and the Oeswana’s Children among those in attendance.
Chief Zenzile Khoisan delivered the keynote address on the second day, adding an important Indigenous perspective to discussions taking place throughout the conference.
The programme also included a ceremonial signing connected to the inauguration of the IKSBEU, marking another significant moment in the University’s efforts to integrate Indigenous knowledge into built-environment scholarship.
The conference was opened by Prof Sudesh Rathilal, Executive Dean of EBET, followed by remarks from Dr Yolanda van der Vyver, Editor of SAJAH, and Prof Magda Minguzzi, Team Leader of IKSBEU.
Exhibition connects scholarship with Indigenous stories
Delegates also experienced the exhibition Under the Same Sky: Dwelling with the Ancestors, curated by Dr David Eduardo Morocho Jaramillo, a postdoctoral fellow at Mandela University’s School of Architecture.
Drawing on stories, interviews, songs and documentation from the Amazon, the exhibition created a space for dialogue between conference delegates and Indigenous Knowledge Holders.
The combination of academic presentations, creative work, documentary material and Indigenous participation helped broaden the conversation beyond traditional academic settings.
Building more inclusive futures through Indigenous knowledge
Prof Minguzzi said the 2026 SAJAH conference highlighted the importance of Indigenous Knowledge Systems in advancing scholarship across the arts and architecture.
The conference demonstrated how interdisciplinary collaboration and international engagement can contribute to approaches that are resilient, ethical and rooted in communities.
By bringing academic research together with creative practice and Indigenous perspectives, the SAJAH conference reinforced its position as a platform for inclusive scholarly dialogue and international exchange.
