Thought-Leader, Innovator, Futurist
I spent the first 14 years of my life living under apartheid, in South Africa. my INTERDISCIPLINARY research, teaching and consultancy address complex african problems of today and tomorrow.
EXPERTISE
- Africa-China relations. I enjoy finding better ways of understanding China-Africa relations and looking at African development within this context. I have done extensive travel and research in China. I am currently researching Africa-China academic diplomacy and African languages in the African big power competition nexus.
- The Zulu language and technology. As an innovative intellectuel engagé, I have developed new tools not only for the study of the Zulu language but also its classification for incorporation into tech platforms, including AI. Because of unique insights gained from my China-Africa research, I am interested in African languages and cultures as engines of economic growth and spaces of global/strategic contestation.
Africa-China Relations, African Development and African Languages & Tech
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I TEACH, RESEARCH, SPEAK and consult on the following subjects:
- Africa-China relations
- South Africa-China relations
- Africa-China academic diplomacy
- African development and China
- China and African languages
- China and the African culture economy
- Zulu language development and technology
I. Africa-China Work
- Quadrilinear Model for South Africa-China Analysis
- Interplay of four most important Afro-Sino relationships
- Useful to scholars, policymakers and general analysts
- For comprehensive, multi-faceted analysis of relations
- Adaptable for analysis of other African countries' relations with China
II. Africa-China Work
- Coined the term attenuated contact
- Coined the term allusive contact
- Terms describe the types of contact Africans and Chinese have had over time
III. Africa-China Work
- Coined the term African de-naissance
- The geo-economic environment pre and post Y2K
- African economic integration and growth initiatives correlated with stagnant FDI
- Effective reversal/deferment of the 'African renaissance'
- Term important for contextualizing South Africa-China relations
I. Language Work
- I developed the first conjugator, mini dictionary, and theasaurus app by native speaker
- Used experience as a RA in unclassified machine learning research project
- Ultimate objective: collaborate to integrate the Zulu language into tech platforms
- Ultimate dream: have isiZulu as a language choice in Microsoft Word settings
II. Language Work
- Created the Zulu Ordinal Prefix System (ZOPS)
- First ever abbreviation of Zulu ordinal numbering for the superscript function
- Similar to English '1st', '2nd', '3rd', etc.
- Similar to French '1er/re', '2e', '3e', etc.
- Adoptable into auto-complete functions
Courses
- South Africa: Trends, Challenges and Emerging Issues
- Rural Development in Africa
- China and Africa Development
- African Language and Culture
- Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Zulu
- Intensive IsiZulu
- Introduction to Contemporary Africa
- Regional Organizations of Africa
Education
- PhD Howard University, (African Studies)
- MA Warwick University (International Political Economy)
- MIAA Missouri State (International Affairs and Administration)
- BA Utah State (International Studies)
LANGUAGES: English, isiZulu, French, Shona
Service
Co-Chair, Howard University chapter
I am the co-chair of the Howard University chapter of the the United Nations-initiated He For She Campaign. It is a global initiative which seeks to combine the efforts of men and women in the cause of gender equality.
A passion for mentoring students of color.
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