The College of Human Sciences hosted ISHS’s Academic Associate Professor Nelson Maldonado-Torres for a seminar titled “The Combative Decolonial Philosophy of Frantz Fanon” on the 30^th of July 2025. Executive Dean Professor Zethu Nkosi opened the proceedings and introduced Professor Maldonado-Torres.

Professor Nelson Maldonado-Torres’ lecture reminded us that the work of Frantz Fanon is not just about theory or academic debate; it’s a call to action. One of the main ideas he shared was combative decoloniality. This means that decolonization isn’t just something we talk about in classrooms or books; it’s a real, ongoing struggle against systems that continue to create inequality, violence, and exclusion. 

During the talk, Prof. Maldonado-Torres brought Fanon’s ideas into conversation with the work of Sylvia Wynter, a thinker who also challenges how Western societies define what it means to be human. These systems often use narrow ideas based on race, reason, or biology that exclude many people. But Prof. Maldonado-Torres made it clear that the goal isn’t just to change the language we use or adopt new theories. Instead, it’s about creating new ways of living and relating to one another based on dignity, mutual respect, and resistance to injustice.

One of the most powerful points he made was that colonial systems don’t just oppress people; they often make life unbearable in ways that are worse than death. Torture, humiliation, rape, and the erasure of people’s identities become normal under these systems. Fanon’s response to this was not just to critique it, but to fight against it. He called for new ways of being emotionally, socially, and politically that break away from the systems that cause harm.

Maldonado-Torres used the phrase “decolonization infuses a new rhythm,” which really stood out. That idea became even more meaningful when the lecture ended with a live drumming performance by Marcos Peñalosa Pica [director of the Majestad Negra International Folkloric Ballet (del Ballet Folklórico Internacional Majestad Negra)]. In this context, rhythm wasn’t just about music, but it symbolized a shared, living energy that brings people together to create something new. It was both a metaphor and a method for imagining a different kind of future.

Prof Maldonado-Torres also offered a sharp critique of universities. He pointed out that while many academic institutions talk about decolonization, they often do it in a way that feels safe and symbolic, what he called “decoloniality light.” This kind of approach leaves power structures in place. In contrast, he highlighted community spaces like the Blackhouse Collective in Soweto, South Africa, places where art, healing, political work, and education all come together in meaningful resistance.

His partnerships with organizers in South Africa and Puerto Rico showed how important it is to build solidarity across borders. When he said we should “de-occupy the university,” it was a call to shift the centre of knowledge production from elite institutions to grassroots movements and community-led spaces that are deeply connected to lived struggles.

In the end, the lecture didn’t just ask us to think about decolonization, it asked us to feel it, live it, and practice it.

Watch the full seminar here.

**By Ms Pebetsi Mathipa & Mr Xolisa Gwadiso