MISSION STATEMENT
The Es’kia Institute is organic to the lives of the people it serves in the area of its operations and an innovative influence in national efforts towards building Afrikan-centered initiatives in Arts, Culture, Education and Literature. The Institute will facilitate interactive learning between teacher, student and community, providing the space for growth.

OUR VISION
The Es’kia Institute nurtures, supports and develops community initiatives in Arts, Culture, Education and Literature in an effort to advance and preserve our Afrikan Heritage.

A NOTE TO THE READER
We have often been asked to explain why we spell the word “Afrika” instead of “Africa”. The Es’kia Institute has the banner headline “Inspired by the life and work of Es’kia Mphahlele”. Those who have read Mphahlele’s works will find a scholar whose thinking is rooted in both the philosophical and historical perspectives of our global quest for a common humanity. His social and political account of the Afrikan condition shows a view that is highly critical of the devastating impact colonialism and apartheid has had on the Afrikan psyche. He argues for a reclamation and correction of the history of the continent.

While scholars may have differing opinions on the origins and “correct” spelling of Afrika, The Es’kia Institute has chosen the “Afrika” spelling to reflect the reclamation and change from a Eurocentric point of reference to an Afrikan one, in line with the views of Prof Es’kia Mphahlele. More so, in terms of language and pronunciation, Africa spelt with a “c” has no identifiable Afrikan root, to the extent that it even does not belong to (or “is foreign to”) many Afrikan languages. This is true of many names created by the colonial powers, whose intention was to convey meaning that made sense to their European audience.
      In 1975 Mphahlele wrote “It is no use talking in the abstract about an Afrikan worldview based on traditional values, if at the same time we are content to live in a physical and human landscape created or determined by a European worldview.”
      We still sometimes use the word interchangeably and as with all things, we expect that we will only know in the long term whether our effort has had the desired objective; to give all Afrikans a greater sense of identity, of a new continent pregnant with possibilities.

Mike Stainbank
CEO – The Es’kia Institute

Published Daily News 22 December 2004