Book Details
Decolonising Design in Africa: Towards New Theories, Methods, and Practices
Yaw Ofosu-Asare
Taylor & Francis
2024
208 pp.,
ISBN: 9781032692647
What happens when design, so often perceived to be contemporary, technical and very much Eurocentric, is reimagined as a deeply cultural, ethical and political act rooted in African traditions? Decolonising Design in Africa by Yaw Ofosu-Asare offers a powerful and timely response to this question. This thought-provoking book recently published by Routledge (2024) seeks to challenge entrenched paradigms in design education and practice by foregrounding African knowledge systems, spiritual worldviews and cultural contexts. Combining academic scholarship and lived experience, Ofosu-Asare constructs a framework for rethinking design pedagogy through a decolonial lens.
The book is an output of the Ofosu-Asare’s doctoral thesis and has been expanded into an accessible, engaging and interdisciplinary exploration. Positioned at the intersection of design theory, African philosophy and education reform, the book speaks not only to scholars and educators but also to practitioners, policymakers and students with a passion for the transformation of design in Africa and beyond.
Decolonising Design in Africa is structured around four core chapters, each addressing a distinct dimension of the colonial legacy in African design education and charting pathways toward a decolonised future. The first chapter lays the theoretical foundation through tracing how colonial and postcolonial systems of education have marginalised Indigenous ways of knowing. The second chapter then focuses on culturally relevant pedagogy and curriculum development, arguing for the integration of African languages, symbols and storytelling techniques into design curricula. The third chapter explores spirituality, religion and artistic practices in African design traditions, demonstrating how design is often embedded in communal life and ethical systems rather than existing as an isolated profession. The final chapter examines how design can be a vehicle for political resistance, social justice and cultural reclamation, particularly in contexts shaped by influences such as apartheid, colonial violence and systemic racism.
Threaded throughout the book are engaging case studies, stories, autoethnographic reflections and speculative propositions that shine a light on how African designers and educators are already reworking the discipline. Drawing from Ghanaian concepts like Sankofa and design motifs such as Adinkra symbols, Ofosu-Asare argues for a paradigm shift where African design is not seen as a derivative of Western aesthetics but rather as a rich, sovereign knowledge system in its own right working hand-in-hand with existing systems.
But the greatest strength of Decolonising Design in Africa lies in its ability to weave together narrative, theory and methodology into a coherent and textured tapestry. The book’s prose is lyrical without being overly indulgent and the storytelling, as demonstrated by the fictionalised opening of a Ghanaian schoolgirl’s journey, grounds theoretical insights in lived realities. This blending of form and content reflects the very decolonial ethos the book espouses, that design education should honour Indigenous ways of knowing, including oral histories, spiritual beliefs and community practices.
Another notable strength is the methodological innovation employed. The book rejects traditional Western research models in favour of what the author refers to as a “storied-ethnography,” that is informed by a combination of participatory design, African philosophy and postcolonial critique. This approach resonates with readers such as myself, with an interest in curriculum development who have worked on integrating design thinking and AI ethics into African information systems programs. Ofosu-Asare’s insistence on student-centred and community-engaged pedagogy aligns with current efforts to reform South African curricula in the wake of #RhodesMustFall and #FeesMustFall.
The book also provides a critical lens on the risk of “reverse essentialism.” In a particularly compelling section titled Prophesying Design, the author cautions that decolonisation must not merely replace one hegemony with another, or in other words elevating Indigenous design traditions should not entail marginalising others but rather cultivate a pluralistic design environment where diverse epistemologies can coexist.
Still, some readers may find the book’s philosophical depth at times demanding. Its engagement with postcolonial theory, systems thinking and design pedagogy can feel dense, especially for readers unfamiliar with these interdisciplinary discourses. Additionally, while the book is rich in Ghanaian examples, there is limited comparative analysis across other African contexts, an area that might be explored in future volumes.
All in all, Decolonising Design in Africa is a groundbreaking and eloquently articulated call to reimagine what design means in the context of African. It offers critiques of colonial legacies with clarity and urgency while simultaneously offering constructive, context-specific alternatives for educators, designers and institutions. Ofosu-Asare’s work is not only timely but also transformative, offering a compelling case for rethinking how we teach, learn and practice design.
For academics, curriculum developers and postgraduate students interested in design, education, African studies or postcolonial theory, this book becomes essential reading. It will also appeal to practitioners in digital innovation, architecture, fashion and media seeking to engage more ethically with African contexts.
As someone engaged in teaching and supervising research in areas like human-centred design, AI and digital entrepreneurship, I found Decolonising Design in Africa both affirming and challenging. It reminded me that every curriculum I design, every system I help students build, and every research question I pose carries both the weight of history as well as the promise of transformation. In this way this is not merely a book but rather a blueprint for reclaiming design as a tool of liberation. I recommend it without any reservation.
About the Reviewer
Adheesh Budree is an Associate Professor in Information Systems at the University of Cape Town (UCT), with a research focus on the socioeconomics of technology. He holds a PhD in Information Systems and an MA in Creative Writing amongst other qualifications in Business Analysis, Economics and Computer Science. He is currently reading towards an MEd in Higher Education Studies. Adheesh is also a qualified Design Thinking coach at the Hasso Plattner D-School Afrika at UCT. He is the author of two books, eCommerce in South Africa (2023), and Inheritance (2022), a fiction novel derived from his MA thesis.