Short Abstract

The words we choose shape understandings of Africa, the people who live there, and the continent’s complex histories. In this structured roundtable, contributors will present a provocative word or way of using words, and we aim to spark lively discussion and disrupt inherited language structures.

Long Abstract

“Language is very powerful. Language does not just describe reality. Language creates the reality it describes.” (Desmond Tutu, 1999)

The words we choose as researchers and writers respond to and shape understandings of Africa, the many people who live there, and the continent’s complex histories. In 2027, we are well aware that the words employed by people who came before us have marked our own fields of inquiry, at times exoticizing and diminishing African achievements they claimed to celebrate. With the rise of large language models (LLMs) that scrape the internet to produce strings of AI-generated text, identifying and evaluating biases underlying any word choice may become increasingly difficult. This reality creates a kind of prism, where the words that we, our ancestors, and our LLMs use may clarify or distort understanding. In this structured two-part roundtable discussion, contributors will present a provocative word or way of using words of their choosing. We aim to spark lively exchange among contributors and attendees as we wrestle with and attempt to disrupt inherited language structures.