14/09/2026
SAJAH Annual Conference hosted at Nelson Mandela University
The 2026 Annual Conference of the South African Journal of Art History (SAJAH), an accredited journal in the fields of visual arts and architecture, was hosted at the School of Architecture on 4–5 September 2026. It was organised through collaboration between the Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and Technology (EBET), the School of Architecture, the Faculty of Humanities, the School of Visual and Performing Arts, and the Indigenous Knowledge Systems of the Built Environment Unit (IKSBEU).
Held under the theme “Place, Practice, and Knowledge: Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Arts and Architecture”, the conference brought together scholars, practitioners, creatives and Indigenous representatives to engage critically with the spatial, cultural and creative dimensions of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS).
The conference was opened by Prof Sudesh Rathilal, Executive Dean of EBET, followed by Dr Yolanda van der Vyver, Editor of SAJAH, and Prof Magda Minguzzi, Team Leader of IKSBEU.
Indigenous participation formed an important part of the opening programme, with the presence of Paramount Chief Gert C. Steenkamp and the Oeswana’s Children, as well as Chief Zenzile Khoisan as keynote speaker of the day two of the conference. The programme also included a ceremonial signing associated with the inauguration of the IKSBEU.
Across the two-day programme, the conference featured 22 contributions from scholars across South Africa, alongside international presenters from Australia, England and Spain. Presentations explored craft and knowledge transmission, community and spatial practices, Indigenous architectures, climate resilience and adaptation, pedagogy, memory and international perspectives on Indigenous knowledge.
The conference also hosted the exhibition Under the Same Sky: Dwelling with the Ancestors, curated by Dr David Eduardo Morocho Jaramillo, POST Doc at the School of Architecture. Through stories, interviews, songs and documentation from the Amazon, the exhibition created a space for dialogue between the SAJAH conference delegates and the Indigenous Knowledge Holders.
The 2026 SAJAH Annual Conference underscored the importance of IKS in advancing scholarship across arts and architecture. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, international contributions, the exhibition and Ceremony by IKSBEU, the event highlighted the role of Indigenous epistemologies in shaping resilient, ethical, and community‑engaged futures. By integrating academic discourse with creative practice, the conference positioned SAJAH as a critical platform for inclusive dialogue and global scholarly exchange.
