Siyabonana
"We see each other,
and in each other,
we see ourselves."
- Thabo Lehlongwa
Siyabonana: The Journal of Africana Studies is an open access online peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes original research and creative intellectual work on key issues within the discipline of Africana Studies and across the global African world. Pan-African in scope, the journal publishes research articles, essays, commentaries, institutional reports, book reviews, oral histories/interviews, and other creative work that utilizes African-centered theories, methodologies, and approaches to not only examine critical issues, but to present solutions within all areas of Africana Studies, including the humanities, arts, and sciences. It simultaneously provides intellectual space for discourse about community social justice activist work and liberation struggles on the continent and within African world communities. Accepting intellectual and creative work from diverse scholars, activists, writers, and artists who resemble the Editorial Board’s diverse training and scholarship, The Journal of Africana Studies intentionally positions itself as an inclusive and affirming discipline-based African-centered entity. Timely and radical intellectual research and creative pieces on the prison industrial complex; Africana/Black digital humanities; Africana genders and sexualities and Africana queer theory; the Black radical tradition; political prisoners; Africana/Black Psychology; mental health, nutrition, and holistic health; the African/Black Aesthetic; Africana spiritual philosophy; Black liberation theology; and Afrofuturism and Afropessimism are, therefore, also welcome.
Siyabonana literally means “we see each other” in isiZulu, the language of the AmaZulu, the people of the heavens. In using the reflexive form of this word, we acknowledge each other’s humanity, our common spirit, and the lived experiences that bind us together. From the journal’s perspective, this lens of global connectedness provides the foundation for us to work together towards a liberatory discourse, scholarly activism, and the structures of self-determination.