A framework of Afrocentric hope: Rural South African children's conceptualizations of hope

Abstract

There is a growing need to explore and understand indigenous knowledge and subjective experiences around hope from children raised in rural African communities. This engagement sought to address the question: What are rural South African primary school children's conceptualizations of hope? A visual participatory methodology (using collage‐making, drawing, Mmogo method, and photovoice) enabled an exploration of hope with 12 children (9‐13 years) attending an aftercare center in rural QwaQwa region of South Africa. Using evidence generated from the study, and drawing on Scioli's theory of integrated hope, this article posits a framework of Afrocentric hope that develops along four interdependent and interrelated levels: contextual, personal, relational, and collective. These interactions are mediated by the spiritual/cultural worldview dimension. Understanding rural South African children's perspectives of hope contributes toward engagements aimed at nurturing, shaping, and strengthening hope in collective‐oriented communities.

Reimagining Community Schools as Beacons of Hope and Possibility in the South African Context

“…This includes planning for a better future and actively engaging in activities that develop the individual physically, cognitively, psychologically, and socially. Thus, being hopeful is central to one's identity and character, indicating that hope is located in a person's self-concept (Cherrington 2018).…”

“…The discussion linking Damons' engagement with members of a township primary school to the concept of hope in education is framed by the findings of a third study, which was conducted by the second author. Guided by a critical transformative design, Cherrington (2015;2018) engaged over a one-year period with 12 primary school children (aged 9-12 years) residing in a rural community. The children were all Sesotho home-language speakers and registered as beneficiaries of a children's programme (subsidised by the government, the Catholic Church, and various other organisations) where the study took place.…”

“…The aim of the study was to engage rural South African children, through multiple participatory visual methods (drawings, collages, photo-voice, Mmogo-method), in constructing their experiences of hope. A thematic analysis of the visual and textual data was recontextualised with existing theories of hope and a Framework for Afrocentric Hope was developed to describe hope as conceptualised by rural South African children (Cherrington 2018).…”

“…To address these questions, we turn to some of the findings that emerged from our various studies in the field of education: two studies involved a township primary school and members of the community (Damons 2012;, the other engaged with 9-to 12-year-old children and a group of childcare workers at a communitybased organisation in a rural community (Cherrington 2015;2018). As a comprehensive discussion of each of these studies and their complete findings is not within the scope of this paper, we instead offer selected ideas, reflections and moments from these engagements that shaped our own thinking around reimagining community schools and how these might enable hope and well-being in the community.…”

“…According to Cherrington (2018, 10), hope is "relational and generative, and therefore, to build, maintain, and foster one's own hope, an individual needs to engage in hope-enhancing positive interactions with others". Snyder (2000) notes that hope's value increases when it is shared; thus relational hope refers to the acts of doing hope with others (Cherrington 2018). Cherrington (2015) further posits that hopeful actions have reciprocal value, meaning that by sharing and enacting values such as love, care, trust, and respect with others, an individual is also simultaneously strengthening his/her own hopefulness.…”