community talks
During the Mzansi Climate Justice Game Jam in June 2025, we are hosting open online expert talks to inspire both the game jam participants and anyone interested in climate justice and game making.
These events are open to game jam participants as well as the general public.
Indigenous Creation Stories: Relevance to Sustainable Development
Tuesday, June 10
5:30 PM – 6:00 PM CEST/SAST
The aim of the presentation is to inspire Mzansi Climate Justice Game Jam participants and anyone interested to counter historical erasure of African ecological knowledge and wisdom by engaging them in a process of unearthing African creation stories.
Speaker
Dr. Mmatshilo Motsei is Founder of Afrika Ikalafe, an organisation that specialises in personal and societal transformation that is founded on African spiritual principles. An African mystic, author, healer, and midwife, Mmatshilo started her career as a nurse, midwife, nursing lecturer, social science researcher and community development facilitator.
Decolonising Education through Indigenous Games
Tuesday, June 17
5:30 PM – 6:00 PM CEST/SAST
The concept of decolonising education has gained traction in recent years, yet many educators are still grappling with the fundamental question of how to implement this change effectively.
In this seminar, I will introduce the Open Education Resource of Indigenous Games in Africa (OERiGA), an initiative dedicated to preserving indigenous games that are on the verge of extinction. By developing educational resources that weave these games into mainstream curricula, we aim to honour cultural heritage while contributing to the decolonisation of education.
Speaker
Professor Dick Ng’ambi is a leading scholar in educational technology and digital pedagogy, specialising in mobile learning, gamification, and the integration of indigenous knowledge systems into education. As the founder and project director of the Educational Technology Inquiry Lab (ETILAB), Professor Ng’ambi leads innovative initiatives, including digital sandpits aimed at the professional development of teachers and teacher training.
Making Games in a Political Crisis
Tuesday, June 24
5:30 PM – 6:00 PM CEST/SAST
Molleindustria [soft industry/soft factory] is a project of reappropriation of video games, a call for the radicalization of popular culture, an independent game developer.
Since 2003 it has produced artisanal remedies to the idiocy of mainstream entertainment in the form of free, short-form, online games.
Speaker
Paolo Pedercini is a game developer, curator and educator. He teaches digital media and experimental game design at the School of Art at Carnegie Mellon University. Since 2003 he works under the project name “Molleindustria” producing provocative games addressing issues of ecology, social justice, urbanism and labor.
Paolo is the director of LIKELIKE, a neo-arcade devoted to independent games and playful art in Pittsburgh, PA.