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Meqoqo under the Baobab: Expanding participatory possibilities of (un)conferencing in South African higher education

Rieta Ganas

Centre for Learning, Teaching and Development, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9633-3675

Subethra Pather

Office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, Western Cape South Africa

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5207-2792

Greig Krull

Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0690-5869

Nelia Frade

Centre for Academic Staff Development, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2589-3728

Sarah Godsell

School of Education, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3431-2868

Nereshnee Govender

Writing Centre, Durban University of Technology, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9613-0341

Rosaline Govender

Faculty of Accounting and Informatics, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1411-4581

Anthea Jacobs

Faculty of Economic & Management Sciences, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa.

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5792-6347

Paul Maluleka

School of Educational Studies, University of South Africa, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3168-150X

Luyanda Marhaya

Programme Accreditation and Curriculum Development, Vaal University of Technology, Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng, South Africa

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-5209-1244

Sisonke Mawonga

Extended Studies Unit, Rhodes University, Makhanda, Eastern Cape, South Africa

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8620-0948

Balitiye Monareng

Comprehensive Online Education Services, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-9096-8413

Arthi Ramrung

Teaching and Learning Development Centre, Mangosuthu University of Technology, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1811-1863

Leanri van Heerden

Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching, Central University of Technology, Bloemfontein, North West, South Africa

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5438-2070

Abstract

Conference participants often find dialogic value in conversations held in between conference sessions. As part of its annual event, the Higher Education Learning and Teaching Association of Southern Africa (HELTASA) grappled with how to disrupt traditional pre-conference workshop structures and foster a more inclusive, and participatory environment for scholarly engagement. This study explores the expansion of HELTASA’s (un)conference methodology through facilitated sessions of collective learning and teaching conversations on the first day of the event. Drawing on HELTASA’s (un)conference approach, the study is grounded in the principles of Ubuntu (human interconnectedness) and Ukama (relationality) to promote the values of community, balance, and reciprocity. Using the symbolic spirit of the Baobab tree as life, resilience, and interconnectedness, the Meqoqo (stories and conversations) under the Baobab sessions were conceptualised to support storytelling and dialogue that honoured diverse perspectives and lived experiences. Through a narrative inquiry methodology, an analytic framework towards planning and enacting methodological change was created and used to analyse the reflective narratives generated by the Meqoqo facilitators. The findings highlight that the intentional first day dialogic design of the (un)conference facilitated Ubuntu, Ukama, community building, and knowledge exchange through collaborative learning and peer-to-peer interaction. This enabled (un)conference participants to address contextually relevant, contradictory and contentious issues in higher education. This demonstrates that stretching the participatory boundaries of scholarly gatherings can foster more inclusive, equitable, and dialogic participation. The study contributes strategies for equitable participatory approaches that support cross-boundary and transversal thinking through dialogue, voice, and embodied action.

Keywords: Higher education dialogue; inclusive opportunities; participatory approaches; productive disruption; ubuntu; ukama

How to cite this article: Ganas, R., Pather, S., Krull, G., Frade, N., Godsell, S., Govender, N., Govender, R., Jacobs, A., Maluleka, P., Marhaya, L., Mawonga, S., Monareng, B., Ramrung, A., & van Heerden, L. (2025). Meqoqo under the Baobab: Expanding participatory possibilities of (un)conferencing in South African higher education. African Perspectives of Research in Teaching and Learning, 9(6), 923-935.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.70875/v9i6article19