It’s that time of the year when things start winding down work-wise and the end-of-year fatigue starts kicking in. But for many academics, the end of the working year doesn’t mean the end of work itself. Some of us may still be busy with our research over the holiday season, but this final blog marks the end of my journey with writing with SAYAS. The time truly flew by, and there is a lot to reflect on when it comes to what I’ve learned about science communication.

A Note of Thanks 

Firstly, it’s been an honour to collaborate with some amazing fellow emerging researchers across South Africa. From Mukhtaar’s ability to craft such beautifully witty takes in his blogs (his first vlog was my favourite!) to learning about how Jo deftly applies an intersectional approach to their research and creating a newfound sisterhood with Lonwabo, interacting with the 2023 cohort has been unquantifiably wholesome. Likewise, a massive thank you to our coordinator, Jen, who has been supportive and dedicated to pushing us to write throughout this year. Her time and engaged approach to pushing our newly fortified science communication skills cannot be taken for granted. Thank you, Jen!

Mirrors and Doors

In terms of reflecting on the year, it feels pre-emptive to discern whether or not it was ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Post-2020, there has definitely been a shift in how as a collective, we process the enormity of daily life on a different scale. That there’s almost this sense of mourning for what we had planned prior to March 2020. So, to echo the sentiments of my September blog, whilst every day may look different, it brings us closer to where we need to be. That being present in how we show up in our work requires the ability to be adaptable in our self-reflexiveness. Although I am still looking forward to setting time aside to reflect on my goals and achievements, it is not lost on me that there are lessons I am still in the process of uncovering and learning from. And that is the beauty of it all. So where does that leave you, the reader, to learn more about my academic journey? I am currently in the first round of my data collection and am so excited to embed myself in fieldwork. Envisioning the end of my PhD journey seems elusive, but I am closer than I think. My journey with SAYAS has been one important piece of a puzzle that is me becoming the scholar I aspire to become; caring, kind, compassionate, principled and relentless in the pursuit of creating knowledge that centres these values. 

Final thoughts

In an interview with The Republic, South African author Mpho Matsipa was asked what the most meaningful piece of writing advice she’d ever received, to which she said the following: 

“Writing will be all that remains after the bullsh*t institutional battles are lost and/or won.”

 

Writing for the sake of profit or glory has never been the allure for most researchers. We care about what we write about because solidarity is more important than complicity. Therefore, it would be disingenuous not to bring to the forefront what is happening in Palestine as I type this. As of 21st November 2023, more than 13,300 people have been killed by attacks from Israel, with 5,500 being children and 3,500 women.

There is no freedom from all the oppression we sit and talk about without the liberation of Palestinians.

There is no freedom from oppression without the liberation of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

There is no freedom from oppression without the liberation of Haiti.

There is no freedom from oppression without the freedom of West Papua New Guinea.

There is no freedom from oppression if we remain silent while pretending our insulated sensibilities keep us safe from another person’s reality eventually becoming our own. As academics, we have the privilege to engage with the real world through an ivory tower. Because of this, we must be cognizant of how our work ties into the bigger threads of humanity so that we may never lose who we are in the face of a world on fire.