African Studies Global Virtual Forum: Decoloniality & Southern Epistemologies - Esther Ajayi-Lowo

Value of the Information & Strength of the Argument

The presentation offers valuable insights into a marginalized topic, challenging dominant biomedical narratives. The argumentation is strong, grounded in ethnographic evidence and theoretical frameworks. Ajayi-Lowo effectively uses personal narrative and testimonies from midwives and birthing women to support her claims. She addresses counterarguments, such as the pushback on terminology, and provides nuanced analysis of policy implications. The value lies in centering indigenous knowledge and advocating for epistemic justice in maternal health.

Scientific Rigor, Source Quality, Title Accuracy

The talk demonstrates scientific rigor through its methodological transparency and theoretical grounding. However, specific sources are not cited in detail; she mentions scholars like Oyèrónkẹ́ Oyěwùmí and concepts like decoloniality, but without explicit references. The title accurately reflects the content, focusing on decoloniality and southern epistemologies. The presentation is part of an academic forum, suggesting a peer-reviewed context, but the lack of explicit citations limits verifiability.

The title accurately reflects the content, which focuses on decoloniality and southern epistemologies through the lens of African indigenous midwifery.

7/10

The presentation is based on original ethnographic research, with clear theoretical grounding and personal reflexivity. However, it is a conference talk with limited peer-reviewed sources cited, and some claims lack direct statistical evidence.

Markers derived by PSI from the transcript: the creator did not define chapters.

• 02:00Introduction of speaker and topic
• 05:00Explanation of the term 'agbebi' and choice of terminology
• 10:00Historical context: precolonial and colonial disruption of indigenous midwifery
• 15:00Research methodology and theoretical frameworks
• 20:00Discussion of black maternal mortality statistics
• 25:00Critique of 'traditional birth attendant' label
• 30:00Indigenous knowledge: C-sections, bone setting, and holistic care
• 35:00Examples of agbebi's skills: VBAC, breech version, gestational assessment
• 40:00Policy critique and recommendations
• 45:00Conclusion and call to action

• Meridians: feminism, race, transnationalism — Journal where her article on safe motherhood initiative with African indigenous birthing knowledge was published in 2024.
• Oyèrónkẹ́ Oyěwùmí - The Invention of Women: Making an African Sense of Western Gender Discourses — Referenced for thinking about gender in African contexts.
• Oyèrónkẹ́ Oyěwùmí - What Gender is Motherhood?: Changing Yorùbá Ideals of Power, Procreation, and Identity in the Age of Modernity — Referenced for understanding motherhood and gender.

• World Health Organization - Traditional birth attendants — WHO definition and stance on traditional birth attendants, which the speaker critiques.

• WHO recommendations on traditional birth attendants — WHO guidelines often emphasize training TBAs to align with biomedical standards, which may conflict with the speaker's advocacy for recognizing indigenous knowledge as equally valid.