About Tshepo
The Tshepo Institute for the Study of Contemporary Africa (TISCA) is a university-wide research centre, with active members across multiple faculties currently involved in Afrocentric research projects. We also present a number of lecture series on Afrocentric issues of development and social justice.
TISCA’s vision is to provide scholars specializing in Africa with a platform and voice to produce and share timely interdisciplinary knowledge and discourse about issues affecting contemporary Continental Africa and its diaspora.
TISCA’ mission is to promote global awareness and excellence in knowledge development on issues in Contemporary Africa and the African Diaspora in Canada and beyond. It works to fulfil the following objectives:
- Offer a space for experts and scholars to structure research and offer analysis to generate solutions with real-world implications.
- Foster engagement among faculty, students, and local community members on issues impacting Africa and the African Diaspora.
- Empower and inform students, especially racialized students, to connect with their immediate communities, and engage in global research and debates.
Origins of the Word Tshepo
Tshepo (say-poh) is the Setswana word for hope.
TISCA was founded on the Laurier Brantford campus in 2003. Africa falls victim to much stereotyping and stigma. Our founders feel sense of responsibility to give back to their communities and do their part to ensure that the African scholarly community have a voice and a platform on which to use it. They also provide a space to stimulate discourse and reflection about international development more broadly.