PREAMBLE
Intellectual freedom in Africa is currently threatened to an
unprecedented degree. The historically produced and persistent economic,
political and social crisis of our continent continues to undermine development
in all spheres. The imposition of unpopular structural adjustment programmes
has been accompanied by increased political repression, widespread poverty and
intense human suffering.
African people are responding to these intolerable conditions
by intensifying their struggles for democracy and human rights. The struggle
for intellectual freedom is an integral part of the struggle of our people for
human rights. Just as the struggle of the African people for democracy is being
generalised, so too is the struggle of African intellectuals for intellectual
freedom intensifying.
AWARE that the African States are parties to international
and regional human rights instruments including the African Charter on Human
and People's Rights and CONVINCED that we, the participants in the Symposium on
'Academic Freedom and Social Responsibility of Intellectuals' and members of
the African intellectual community, have an obligation both to fight for our
rights as well as contribute to the rights struggle of our people, we met in
Kampala, Uganda, to set norms and standards to guide the exercise of
intellectual freedom and remind ourselves of our social responsibility as
intellectuals.
We have thus adopted the Kampala Declaration on Intellectual
Freedom and Social Responsibility on this 29th day of November, 1990.
May the Declaration be a standard-bearer for the African
intellectual community to assert its autonomy and undertake its responsibility
to the people of our continent.
CHAPTER I
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS
Section A: Intellectual Rights and Freedoms
Article I
Every person has the right to education and participation in
intellectual activity.
Article 2
Every African intellectual shall be entitled to the respect
of all his or her civil political, social, economic and cultural rights as
stipulated in the International Bill of Rights and the African Charter on Human
and People's Rights.
Article 3
No African intellectual shall in any way be persecuted,
harassed or intimidate for reasons only of his or her intellectual work.
opinions gender, nationality ethnicity.
Article 4
Every African intellectual shall enjoy the freedom of
movement within his o her country and freedom to travel outside and re-enter
the country without let hindrance or harassment. No administrative or any other
action shall directly or indirectly restrict this freedom on account of a
person's intellectual opinions beliefs or activity.
Article 5
Every African intellectual and intellectual community has the
right to initiate and develop contacts or establish relations with other
intellectuals an intellectual communities provided they are based on equality
and mutual respect.
Article 6
Every African intellectual has the right to pursue
intellectual activity, including teaching, research and dissemination of
research results, without let or hindrance subject only to universally
recognised principles of scientific enquiry and ethical and professional
standards.
Article 7
Teaching and researching members of staff and students of
institutions of education have the right, directly and through their elected
representatives, to initiate, participate in and determine academic programmes
of their institutions in accordance with the highest standards of education.
Article 8
Teaching and researching members of the intellectual
community shall have security of tenure. They shall not be dismissed or removed
from employment except for reasons of gross misconduct, proven incompetence or
negligence incompatible with the academic profession. Disciplinary proceedings
for dismissal or removal on grounds stated in this article shall be in
accordance with laid down procedures providing for a fair hearing before a
democratically elected body of the intellectual community.
Article 9
The intellectual community shall have the right to express
its opinionS freely in the media and to establish its own media and means of
communication.
Section B: Right to form Autonomous Organisations
Article 10
All members of the intellectual community shall have the
freedom of association, including the right to form and join trade unions. The
right of association includes the right of peaceful assembly and the formation
of groups, clubs and national and intemational associations.
Section C: Autonomy of Institutions
Article 11
Institutions of higher education shall be autonomous of the
State or any other public authority in conducting their affairs, including the
administration, and setting up their academic, teaching research and other
related programmes.
Article 12
The autonomy of institutions of higher education shall be
exercised by democratic means of self-government, involving active
participation of all members of the respective academic community.
CHAPTER 11
OBLIGATIONS OF THE STATE
Article 13
The State is obliged to take prompt and appropriate measures
in respect of any infringement by State officials of the rights and freedoms of
the intellectual community brought to its attention.
Article 14
The State shall not deploy any military, paramilitary, security,
intelligence, or any like forces within the premises and grounds of
institutions of education.
Provided that such deployment is necessary in the interest of
protecting life and property in which case the following conditions shall be
satisfied:
(a) There is
clear, present and imminent danger to life and property; and
(b) The head of
the institution concerned has extended a written invitation to that effect; and
(c) Such
invitation has been approved by an elected standing committee of the academic
community set up in that behalf.
Article 15
The State shall desist from exercising censorship over the
works of the intellectual community.
Article 16
The State is obliged to ensure that no official or any other
organ under its control produces or puts into circulation disinformation or
rumours calculated to intimidate, bring into disrepute or in any way interfere
with the legitimate pursuits of the intellectual community.
Article 17
The State shall continuously ensure adequate funding for
research institutions and institutions of higher education. Such funding shall
be determined in consultation with an elected body of the institution
concerned.
Article 18
The State desist from preventing or imposing conditions on
the movement or employment of African intellectuals from other countries within
its own country.
CHAPTER III
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Article 19
Members of the intellectual community are obliged to
discharge their roles and functions with competence, integrity and to the best
of their abilities. They should perform their duties in accordance with ethical
and highest scientific standards.
Article 20
Members of the intellectual community have a responsibility
to promote the spirit of tolerance towards different views and positions and
enhance democratic debate and discussion.
Article 21
No one group of the intellectual community shall indulge in
the harassment, domination or oppressive behaviour towards another group. All
differences among the intellectual community shall be approached and resolved
in the spirit of equality, non-discrimination and democracy.
Article 22
The intellectual community has the responsibility to struggle
for and participate in the struggle of the popular forces for their rights and
emancipation.
Article 23
No member of the intellectual community shall participate in
or be a party to any endeavour which may work to the detriment of the people or
the intellectual community or compromise scientific, ethical and professional
principles and standards.
Article 24
The intellectual community is obliged to show solidarity and
give sanctuary to any member who is persecuted for his or her intellectual
activity.
Article 25
The intellectual community is obliged to encourage and
contribute to affirmative actions to redress historical and contemporary
inequalities based on gender, nationality or any other social disadvantage.
CHAPTER IV
IMPLEMENTATION
Article 26
Members of the intellectual community may further elaborate
and concretise the norms and standards set herein at regional and pan-African
level.
Article 27
It is incumbent on the African intellectual community to form
its own organisations to monitor and publicise violations of the rights and
freedoms stipulated herein.
RECOMMENDATIONS AND RESOLUTIONS OF THE SYMPOSIUM ON ACADEMIC FREEDOM AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY OF INTELLECTUALS
KAMPALA, NOVEMBER 29TH 1990
THE STATE AND ACADEMIC FREEDOM
* The symposium
condemned violations of the autonomy of academic institutions through closures,
invasion by security, police or military forces, censorship of intellectual
work, restrictions on freedom of association, movement, speech and publishing.
* The symposium
demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all intellectuals and their
families illegally or extra-judicially detained or imprisoned, the return of
those exiled, and an end to all harassment, intimidation and persecution of
intellectuals, on the basis of their work.
* The symposium
called upon all States to adequately resource academic and intellectual endeavours
because without this there can be no academic freedom.
THE INTELLIGENTSIA AND INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM
* The symposium
called for the creation of a Pan African Organisation to monitor, document and
disseminate information on abuses of academic and intellectual freedom and
repression, harassment, intimidation and detention of intellectuals.
* The symposium
called for the strengthening and democralisation of existing networks and
associations of the African intellectual community through the increased
representation of marginalised groups such as women, young and unestablished
scholars.
* The symposium
called for the transformation of administrative structures, procedures and
practices in academic institutions to make these more representative of and
accountable to teachers, researchers, students and others working within them.
* The symposium
called for the promotion of participatory and democratic methods of teaching,
research and publishing, and high professional and ethical standards.
* The symposium
called upon African academic institutions to promote intellectual exchanges
among African scholars, provide sanctuary to exiled scholars, and to offer all
African academics equal terms of service, remuneration and treatment regardless
of nationality.
* The symposium
called upon African intellectuals to develop solidarity and supportive networks
to defend the collective interests of the intellectual community.
