Abstract:
Current HCI paradigms are deeply rooted in a western epistemology which attests its partiality and bias
of its embedded assumptions, values, definitions, techniques and derived frameworks and models.Thus
tensions created between local cultures and HCI principles require us to pursue a more critical research
agenda within an indigenous epistemology. In this paper we present an Afro-centric paradigm, as
promoted by African scholars, as an alternative perspective to guide interaction design in a situated
context in Africa and promote the reframing of HCI. We illustrate a practical realization of this
paradigm shift within our own community driven designin Southern Africa.
