Editor's Note: On the Cultivation of Memory and the Architecture of Indigenous Knowledge

Words by Nkhensani Mkhari

In the liminal space between ancestral wisdom and digital preservation, we find ourselves at a critical juncture—one that demands we interrogate not only what we preserve but how we engage in the very act of preservation itself. Khemisi emerges as more than merely a digital repository; it manifests as a living testament to what I term the "epistemological ecosystem" of African food and medicine cultures—where knowledge exists not in isolation but in constant dialogue with land, spirit, and community.

The question of the archive, particularly in relation to indigenous knowledge systems, has long been fraught with the violence of colonial epistemologies that seek to categorize, contain, and ultimately constrain indigenous ways of knowing. Traditional Western archival practices, with their emphasis on the written word and institutional authority, have often failed to capture the embodied, relational nature of indigenous knowledge transmission. Yet here, in this digital space, we witness an attempt to create what I would call a "fugitive archive"—one that refuses the static nature of traditional preservation methods while embracing the dynamic, living nature of indigenous knowledge systems.

What makes this project particularly compelling is its recognition that African food and medicine cultures operate through what we might term a "relational ontology." As our contributors eloquently articulate, this is not merely about the consumption of sustenance or the application of remedies, but rather about the maintenance of relationships—with ancestors, with land, with spirit, with community. The practice of ubulawu, for instance, emerges not as a mere pharmacological intervention but as a complex choreography of becoming, where the boundaries between self and other, material and spiritual, past and future, become productively blurred.

In curating this space, we have been acutely conscious of the responsibility that comes with digitizing indigenous knowledge. The challenge lies not just in preservation but in maintaining the vital essence of these practices—their relationality, their spirituality, their resistance to commodification. How do we create digital architectures that honor the cyclical, processual nature of indigenous knowledge systems? How do we ensure that this platform serves not just as a repository but as a living, breathing space of knowledge transmission and community building?

This inaugural issue represents our attempt to address these questions, not through definitive answers but through ongoing dialogue and practice. We invite you to engage with these materials not as mere information but as living knowledge that demands relationship, responsibility, and reciprocity. In doing so, we hope to contribute to what scholar Linda Tuhiwai Smith calls the "decolonizing methodologies" necessary for meaningful engagement with indigenous knowledge systems.

As we move forward, we remain committed to expanding this digital commons while staying true to the relational ethic that undergirds African food and medicine cultures. We invite practitioners, scholars, and community members to join us in this ongoing process of remembering, recovering, and reimagining how we preserve and transmit indigenous knowledge in the digital age.

In solidarity and with deep gratitude to the ancestors who make this work possible,

The Editorial Team