by Anselmo Matusse

10. May 2022, 1830 CET

Register here: https://uni-bayreuth.zoom.us/meeting/register/u5Ysc–rrD8pEtQhOLinorPUPr8x5huuAZaE

The rise of new media has significantly impacted different spheres of society and calls humanities and social scientists to critically engage with new media, mostly in the context of the Global South, where such studies are incipient. In this lecture, I play with Augmented Reality (AR), a technology that “enhances” reality, to function as a steppingstone into discussions on technology, politics, public spaces, and waste in post-colonial and post-socialist Maputo city, Mozambique’s capital.

Anselmo Matusse is a PhD candidate in anthropology at the University of Cape Town. His current PhD project is based on Mount Mabo, in central Mozambique, and focuses on the changing relations between local communities and the mountain, which became popular in the media as “Google Forest” after it was put on a conservation map in 2005. He received an Early Career Grant from National Geographic, as well as a scholarship from the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences and a fellowship from the Social Science Research Council.

Matusse has a master’s degree in Environmental Science from Linköping University. Matusse holds bachelors degrees in English Language Teaching and anthropology from Eduardo Mondlane University. His research interests include nature conservation, community empowerment, traditional knowledge systems, local innovations and innovators, digital humanities, and science communication.