HOWARD UNIVERSITY
16-18 SEPTEMBER 1999
"Twasabuka nlangu waunene ubikwanga KALUNGA, lungila meso, kulungila ntambi
ko; twizi vunda mu nsi yayi ya mansanga yituvundidi, ye vava tutungidi
malumbu meto."
We crossed the great water called KALUNGA, which the eyes may traverse but
not the feet; we came to this country of tears, where we settled, and here
we have built our compounds".
The purpose of the conference is to bring together at Howard University
leading scholars and younger researchers who are working on issues dealing
with central Africa and its Diaspora. The participants will present
papers on various aspects of the "culture history" of Central Africa and its
Diaspora. Some participants will also collaborate with Howard University
History faculty to conduct workshops for students and interested members
of the Howard University community
Howard University is sponsoring the conference for several reasons.
First, Howard is a leading center for research and teaching on the African
Diaspora. Second, Howard recognizes the significance of the central
African contribution to the cultures of African Diasporic communities in the
Americas. Third, Howard wishes to highlight the wide range of scholarship
that exists on the culture history of Africa and its Diaspora. Fourth,
Howard hopes to encourage more scholars to use the rich documentation
available on the central African Diaspora to study the process of culture
history in the Americas during the era of the Atlantic slave trade and
beyond.
The focus on central African is an important regional shift. Although
central Africans comprised a significant percentage of enslaved Africans
who were brought to the Americas during the era of the Atlantic slave trade,
both research and teaching priorities so far have focused on the west
African contributions, almost to the neglect of central Africa. The
conference aims to correct this imbalance. Presenters will offer a range
of papers focusing on central Africa and its Diaspora to demonstrate that
research in the field of central African Diaspora can do much to enrich
the study of the African Diaspora.
Contact for more information, contact Linda Heywood below.
The Conference is made possible by a grant from
THE FUND FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE, HOWARD UNIVERSITY
Financial support also came from
DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY, HOWARD UNIVERSITY
GILDER LEHRMAN CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF SLAVERY, RESISTANCE, ABOLITION,
YALE UNIVERSITY
GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES, HOWARD UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS, HOWARD UNIVERSITY
RALPH BUNCHE INTERNATIONAL CENTER, HOWARD UNIVERSITY
AFRICAN STUDIES DEPARTMENT, HOWARD UNIVERSITY
AFRO-AMERICAN STUDIES, HOWARD UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, HOWARD UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY, HOWARD UNIVERSITY
ANACOSTIA MUSEUM AND CENTER FOR AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY AND
CULTURE--SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
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