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Since its inception in 2004, the Sports and Africa Symposium has sought to foster meaningful dialogue on the interface of sports and Africa among academics, practitioners, media, NGOs and the public. The first two conferences covered a range of topics across time and disciplines. The presentations have explored the relationships among sports and broader themes such as politics, culture, gender, age, cooperation, conflict, history, migration, mass media , and development. The multi-disciplinary approach has allowed scholars and practitioners to explore multiple dimensions of African sport. Over the course of the 2005 workshop attendees identified the issue of gender and sports in Africa as worthy of deeper examination. Therefore, the 2006 conference will focus on women, gender, and sports. Among the sub themes that will be considered are: female athletes in Muslim societies, women's national teams, traditional female sports, masculinity, sport and gender and identity formation, sports as a microcosm of gender inequity, and sports as a tool of female self-empowerment.
The conference organizers sincerely hope that the dialogue will be pursued beyond this initiative, and are planning a symposium that will be not only intellectually engaging, but also a source of inspiration for future scholarly and practical endeavors.
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