2001-2005 KASC Calendar Events

SPRING 2005

UJAMAA Brownbag Series:

January 26: "Background to Conflict in Darfur," Ibrahim Sabiel, Senior Software Developer, Anteon Corporation, Topeka, Hassaballa Hassaballa and Karim Khatir, educators at Community Living Opportunity (CLO), Lawrence.

February 9: "Women Writing History: Undermining the Imperialist Construction of Race and Gender in Three Black Women's Text," Selbee Diouf, Ph. D. candidate, English Department at KU.

February 23: "New and Old in Eritrea" David Frayer, Professor of Anthropology, KU .

March 9: "The New Government in Somalia," Abdirahman Gutale, KU student

April 6: "Why I Love Africa? Reflections and Thoughts from a Recent Tour" Ray Woods, Africanist Businessman, Independence, Kansas.

April 20: "Environmental Research in Ethiopia," Valery Terwilliger, Associate Professor, Geography.

May 4: "Status of Information Technology in Africa," Gilbert Karuga, Assistant Professor, School of Business.

Fall 2005 [top]

Seminar Series: "Celebrating African Languages:"

September 6: "African Language Program at KU: Current State and Future Perspectives," Conversation with Peter Ukpokodu, Naima Omar, Garth Myers, and John Janzen.

September 23: "Articulating KU's African Language Program in Light of National Standards," Forum with Antonia Schleicher, Director of the National African Language Resource Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison.

October 19: "Teaching Swahili Language and Culture: Pedagogy and Marketing Challenges," Leonce Rushubirwa, Asst. Prof. of Swahili, and Jane Irungu, Global Awareness Project Coordinator.

November 1: "Hausa Language and Culture at KU: Challenges of Teaching and Enrollment," with Beverly Mack, Assoc. Prof. of African and African-American Studies, and Aminu Gusau, Hausa instructor.

November 8: "Wolof and Senegalese Culture: Linguistics and Teaching Perspectives," with Harold Torrence, Asst. Prof. of Linguistics and Alassane Fall, Wolof instructor.

November 29: "Arabic Language Program at KU: Reflections on Current Status and Future Developments," with Naima Omar, Asst. Prof. of Arabic, and Sabri Al-Shboal and Abdullah Jaradat, Arabic instructors.

SPRING 2004 [top]

1. January 29: "Togolese Democracy: A Myth or Reality?!" Kodjo Afagla, KU Graduate Student
2. February 12: "Sudanese Lost Boys and Perspectives of Peace in Sudan," Joseph Taban, Organization Representative at Kansas City and Duit Mauuien, KU Student
3. February 26: "The Lord's Resistance Army and Politics of Conflicts in Uganda" Michael Kasigwa, KU Graduate Student
4. March 11: "Water Pollution in the Copper Belt in Zambia, Simasuku Simasuku, University of Zambia
5. March 18: "African Wine from North to South: A Taste of Culture and Social Flavor" George McCleary, Associate Professor of Geography
6. April 8: "Collaborative Grant-writing between the University of Zambia and KU," Imasiku Nyambe, University of Zambia
7. April 22: "On Senegalese Politics" Madior Diouf, Senegalese Parliament member and Professor of Literature at the University of Senegal in Dakar

FALL 2004 [top]

UJAMAA Brownbag

August 25: "Darfur: The International Response to Genocide in the 21st Century: Darfur, Sudan,"Karen Farmer, Ph.D.candidate

September 8: "Family Visit, Diplomacy, and Exploration: Report on Sudan," John Janzen KU Professor of Anthropology and KASC Director

September 22:"Reflections on Tanzanian Politics," Abdulrahman Mwinyi Jumbe, Former Director of the Zanzibar Electoral Commission

October 6:"New Directions of the Humanities in Africa: A Summer Workshop in Zambia," Garth Myers, Byron Caminero-Santangelo, Brian Daldorph, KU Professors

October 20: "Women's Social Justice and Challenges in Senegal," Jessica Cook, KU Student

October 27: " U.S.-West Africa Relations," Ambassador Harriet L. Elam-Thomas, Former U.S. Ambassador to Senegal.

November 10: . "My First Experience with Africa: Swahili Culture and Language in Tanzania," Sarah Smiley, Ph.D Candidate,

November 29: "U.S. Military Policy Towards Africa in an Era of Wars, " General Carlton Fulford,Director of Africa Center for Strageic Studies, National Defense University

New African Immigrants in Kansas:
Settlement, Identity, Community Organization & Impact

The Fall 2004 African Studies Seminar at the University of Kansas will examine recent settlement of African immigrants in Kansas from different perspectives. It will investigate the impacts of this immigration on diversity and multicultural identity, institution building, and community organizing for social services among African immigrant communities in Kansas. The seminar will feature local scholars, visiting practitioners, and representatives of African communities. Our ultimate goal through this seminar is to develop a network with African immigrant community organizations in our region.

Calendar of Sessions:

August 31: "Significance of African Immigration and its Impact on Diversity and Multiculturalism in Kansas," John Janzen, Garth Myers, Suresh Bhana, Khalid El-Hassan

September 14: "Peoples of the Horn in the New African Diaspora in the United States and Canada: Bibliographic Sources for Research," Ken Lohrentz

September 28: "Adjustment, Employment, Training, and Professional Development for New Americans from Africa," Martin Okpareke, Community Development Coordinator, Jewish Vocational Services and Steve Weitkamp Director of Refugees and Migratn Services, and Akot Arec from Catholic Charities of Kansas City

October 12: "African Immigrant Communities in Kansas City: Institution-Building and Community Organizing," Mohamed Badri, Northern Sudanese Representative, Farah Abdi, Somali Foundation, INC., Hassan Kamara: President, Sierra Leone United Descendants' Association(SLUDA), Acot Arec, Southern Sudanese Representative Catholic Charities of Kansas City, Kansas, Hemed Hemed, Publicity Officer Officer, Zanzibari America Association (ZANAMA), Wichita, Kansas.

October 26: " The Lost Boys of Sudan: Film and Discussion," Peter Dut and Dut Mawien, sponsored by the School of Social Work

November 16: "African Americans or Africans in America: The Second-Generation Identities of Young Africans Adults in America," Omofolabo Ajayi-Soyinka, Professor of Film and Theatre, KU, Nelly Ukpokodu, Professor of Education, UMKC, , Jessie Kwatamdia, Dougla County Senior Services, Selbee Diouf, Ph. D, Candidate, KU Gbiake Ajayi, graduate student at KU

November 30: "African Immigrants: Media and Information Issues," Chaired by Ken Lohrentz,Africana Bibliographer at KU, Rev. John Akinwale, President and Founder, African Chamber Commerce of Kansas City, and Albert Rwukaro, African Voice Newspaper

SPRING 2003 [top]

Brownbag Series

1. January 23: "The Music of Africa and Africa in the Diaspora," Clarence Henry, Assistant Professor, School of Music, KU.

2. February 13: "Nontraditional Sectors and Prospects for Development in Zambia," Iwake Masialeti and Simon Nkemba, Visiting Professors, University of Zambia.

3. February 27: "Senegalese Participation in Peacekeeping Missions," Roy Dietzman, KU Graduate Student.

4. April 10: "Using Effective Strategic Communications for HIV/AIDS Prevention in South Africa," Shannon Campbell, Associate Professor, School of Journalism, KU.

5. April 17: "From the Onitsha Market to the Internet: Digitizing Popular Nigerian Literature," Elizabeth MacGonagle, Assistant Professor, AAAS & History Dept., Ken Lohrentz, KU Libraries, and Ragan Buck, KU student.

6. May 1: "Modern Utopia and the Post-colony: Politics, Power and Wealth in the town of Maradi, Niger." Abdourahmane Idrissa, graduate student, Political Science.

FALL 2003 [top]

Brownbag Discussions:

September 4, The Effects of Non-formal Education on Political Participation and Attitudes in Senegal" Michelle Kuenzi, Assistant Professor, Political Sciences

September 11, "Summer Institutes in Morocco and Northern Nigeria" Mohamed Al-Masri, Aminu Gusau Graduate Teaching Assistants, and KU students Angela Oliver, Zeta Hall, John Gassmann, Samuel Wilder, Tanner Wycoff, and Garrett Miles.

September 25, "Role of Urban Planners in Zanzibar, Tanzania,' Mohamed Adam, Geography Department."

October 6, "White Women Writers and their African Invention," Simon Lewis, Associate Professor of English-College of Charleston

October 16, "America Image in Africa as Conveyed to Africanist Researchers Traveling in Africa Summer 2003," Garth Myers, Liz MacGonagle, and Melanie Hepburn.

November 6, "My First Taste of Africa," Clarence Henry, Assistant Professor of Music, George McCleary, Associate Professor of Geography, and Angela Gray, KU Graduate Student.

SPRING 2002 [top]

1. January 24: Naima Omar, Assistant Professor, Arabic Studies "Arabic Summer Institute at Al-Akhawayn University in Morocco."

2. January, 31: Adrienne Rivers, Associate Professor of Journalism "Summer Media Institute in Ghana."

3. February 7: Renate R. Mai-Dalton, Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior and the Director of the Multicultural Business Scholars Program (MBSP) "First Look at African Country: My Experience in Ghana."

4. March 7: Glenn Adams, Assistant Professor of Psychology "The collective Construction of Personal relationship: Friends and Enemies in West Africa and the USA."

5. March 28: Laura Chrisman, Ohio State University, "Rereading the Imperial Romance: British Imperialism and South African Resistance." (the title of her most recent book.)

6. April 11: Walter Bgoya African publisher, a Tanzanian politician, and KU alumnus, "KU Students' Activism & Politics in East Africa".

7. April 25: Clarence Henry, Assistant Professor, Music History, "The Influence of African Music in the African Diaspora."

• April 9, "Introduction to Africa" class taught by Fiona McLaughlin

• April 10, "From KU Student Activism to African Liberation. Part I."

• April 11, talk on "From KU Student Activism to African Liberation. Part II"
  

• April 12, "Africa's 100 Best Books of the 20th Century: an AFrican Publisher's Response."

• April 13, "Africa during and since the end of the Cold War: The politics of non-alignment," Plenary Talk, Outreach Conference at Johnson County Community College, 233 GEB sponsored by Hall Humanities & KU Area Study Centers
  

• April 16, "African Language Publishing in East Africa," African Studies Seminar on Postcolonial Culture and Identities

• April 17, Kansas City Unity Temple, on "Whatever happened to the Cold War?"

• March 26 - August 25, Museum Exhibition, "Early Us (and Them) in Africa,"

• Conferences:

  • Regional Africana Collection Development Conference, April 11-13

  • "The Unfinished Business of the Cold War,"April 13

SPRING 2001 [top]

KU African Studies Resource Center (Now Kansas African Studies Center [KASC])

U.S. - African relations and development issues. 

• March 15
  • "The work of  Zo-Simli-Naa in the Sister Cities Exchange between Louisville, Kentucky and Tamale, Northern Ghana."
  • Susan Herlin (Professor of History, U. of Louisville, KY); discussant, Ass't Professor Elizabeth Asiedu, U. of Kansas.
    
    
• March 29
  • "President Clinton's address to the Nigerian Parliament: Did it make any difference?"
  • Aminu Gusau (Lecturer, Hausa, U. of Kansas) and Emmanuel Nnadozie (Professor of Economics, Truman State U).
    
    
• April 19
  • "Privatization and Employment in Tanzania," 
  • Jean Due, University of Illinois
    
    
  • "Tax Changes and Economic Development in Tropical Africa,"
  • John Due, University of Illinois.  

FALL 2001 [top]

• KASC Conference:

  • Theme: "Fate of African Democratizations."

  • Venue: University of Kansas, Lawrence. October 5, 2001.

• The Mid-America Alliance for African Studies.

• Theme: "Appraising the African Renaissance."

• Venue: University of Missouri- Saint Louis. September 28-29, 2001