Brazil: African Historical/Cultural Conf.!

[nattyreb]

TEACHING AFRICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE TO THE DIASPORA AND
TEACHING DIASPORA HISTORY AND CULTURE TO AFRICA, NOVEMBER 9 -
13202009 BRASILIA, BRAZIL

CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT AND CALL FOR PAPERS

African history has for years been distorted in the same manner that her peoples had been
dehumanized. The slave trade across the Sahara and the Atlantic was the major single factor
responsible for the first movement of peoples of African descent to the Middle East, Europe,
the Caribbean, North and South America, Asia and Oceania - where the vestiges of African
culture could still be found. The forced migration of people from Africa at the formative stage
of the continent’s development impaired the evolution of historical and productive network of
relationship among Africans in all parts of the world. Consequently, to promote better
understanding between continental and Diaspora Africa, the Centre for Black and African Arts
and Civilization (CBAAC) in conjunction with the Special Secretariat for the Promotion of
Racial Equality (SEPPIR), Brazil, Pan African Strategic and Policy Research Group
(PANAFSTRAG), Institute of Afro Brazilian Studies, the State University of Rio de Janeiro and
the Association of African Historians organized an International Colloquium on “Teaching
African History and Culture to the Diaspora and Teaching Diaspora History and
Culture to Africa” in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in November 2008.

Following the keen interest of the Brazilian government in the teaching of African history and
culture as exemplified in Decree 10. 639/03 and the major recommendations of the 2008 Rio de
Janeiro Colloquium that the teaching of African and Diaspora history, culture and indigenous
knowledge be made compulsory in African institutions in the first instance and be supported by
the African Union (AU),20Organization of American States, regional and national associations,
national governments and non governmental organizations in Africa and the Diaspora; CBAAC,
PANAFSTRAG, IPEAFRO and the Brazilian government are jointly organizing another
International Colloquium as a follow-up to further explore the teaching of African history and
culture and provide direction on the UNESCO pedagogical use of general history of Africa
emphasizing the use of African sources such as oral traditions, art forms and linguistics in the
study and teaching of African history and culture. The colloquium to be held in Brasilia in
November 2009 is expected to bring together academics, experts in African history,
archeologists, cultural anthropologists, oral historians and linguists etc.

SUB-THEMES
i. African and Diaspora History: Pedagogical and Methodological Issues
ii. Historicizing Africa and the Diaspora
iii. Archaeology and the pre-History of Africa and the Diaspora
iv. Global African Identity
v. Indigenous Knowledge System
vi. Creativity and the Arts: Popular Culture, Music and Folklores
vii. Liberation Ideologies in Africa and in the Diaspora
viii. Slave Trade and Reparations: Trans-Sahara and Trans-Atlantic
ix. African Religion, Spirituality and Values
x. Gender in African and Diaspora History
xi. Language, History and Culture
xii. Social Capital and Development
xiii. Colonialism, Neo-Colonialism in African History and Culture
xiv. Area Studies in African and Diaspora History
xv. Racism and Ethnic Relations

WORKSHOP THEMES
i. Pedagogical and Methodological Issues
ii. The Politics of Teaching and Propagating African and Diaspora History and Culture
iii. Current Research and Studies on African History, Culture and Indigenous
Knowledge
iv. Area Studies in African and Diaspora History

All abstracts should include title, the author(s) name, institutional affiliation, address, telephone
number and email address. All abstracts for consideration which must be in electronic format
should be received not later than 15th July, 2009 by all of the following individuals:
1. tunde_babawale@yahoo.com
2. akinalao@yahoo.com
3. isholawilliams@yahoo.com
4. ibraheem_muheeb@yahoo.com

Authors whose abstracts are accepted would be notified not later than 5th
of August, 2009
while all papers for presentation must be received in electronic format not later than 5th
October, 2009.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Further details on financial support by CBAAC (if any) for authors of successful abstracts
would be provided later. While the conference is open, participants are encouraged to
seek funding from other sources.

The official languages of the conference are: English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.