African Humanities Program

AHP Regional Assemblies

Published: February 13, 2020

ABUJA, NIGERIA, FEBRUARY 11-13, 2020

With the generous financial support of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the African Humanities Program (AHP) holds its fourth Regional Assembly (RA) in Nigeria, February 11-13, 2020.

Previous Assemblies took place in Kampala, Uganda in June 2017, Accra, Ghana in May 2018, and Dar es Salaam in January/February 2019. The purpose of these annual events is to review and celebrate recent research supported by AHP, to consult a broad representation of the AHP community on program activities, and to plan for a future, African-directed AHP.

Public events at the Regional Assembly in Abuja celebrate the research supported by the AHP. 

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11 (PUBLIC EVENTS)

  • Distinguished 1986 Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, will deliver the keynote address. Learn more here.
  • The keynote will be followed by a roundtable titled “Academic Cultures in the Humanities in Nigeria: Segmented by Religion and Ethnicity?”, with Charmaine Pereira, Independent Scholar (Chair), Samaila Suleiman, Bayero University Kano, History, Olajide Akanji, University of Ibadan, Political Science, Chidi Ugwu, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Sociology and Anthropology, and Olajumoke Yacob-Haliso, Babcock University, Political Science and Women’s Studies (Discussant)

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12 

  • Discussions of program design in plenary sessions and country-based discussion groups plans of the Interim Steering Committee; the project on information gathering at selected universities; the new residential program with mentoring; a report on the AHP book series; and African Humanities Voices, a video project.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13 (PUBLIC EVENTS – BOOK LAUNCH) 

  • Keynote address by Odia Ofeimum, Nigerian poet
  • Celebration of the publication of four new books in the African Humanities Series
    1. DeValera Botchway, University of Cape Coast – Boxing is No Cakewalk! Azumah ‘Ring Professor’ Nelson in the Social History of Ghanaian Boxing
    2. Okaka Opio Dokotum, Lira University – Hollywood and Africa: Recycling the “Dark Continent” Myth from 1908-2020
    3. Dina Ligaga, University of the Witwatersrand – Women, Visibility and Morality in Kenyan Popular Media
    4. Motsamai Molefe, University of Fort Hare – African Personhood and Applied Ethics

Social Media Sharing: Follow AHP on Facebook and @ACLS1919 on Twitter to read and share news from the Regional Assembly. Share on your social media using the hashtags: #ACLSAfrica and #AHPAfrica2020.

DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA, JANUARY 30-FEBRUARY 1, 2019

With the generous financial support of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the African Humanities Program (AHP) held its third Regional Assembly (RA) in Tanzania, January 30-31 and February 1, 2019, in cooperation with the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) and the College of the Humanities of the University of Dar es Salaam.

Previous Assemblies took place in Kampala, Uganda in June 2017 and in Accra, Ghana, in May 2018. The purpose of these annual events is to review and celebrate recent research supported by AHP, to consult a broad representation of the AHP community on program activities, and to plan for a future, African-directed AHP.

The Carnegie Corporation of New York has recently announced an extension of support for AHP by awarding a grant to ACLS in honor of the ACLS Centennial, 1919-2019. Discussions in Dar will initiate the early steps toward the transition to an African-directed AHP.

Public events at the Regional Assembly in Dar celebrate the research supported by the AHP.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30 (PUBLIC EVENTS) 

  • Distinguished historian of Africa, Steven Feierman, of the University of Pennsylvania, delivered the keynote address: “Writing History: Flow and Blockage in the Circulation of Knowledge.”
  • The keynote was followed by “A Conversation about the Humanities at UDSM and Makerere University,” with Bertram Mapunda (President, Jordan University College), Rose Upor (Principal of UDSM’s College of the Humanities), Aaron Mushengyezi (Dean of the School of Languages, Literature, and Communication at Makerere University), and James Shulman (Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, ACLS).
  • Later that day a roundtable reviewed “Women in African Humanities Scholarship: Past Trends and new Directions.”

THURSDAY, JANUARY 31

  • Discussions of program design in plenary sessions and country-based discussion groups

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1 (PUBLIC EVENTS) 

A launch of five new books published by the African Humanities Series

  • Keynote address by Issa Shivji (Nyerere Resource Centre, Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology), “Social Responsibility of Intellectuals in Building Counter-Hegemonies”
  • Celebration of the publication of five new books in the African Humanities Series
    1. Bernard Matolino – Consensus as Democracy in Africa
    2. Michael Andindilile – The Anglophone Literary-Linguistic Continuum: English and Indigenous Languages in African Literary Discourse
    3. Rome Aboh – Language and the Construction of Multiple Identities in the Nigerian Novel
    4. Jeremiah Arowosegbe – Claude E Ake: The Making of an Organic Intellectual
    5. Babajide Ololajulo – Unshared Identity: Posthumous Paternity in a Contemporary Yoruba Community

ACCRA, GHANA, MAY 31–JUNE 3, 2018

With the generous financial support of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the African Humanities Program (AHP) held its second Regional Assembly (RA) in Ghana, May 31 and June 1-2, 2018, in cooperation with the University of Ghana-Legon.

A previous Assembly took place in Kampala, Uganda in June 2017.The purpose of these annual events is to review and celebrate recent research supported by AHP, to consult a broad representation of the AHP community on program activities, and to plan for a future, African-directed AHP.

Public events at the Regional Assembly in Accra celebrated the research supported by the AHP.

THURSDAY, MAY 31

  • Welcome remarks (Nana Aba Appiah Amfo)
  • The keynote was delivered by Professor Kwesi Yankah, Minister of State for Tertiary Education “Science Speaks, the Humanities Answer: A Fireside Chat with Long Lost Colleagues now on the Flipside”
  • The keynote was followed by a Panel: “Continuity or Change?” by Andrzej Tymowski, Adigun Agbaje, and Frederick Hendricks
  • Later that day, there were reports from working groups and a panel on Peer-mentoring moderated by Frederick Hendricks

FRIDAY, JUNE 1 (PUBLIC EVENTS)

  • Panel: Working with a developmental editor; How can peers offer development help?
  • Design the next round of videos: Topics, audience, distribution strategies (moderated by Lynette Steenveld)
  • Invited Lecture: Tade Aina, “The humanities and policy research: Complements or competitors?”
  • Tour of IIAS (Residency at UG)

SATURDAY, JUNE 2

  • Summing up and looking ahead (moderated by Samuel Agyei-Mensah)
  • Planning session for the next Regional Assembly
  • Optional Trip to Gallery 1957 in Accra to tour Joseph Oduro-Frimpong’s exhibition, Almost True

SUNDAY, JUNE 3

  • Optional Cape Coast Day Trip 

KAMPALA, UGANDA, JUNE 13-15, 2017

With the generous financial support of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the African Humanities Program (AHP) held its first Regional Assembly (RA) in Kampala, Uganda, June 13-15, 2017, in cooperation with Makerere University.

The purpose of these annual events is to review and celebrate recent research supported by AHP, to consult a broad representation of the AHP community on program activities, and to plan for a future, African-directed AHP.

Public events at the Regional Assembly in Accra celebrated the research supported by the AHP.

TUESDAY, JUNE 13

  • Welcome remarks by Okello Ogwang, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, MAK, Edward Kirumira, Principal, MAK College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Andrzej Tymowski, Director, African Humanities Program
  • This was followed by a roundtable: “Assessing our resources, preparing for our challenges” by Adigun Agbaje, Frederick Hendricks, Bola Udegbe, and Sandra Barnes
  • The keynote was followed by a panel: “Continuity or Change?” by Andrzej Tymowski, Adigun Agbaje, and Frederick Hendricks
  • Later that day, there were discussion groups on: Challenges we face in planning for a future AHP; Collecting data at African Universities on the impact of AHP; and Mentoring Practices

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14

  • Initial findings of the research project at the University of Ibadan, a talk by Bola Udegbe
  • The talk was followed by Video testimonies: “The changing humanities landscape.” Dominic Dipio, Susan Kiguli, Benge Okot and Abdullah Hamsa presented the videos they produced
  • Later in the day was a Mentoring Development Workshop with a talk about “Practical approaches to advising and supervising” by Sandra Barnes

THURSDAY, JUNE 15

  • Reports by country groups
  • Capstone address by Prof. Kwesi Yankah, “The road we have travelled and the road ahead: The humanities in Africa”