NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Though images of starving children or ferocious wild animals still linger in the public’s perception of Africa, they are no longer reflective of Africa’s breadth of industry and culture. African writers and artists have set out to rewrite Western views of the continent, which is experiencing steady economic growth, a rising middle class, and demands new perspectives. The College of New Rochelle with Manhattanville College will present the conference “Word, Image and Power in Africa and the African Diaspora” to explore this emerging vision of Africa and the re-writing of Western views of Africa and the African diaspora (those who have emigrated to other countries bringing their culture with them) over two days in April.
“Deeply committed to service, diversity and the arts, The College of New Rochelle has partnered on this conference to expose our students to the expertise of faculty from Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Canada, and the United States to share artistic work and scholarly research that reflects Africa’s largely unrecognized creative and resourceful heritage. Panelists will address the power of the word and image to conceptualize how Africa and Africans were portrayed in the past and how a new generation of artists and scholars are using them to redefine perceptions of the continent,” said Dr. Anne McKernan, former Director of the International Studies Program at The College of New Rochelle and a member of the planning committee.
This two-day conference will take place on Friday, April 1, 2016, at The College of New Rochelle and on Saturday, April 2, 2016, at Manhattanville College. For more information on the conference and how to register visit: http://www.mville.edu/word-image-and-power-africa-and-african-diaspora
Events at The College of New Rochelle will include the panel discussions: Perspectives On Class and Gender in Diverse Contexts; Colonialism and Postcolonialism, Analysis of the Texts; Re-Framing and Re-Defining Conceptions of Africa; Visions of Africa in Cinema and Media; and Popular Culture in Africa and Diaspora. The evening will end with a film screening of Tunisian director Sami Tlili’s, Cursed Be the Phosphate a documentary on workers in the Tunisian phosphate mining industry whose ‘revolution’ is credited with creating the actions that led to the Arab Spring.
Events at Manhattanville College will include the panel discussions: Antigone and her Descendants; African Art: Between Tradition and Modernity; Plurality in the Age of Postmodernity; and Cosmopolitanism, the Black Atlantic, and the Diasporic Subject. The evening will conclude with a musical performance and reception featuring Malian Kora musician and storyteller Yacouba Sissoko.
This conference is sponsored by the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and the International Studies Program at The College of New Rochelle, the Departments of English, World Languages and Literatures, Art History, Political Science, and the African Studies and International Studies Programs at Manhattanville College, and the Westchester Consortium for International Studies (WCIS).