The African Presence and Influence on
the Cultures of the Americas: An Interdisciplinary
Conference to be presented one day in
October and four days in November will
be hosted by seven different CUNY campuses.
Each campus will host a mix of panel presentations,
performances, roundtable discussions,
and workshops. The conference dates are
October 20, November 6 - 9, 2006.
Spearheaded by Eugenio María
de Hostos Community College and Medgar
Evers College, the collaboration includes
additional CUNY campuses: Borough of
Manhattan Community College, Graduate
Center, Kingsborough Community College,
LaGuardia Community College, and York
College. The conference is dedicated
to Nicolás Guillén (1902-1989),
an Afro-Cuban poet, born in Camagüey,
Cuba, and Gwendolyn Brooks (1917-2000),
an African American poet, born in Topeka,
Kansas.
In an effort to honor the work completed
by Brooks and Guillén, this conference
aims to foster conversation among speakers
and participants who descend from different
backgrounds. It will bring together academics
who have produced or promoted bodies
of knowledge pertinent to the presence
and influence of the African culture
on cultures of the Americas. Plenary
sessions, panel presentations, workshops,
and round-table discussions will explore
history, tradition, and humanity such
that conference participants attain a
heightened sense of cultural awareness
about themselves and about each other.
Each campus will feature an exhibit
of visual arts inspired by the experiences
of the African diaspora and by the written
works of both, Nicolás Guillén
and Gwendolyn Brooks. One day of the
conference will include interactive programs
for children.
Rationale:
- To bring together scholars of every generation to continue
a conversation on the status of studies
on the African diaspora in the Americas
- To contribute to the professional development of young
scholars in the field
- To contribute to the recovery and integration
of the African diaspora in the
Americas experience to North American, Caribbean and Latin
American Studies
- To discuss and investigate the important role
of the African diaspora and the contributions of African
culture in the Americas
- To celebrate and disseminate the history and culture
of the African diaspora and culture
throughout the continental United States, the Caribbean,
Latin America
- To strengthen The City University of New York’s
commitment to education and its link to the public school
system
- To provide opportunities for cultural enrichment
and intellectual growth for faculty and students throughout
The City University of New York
Contact:
Dr. Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Provost, Hostos Community College
Dr. Dominic Nwasike, Provost, Medgar Evers College
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