Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka & Africa conf. 2000

CALL FOR PAPERS 2000
The 3rd Africa Society Conference
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
February 25-26, 2000

    PROSPECTS FOR AN AFRICAN RENAISSANCE:
          CULTURE, DEVELOPMENT, RECONCILIATION

    "We must work together for African renewal for the emergence
            of the 21st century as the African century".
            -South African President Thabo Mbeki.

Featured in this email:
*Information about the 3rd Africa Society Conference
< http://www.ualberta.ca/~afso/conference.html >
*Keynote (Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka) and some invited speakers
*Call for Paper topics
*Registration
*Accommodations
*Links to the City of Edmonton


I. THE 3RD AFRICA SOCIETY CONFERENCE
Following on the success of the 2nd annual Africa Society Conference, which
saw the largest gathering of Africanists in Alberta in some 10 years, the
Africa Society is pleased to announce its 3rd annual conference. The two-day
conference will be held in Edmonton, Friday and Saturday, February 25-26,
2000.

II.  KEYNOTE AND OTHER SPEAKERS
The 2000 conference will feature a keynote speaker, invited guests and
solicited papers and panels.

The conference keynote, Friday, 25 February 2000 is
NOBEL LAUREATE (LIT.) WOLE SOYINKA
Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, Edmonton
Public lecture: $10.00 before December 31, 1999
Tickets to go on sale September 21 at Ticketmaster: (780)-451-8000

Soyinka is a playwright, poet, essayist, critic and human rights activist.
***His passion for the written word is nowhere more poignantly revealed than
by his actions during his repeated political imprisonment by the Nigerian
dictatorship.  He was denied reading and writing materials, but he
manufactured his own ink and began to keep a prison diary, written on toilet
paper, cigarette packages and in between the lines of the few books he
secretly obtained.  Each poem or fragment from the journal he managed to
smuggle to the outside world became a literary event and a reassurance to
his supporters that Soyinka still lived.***

Some invited speakers include:
* Ogoni Chief Mathew Tornwe III, exiled in Edmonton
* Dr. Julius Ihonvbere, Program Co-ordinator, the Ford Foundation
(democratization, governance and civil society);
* Diana Wiwa (women, human rights and environment);
* Dr. Tess Onwueme, Professor of African and African-American Studies,
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (African theatre).
* Dr. Abdul-Rasheed Na'Allah (African and African-American literature)

III. CALL FOR PAPERS
 The theme for the 2000 conference draws on South African President Thabo
Mbeki's inspired vision for AN AFRICAN RENAISSANCE in the 21st century.  The
idea of an African renaissance, renewal or revival was also taken up by US
President Bill Clinton during his 11-day historic visit to six African
states in 1997. On his first stop in Ghana, Clinton expressed his hope that
the visit would come to mark the "beginning of a new African renaissance."
In Uganda, he said the new relationship was not one of "what can we do for
Africa...or about Africa."   Rather, "The right question today is, what can
we do with Africa."  A year later, in April 1998, a consortium of 55 US
foundations and donor programs  -- Southern African Grantmakers' Affinity
Group -- adopted the idea of an African renaissance as a way "to raise the
profile of Africa on the funding agenda" and as a "new vehicle" through
which people "can re-engage Africa" (Michael Sinclair, V-P Henry J. Kaiser
Family Foundation).

The conference sub-themes are also key to an African renaissance in the 21st
century   the themes of CULTURE, DEVELOPMENT & RECONCILIATION. We mean for
these themes to be interpreted broadly.  Key to an African renaissance is
peace, rehabilitation and reconstruction in conflict-torn and post-conflict
societies.  In light of the emergence or re-emergence of conflict in about a
dozen states on the continent, we especially invite papers in the area of
human rights, democratization and reconciliation in societies presently torn
by conflict (e.g. Sierra Leone, Congo, Angola, Ethiopia and Eritrea, Algeria
and the Sudan).

The deadline for proposals of papers and panels is DECEMBER 30, 1999.
Proposed panels must include speakers from at least two different
institutions.

Completed papers must be received by the organizers no later than FEBRUARY
7, 2000.

Paper and Panel Topics:
* African civilizations (philosophy, science, literature, art)
* Human rights and social justice    * Child soldiers
*  Peace and reconciliation commissions
* Prospects for democratic governance   * Africa in comparative perspective
* African identities   * African Diaspora  * Ethnicity, migration and
refugees   * African culture and education     * Communications and
information technologies   * Distance Education
* Africa in the global economy  * Continental integration   * Formal and
informal labour   * Global restructuring and labour struggles
* Multilateral institutions   * Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs)
* Debt and debt forgiveness   * Social consequences of neoliberal policies
* Poverty and social cohesion   * Environment     * Natural resource
management   * Sustainable Agro-fisheries  * Gender and African political
economy  * Gender and sexuality in Africa
* Corruption  * Public policy and new public management
* Leadership
* Other topic suggestions welcomed!

Please send PAPER & PANEL PROPOSALS to:
Dr. Korbla Peter Puplampu.at:
Department of Sociology
Tory Building
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H4   Canada
E-mail:  ppuplamp@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca
Telephone: (780)-492-7579.


IV. REGISTRATION
Before December 31, 1999, registration for the conference is as follows:
* Members (All inclusive)+: $ 45.00
* Non-Members (All inclusive): $ 75.00
* Student/Senior Member (All Inclusive): $ 35.00
* Non-Student Senior Member (All Inclusive): $ 55.00

After December 31, 1999
* Members: $ 65.00
* Non-Members: $ 100.00
* Student/Senior Member: $ 50.00
* Student/Senior Non-Member: $ 65.00

+All inclusive: conference registration, Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka's
public lecture and cultural extravaganza of Soyinka's works.

For REGISTRATION & CONFERENCE INFORMATION, please contact:
Dr. Chris Nsaliwa
Box 11, Students' Union Building
University of Alberta
8900-114 Street
Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2S7
Telephone: (780)-461-7648
E-mail: cnsaliwa@telusplanet.ab.ca

The International Centre
University of Alberta
172 HUB Mall
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H4   Canada
Telephone: (780)-492-5962.
E-mail: Nancy.Hannemann@ualberta.ca

Dr. Malinda S. Smith
Co-ordinator, The Africa Society
c/o 9618-83 Avenue
Edmonton, Alberta T6C 1C2
Telephone: (780)-438-5708
E-mail: malindas@athabascau.ca


V. CONFERENCE ACCOMMODATIONS
We strongly recommend you book conference accommodations as soon as possible
as there is a major sports event in Edmonton at the same time.

Conference accommodation has been reserved at a number of hotels near the
conference site on the University of Alberta campus, including:

*Campus Towers Suite Hotel
Telephone: (780)-439-6060
Toll free (Canada and US): 1-800-661-6562 or Fax: (780)-433-4410
www.suitehotelgroup.com

*Varscona Hotel on Whyte
Telephone: (780)-434-6111
Toll free (Canada and US): 1-888-515-3355 or Fax: (780)-439-1195
www.varscona.com

*Inn on 7th
Telephone: (780)-429-2861