For centuries, the Mediterranean Sea has both divided and joined the many disparate nations, cultures, language groups and artistic traditions which flourished in the Mediterranean Basin: the Maghreb, Iberia, Southern Europe, the Balkans, the Levant and Egypt. As a dividing line and barrier to inter-cultural exchange, it has allowed each of these regions and their many cultures to develop unique artistic traditions. As the major feature binding these diverse cultures together, however, it has also facilitated inter-cultural exchange. What happens, then, when these traditions travel, meet and merge with each other? How does the host country adopt and adapt the ideas and aesthetics coming from abroad to its own native tradition?
This volume will look at such pan-Mediterranean artistic exchange (in literature as well as film, painting, music, photography, etc.) produced during or about the Modernist period, roughly the last quarter of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th. We welcome papers addressing any aspect of Modernist and avante-garde literature and art on four related themes: first, papers which describe the interaction of two or more Mediterranean artistic traditions (international Futurism, for example, or the reception of French Surrealism in Algeria); second, two or more Mediterranean cultures (Alexandria’s Jewish community or relations between Greeks and Turks in Cyprus); third, depictions of the Mediterranean itself during the period (in, for example, Lawrence Durrell’s Bitter Lemons of Cyprus or Henry Miller’s Colossus of Maroussi); or, fourth, the myriad forms of Modernist and avante-garde art which emerged from a single location (such as Cavafy, Marinetti, Ungaretti and Durrell in Alexandria). Papers on similar themes will also be considered.
Title: The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Modernity
Eds. Adam J. Goldwyn (Uppsala University) and Renee Silverman (Florida International University)
CONTACT INFORMATION:
For inquiries: adam.goldwyn@lingfil.uu.se
For submissions: Email one to two page abstracts by June 15 to Dr. Goldwyn at adam.goldwyn@lingfil.uu.se
Book Title: Muhammad in History, Thought, and Culture: An Encyclopedia of the Prophet of God (2 volumes), Fitzpatrick, C. & Walker, A. (Eds.).
Publication: ABC-CLIO, a leading and well established publisher in academic and reference publications, is in the process of compiling a comprehensive two volume hard back Encyclopedia on Muhammad and his impact on world thought and culture. On its completion, the publication will enjoy wide circulation, particularly in North America and Europe.
The publisher also intends to place each entry on the renowned world religions database which is rapidly evolving into one of the most utilised online resource on the beliefs, cultures, and controversies of world religions.
Call: The editors are seeking interested scholars to prepare entries ranging from 500 to 2,000 words with a global perspective. All entries should both introduce the subject and discuss how it has been impacted by Muhammad in some way, shape, or form. The subject matter need not be limited to the life of Muhammad and can also include his impact up until the present day. Entries should target the undergraduate and non-specialist audience while forwarding the current scholarly research on each respected subject.
Listed below are the remaining entries accompanied by suggested word counts. The editors are particularly interested in thematic essay entries and would welcome proposals that are not included below. The publication has already attracted strong interest with commitments from over seventy scholars comprising some of the leading academics in the fields of Islamic and Near Eastern Studies. Contributors will be allocated a reasonable amount of time to submit entries.
Contact: If you are interested in contributing towards the volume ,or would like further information, please contact the editors via e-mail: fitzpaco@gvsu.edu
Entry List
Tafsir & Ta’wil: 2,000 words
Hadith: 1,500 words
Fiqh: 1,000 words
Creed: 1,000 words
Prayer: 1,500 words
Salvation: 750 words
Forbidding Evil: 750 words
Faith (Iman): 1,000 words
Destiny (Qadr): 1,000 words
Soul (Ruh): 750 words
Charity: 1,000 words
Knowledge: 1,500 words
Logic (Kalam): 1,500 words
Qadi: 500 words
Muhammad as Depicted in Judaism: 1,000 words
Education: 1,000 words
Companions: 2,000 words
Geography: 1,000 words
Muhammad as Depicted in Shi'a Works: 2,000 words
Sufi Works on Muhammad: 2,000 words
Sufi Tariqas: spiritual links to Muhammad: 1000 words
People of the Book: 750 words
Chivalry (Futuwwah): 500 words
Love (Hubb, 'Ishq, Wudd, etc.): 1,000 words
Suluk: 750 words
Inshad: 1,500 words
Praise poetry: 2,000 words
Orientalism: 1,000 words
Islamic Finance: 1,000 words
Waqf: 750 words
Genealogy/Ahl al-Bayt/Sayyeds & Sharifs: 1,500 words
Music: 1,500 words
Sub-Saharan Africa Literature (Depiction of the Prophet): 2,000 words
North Africa Literature (Depiction of the Prophet): 2,000 words
Women: 2,000 words
Durud: 1,000 words
Byzantium Literature (Depiction of the Prophet): 1,000 words
For centuries, the Mediterranean Sea has both divided and joined the many disparate nations, cultures, language groups and artistic traditions which flourished in the Mediterranean Basin: the Maghreb, Iberia, Southern Europe, the Balkans, the Levant and Egypt. As a dividing line and barrier to inter-cultural exchange, it has allowed each of these regions and their many cultures to develop unique artistic traditions. As the major feature binding these diverse cultures together, however, it has also facilitated inter-cultural exchange. What happens, then, when these traditions travel, meet and merge with each other? How does the host country adopt and adapt the ideas and aesthetics coming from abroad to its own native tradition?
This volume will look at such pan-Mediterranean artistic exchange (in literature as well as film, painting, music, photography, etc.) produced during or about the Modernist period, roughly the last quarter of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th. We welcome papers addressing any aspect of Modernist and avante-garde literature and art on four related themes: first, papers which describe the interaction of two or more Mediterranean artistic traditions (international Futurism, for example, or the reception of French Surrealism in Algeria); second, two or more Mediterranean cultures (Alexandria’s Jewish community or relations between Greeks and Turks in Cyprus); third, depictions of the Mediterranean itself during the period (in, for example, Lawrence Durrell’s Bitter Lemons of Cyprus or Henry Miller’s Colossus of Maroussi); or, fourth, the myriad forms of Modernist and avante-garde art which emerged from a single location (such as Cavafy, Marinetti, Ungaretti and Durrell in Alexandria). Papers on similar themes will also be considered.
Title: The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Modernity
Eds. Adam J. Goldwyn (Uppsala University) and Renee Silverman (Florida International University)
CONTACT INFORMATION:
For inquiries: adam.goldwyn@lingfil.uu.se
For submissions: Email one to two page abstracts by June 15 to Dr. Goldwyn at adam.goldwyn@lingfil.uu.se
SOCIETY OF MOVIE SCHOLARS (SoMS) in collaboration with NATIONAL FILM AND VIDEO CENSORS BOARD (NFVCB) and ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA THEATRE ARTS PRACTTIONERS (ANTP) INVITES THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE THEORIZATION AND CLASSIFICATION OF AFRICAN REGIONAL MOVIES
Background
African movies across its regions have grown to the extent that there is need to critically do their in-depth studies with the purpose of generating theories on their packaging, analysis and proper classification into genres. Most movies produced in Africa are packaged without recourse to definite theories. Broadly speaking, most of the movies can be categorized into three groups namely, cultural or epic; modern and religious movies. While the religious and cultural movies could be in local or foreign languages, modern movies are so described because they are often located in the context of urban or rural populace and are produced in foreign or local languages, treating themes bothering on modern issues. But where they are in local languages, they are often lazed with Pidgin English or code mixed. However, these groupings possess the tendency to overlap if these categories are to be retained. Thus, it is difficult to arrogate to these groupings as genres on their own, more so that these grading are not guided by definite theories.
To define these groups effectively therefore, it might be necessary to do a close survey of their constituents. This is when the components can be highlighted into specific genres for stimulating and rich academic exercise. It is expected as the outcome of the exercise that specialization, originality and scope-widening and thus further ground for employment creation and legitimacy of production and its development would be engendered. Then practitioners’ specializations on specific genres would increase, and the tendency to recycle old ideas for new creations would be reduced.
This conference is therefore organized with the intent of gathering interested scholars and practitioners within and outside Africa to rub minds so as to evolve specific theories of packaging, analysis, and map out what genres African movies could be grouped. Taking a leap from the fact that movies are audio-visualisation of literature and literary texts and are analysed based on definite theories, the objective therefore is to cut a niche for African movies like literature, and place them strategically in the world movie categorizations but based on African development ideals and thus globalise what hitherto were local mediations.
CALL FOR PAPERS
In view of the above, abstracts are invited from academics, media industry professionals, movie producers, distributors, government agencies, policymakers, movie regulators, agencies, donors, civil society organisations, independent consultants, research groups and students, on any aspects of the under listed sub-themes. Such abstracts which should not exceed 200 words should be based on the analysis of select movies that fall within the sub-themes. This would eventually argue out the basis for specified theories and why the movie should be classified within the genres that the scholar is advocating. Contributors should however not forget to state under which sub-theme they are submitting their abstract.
Abstracts are to be sent to our E-mail address: moviescholars@gmail.com on or before August 1st 2011, while full paper must reach us before September 1st, 2011.
Sub-themes
Below are the likely, but by no means the only sub-themes on which abstracts can be submitted.
1. Trends in movie Theories. 2. Existing Literary Theories and the need or not, for distinct African movie theories. 3. Generating theories on African movies. 4. Emergent genres in African movies. 5. Movies and the relevance of African-specific genres. 6. Classifying African urban and rural movies. 7. Gender and social issues in African movies, need for classical genrization. 8. War and crime movies and proper classification. 9. Travel movies and issues of depiction. 10. African movies and the global media culture. 11. Representation of economic, social and political issues in African movies 12. Africans’ contributions to the Theories of Gaze. 13. Sociology and Psychology of African movies.
Proposals should include abstract title, author's name, address, telephone number, email address, and institutional affiliation.
Conference fee: A non-refundable registration fee of N10, 000 or (USD 200, BP100 for participants from the US, Europe, and other African countries). This must be paid immediately when an abstract is accepted. It is expected that all participants will raise the funding to attend the conference please.
LEAD PAPER: Professor Ahmed Yerima, Head of Department, Department of Theatre and Performing Arts, Kwara State University Malete Kwara State (Title of Paper: African Movies: The needs for unique identities)
GUEST OF HONOUR: Emeka Mba, Director General, National Film and Video Censors Board, Abuja
KEY NOTE ADDRESS: Comrade Victor Ashaolu, National President, Association of Nigeria Theatre Arts Practitioners, National Theatre, Lagos
Conference Dates:
Arrival- October 24th, 2011
Opening and plenary sessions 25th--27th October, 2011
Venue: Osun State University, Osogbo; Nigeria.
Enquiries:
For more details, please visit the website: www.moviescholars.org OR contact any of the following:
Colleagues are warmly invited to submit contributions for volume 13 of New Readings, to be published no later than 31 August 2013. Contributions should be received by 31 August 2012, so that the editorial decision can be communicated before 30 November 2012.
New Readings is a peer-reviewed, open-access e-journal publishing original research in the fields of European literature, cultural history, film and visual culture. European here is understood as broadly as possible in terms of its geographical spread and its linguistic base. Francophone Africa and the Americas, for example, are therefore included in the journal’s scope. The journal has a strong, but by no means exclusive interest in publishing papers which examine the links between Europe and the wider world, and in interdisciplinary scholarship.
Solicited and contributed manuscripts should be prepared in accordance with the conventions of MLA style, as specified in MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th edition, 2009) or MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (3rd edition, 2008). A brief overview with examples can be found here.
The recommended word-count for submissions is 6,000-8,000 (including footnotes and Works Cited).
CONTACT INFORMATION:
For queries/ submissions: submission is directly through the New Readings website
The Sheikh Zayed International Book Award, one of the most prestigious and well-funded prizes, has announced the opening of nominations for its sixth session of 2011/2012. The deadline for nominations is September 1st, 2011.
Commenting on the rollout of the Award’s sixth session, Juma'a Al Qubaisi, Deputy Director General of ADACH for the National Library, Member of the Award’s Higher Council, said: “The significant successes which the Award generated since its inception six years back, give us confidence today to rollout our latest session with an aspiration to reach the international market. It’s our sixth year now and we are still speeding forward with the same passion and commitment to the core objectives inspired by late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. ”
Accordingly, the Award now welcomes nominations from authors, translators and publishing houses in any of the Award’s nine categories; Best Contribution to the Development of Nations, Children’s Literature, Young Author, Translation, Literature, Fine Arts, Best Technology in the Field of Culture, Best Publishing House, and Cultural Personality of the Year. For cultural personality of the year award, applicants should be nominated by academic, research or cultural institutions. For the other eight categories, applicants are requested to fill in the Nomination Form in person.
Applicants must fill the application form either online www.zayedaward.ae or by downloading the form. Once completed and signed, the application forms should be submitted to the Sheikh Zayed Book Award Offices along with the candidate's resume, passport copy, personal photo, and Five copies of the nominated book - works nominated for the Award of the Best Technology in Culture, can be in digital format.
All nominated works must have been published in the last two years. The work must be written in Arabic, except for the Translation Award.
Over the past six years the Award has recognized the creative literary and cultural achievements of more than 34 individuals and entities, including Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohamed Al-Qasimi; Novelist Wacini Laredj; Prof. Pedro Martinez Montavez; Novelist Ibrahim al-Kouni; Orientalist Xhong Jikun and many more. In its last session, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award received a record total of 715 nominations, flooding from 28 countries with impressive variety, including the Arab World, Europe, and East Asia.
The award comprises a total monetary prize value of seven million UAE dirhams. Each prize consists of a gold medal bearing the SZBA logo, a certificate of merit. The Cultural Personality of the Year winner receives a prize of one million dirhams, while the winners of the other categories receive 750,000 dirhams.
Award Categories
Award Value:
The value of the award amounts to AED seven (7) million. Every winner is granted:
- a financial amount of AED 750,000 - a golden medal bearing the logo of the award - an appreciation certificate for the winning work
Sheikh Zayed Award for the Cultural Personality of the Year receives 1 million dirhams.
Nomination
Step 1: Applicants are requested to read and abide by the general terms of the award nomination.
Step 2: If applicable, choose which category they want to apply to, and then fill in the application form found under that same award category “Award Categories” tab. However, the “Cultural personality of the year” Category nominations should be filled out and sent by one of the following groups:
• Three prominent figures in the cultural world • Academic institutions • Literary or research entities
Step 3: Once completed and signed, the application forms should be submitted to the Sheikh Zayed Book Award Offices along with the:
• Candidate's Resume. • Passport copy. • Personal photo. • Five copies of the nominated work.
Note: Application forms can be downloaded or collected from the Administrative Offices of the Award
General Terms
1. The nominated work should have contributed to the development of Arabic culture. 2. The nominated work shouldn’t be previously awarded by an international/ prominent Prize. 3. The work must be published in a book format. Works, nominated for the Award of the Best Technology in Culture, can be in digital format. 4. The work should have been published for no more than two years. 5. The work must be written in Arabic, except for works nominated for the Translation Award. They could be translated either from or to Arabic. 6. The work should maintain high standards of authenticity and creativity 7. Nomination is not accepted for more than one work. 8. Re-nomination for the same work is accepted if time condition is still valid. However, a new application form should be filled out and new copies of the work submitted. 9. The work must abide by the terms listed in the application form.
* The award of any category may be detained or withdrawn at the discretion of the Advisory committee and the committee is allowed to take any decision it sees fit .
*Nominees are not entitled to object to the decisions of the Advisory Committee of the award.
FAQs
What is the Sheikh Zayed Book Award?
The Sheikh Zayed Book Award is an independent cultural award. It is presented every year to outstanding Arab writers, intellectuals, publishers as well as young talent whose writings and translations of humanities have enriched Arab cultural, literary and social life.
Who was Sheikh Zayed?
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was the principal architect of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the UAE for over 30 years.
What has the award done to expand its international profile over the past two years and how will this impact nominations for session three?
In 2008, the Award Committee evaluated a total of 512 works from more than 1,200 nominated across the nine award categories and which represent submissions from more than 30 countries. Needless to say we’ve achieved a great deal over the past two years to increase our visibility overseas. In 2008, we exhibited at both the London Book Fair and Book Expo America in Los Angeles and held high profile speaking engagements at both of these events. We saw these milestones as real opportunities to talk internationally about the Sheikh Zayed Book Award and its missions. We very much hope that this heightened international presence will translate into an increased number of nominations for 2009 from a broader pool of talented and creative individuals.
Do you have plans to host or attend any other events in the near future?
The Sheikh Zayed Book Award hosted its very first regional event in Paris at the Arab World Institute in July 2008. This event is themed around ‘recognising creativity’ and addressed how translation can help to build bridges between the French and Arab cultures. The future plans of sheikh zayed book award is to host 6 international events around the world.
Approximately how many people were nominated across the nine book award categories? If we take 2008 figures as a guideline, the Award Committee evaluated a total of 512 works from more than 750 nominated across the nine award categories and which represent submissions from more than 20 countries.
Who manages and oversees the entire selection process?
The award is supervised by a Higher Committee and an Advisory Council that manage a rigorous award selection process
Who selects the members of the selection committee?
Every year, the Advisory Council appoints a group of distinguished regional and international cultural figures who serve on nine separate selection committees, one for each award category
Why do judges remain anonymous?
The selection committee members remain anonymous to maintain the independence and integrity of the selection process.
Do the judges meet?
The category judges independently evaluate the nominations and submit their evaluations against a stringent, quantifiable scoring criterion to ensure the decision is truly reflective of their independent and expert views. The assessment results are then calculated for each category and evaluated by the Supreme Advisory Committee for the award.
Doesn’t this approach inhibit discussion and full vetting of the nominees?
The Sheikh Zayed Book Award judging procedure maximizes independence and consistency throughout the evaluation process. The two-stage structure is designed to ensure that the independent views of the expert judging panel are fully captured in a quantifiable and qualifiable manner while also allowing for collective evaluation by the Supreme Advisory Committee.
Why was the prize for Best Technology in the Field of Culture Award not awarded for two consecutive years?
The Best Technology in the Field of Culture Award was withheld for the second consecutive year because the judging panel felt that none of the entries lived up to the high standards that have been set for this category for driving innovation in digital publishing throughout the Arab World. Some awards have been witheld last year as the works did not meet the high standards of the award.
The winners of the 2011 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize were announced today in Sydney in an exciting climax to this year's final programme. Critically acclaimed international literary titles for Best Book and Best First Book were awarded to:
Best Book Winner – The Memory of Love, Aminatta Forna (Sierra Leone)
The judges praised The Memory of Love for its risk taking, elegance and breadth. A poignant story about friendship, betrayal, obsession and second chances – the novel is an immensely powerful portrayal of human resilience. The judges concluded that The Memory of Love delicately delves into the courageous lives of those haunted by the indelible effects of Sierra Leone’s past and yet amid that loss gives us a sense of hope and optimism for their future. Forna has produced a bold, deeply moving and accomplished novel which confirms her place among the most talented writers in literature today.
Best First Book Winner – A Man Melting, Craig Cliff (New Zealand)
The judges chose this highly entertaining and thought provoking collection of short stories for their ambition, creativity and craftsmanship. Confidently blending ideas that frequently weave outlandish concepts with everyday incidents, the prose is skilfully peppered with social observations that define the world we live in. The eighteen short stories are truly insightful and amplify many of the absurdities around us, reflecting our own expectations, fears and paranoia on the big questions in life. This book is of the moment, and is rightly at home on a global platform. Cliff is a talent to watch and set to take the literary world by storm.
Now in its 25th year and supported by the Macquarie Group Foundation, Commonwealth Writers’ Prize is unique in offering both established and emerging writers the opportunity to showcase their work. The Best Book winner claims £10,000 while the writer of Best First Book wins £5,000.
For the last 25 years the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize has played a key role in unearthing new international literary names, bringing compelling stories of human experience to a wider audience. As highly acclaimed international authors Aminatta Forna and Craig Cliff will follow in the footsteps of some of the biggest names in modern fiction in winning the Prize, including Louis De Bernieres, Andrea Levy, Ian McEwan, and Zadie Smith.
For the fifth consecutive year the Macquarie Group Foundation, one of Australia’s leading philanthropic foundations, is helping to advance one of the most prestigious literary prizes in the world. With Macquarie’s support the prize has grown to reach more people around the world, encouraging wider reading across a range of Commonwealth cultures and rewarding the rising talent that other prizes often overlook.
Aminatta Forna was born in Glasgow, Scotland and raised in Sierra Leone, West Africa. Her first book, The Devil that Danced on the Water, was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize 2003. Her novel Ancestor Stones was winner of the 2008 Hurston Wright Legacy Award, the Literaturpreis in Germany, was nominated for the International IMPAC Award and selected by the Washington Post as one of the most important books of 2006. Aminatta lives in London.
Craig Cliff was born in Palmerston North, New Zealand. A graduate of Victoria University’s MA in creative writing, his short stories and poetry have been published in New Zealand and Australia. His short story 'Another Language' won the novice section of the 2007 BNZ Katherine Mansfield Awards. Craig lives in Wellington, New Zealand.
Commenting on the winning announcement, Danny Sriskandarajah Interim Director of the Commonwealth Foundation, said:
“I am delighted to congratulate, the winners of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize 2011. In its 25th year, the Prize embodies the Commonwealth at its best. It unearths the best writing from across 54 countries, promoting dialogue and understanding on an international scale.”
Richard Sheppard, Chairman of the Macquarie Group Foundation, the supporter of the Prize, added:
"The Macquarie Group Foundation is delighted that two such diverse writers have won this year's Commonwealth Writers' Prize. For the last 25 years, the Prize has helped to bring writers to new global audiences and I'm sure once again that this year's winners will delight and inspire readers and writers around the world."
Nicholas Hasluck, Chair of the judging panel said:
“This year’s winning books demonstrate the irreducible power of the written word at a time of rapid global change and uncertainty. The standard of entries this year has been exceptional, showcasing work with strong insight, spirit and voice introducing readers to unfamiliar worlds.”
The regional prize winners are:
Africa:
Best Book: The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna (Sierra Leone) Best First Book: Happiness is a four-letter word by Cynthia Jele (South Africa)
Caribbean and Canada:
Best Book: Room by Emma Donoghue (Canada) Best First Book: Bird Eat Bird by Katrina Best (Canada)
South Asia and Europe:
Best Book: The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell (UK) Best First Book: Sabra Zoo by Mischa Hiller (UK)
South East Asia and Pacific:
Best Book: That Deadman Dance by Kim Scott (Australia) Best First Book: A Man Melting by Craig Cliff (New Zealand)
Female madness is well represented within European and Anglo-American literature, letters, and scholarly endeavors. From Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar’s inaugural The Madwoman in the Attic (1979) to Elaine Showalter’s The Female Malady (1987) and more recent forays into madness as a trope of female (dis)empowerment, mental illness has been largely feminized and reified into a space of literary whiteness. Nevertheless, this is paradoxical, considering the multiplicity of female writers of the black diaspora who incorporate mental illness into their work.
This panel will focus on twentieth and twenty-first century novels by black women authors writing from Africa, the Americas, and Europe, who incorporate madness as a site of political, cultural, and artistic resistance, particularly as embodied in the use of experimental writing practices. This panel thus creates a conversation at the crossroads where aesthetic praxis morphs into political engagement. Interdisciplinary scholarship is welcomed. There is the potential for an edited volume.
Submit a 300 word abstract to Caroline Brown (at caroline.brown@umontreal.ca) by March 15, 2012. Please note, special sessions must be approved by the MLA.
Lemn Sissay is the first poet commissioned to write for The 2012 Olympics and his poem Spark Catchers will be etched into a structure in the Olympic Park. Lemn recently received an honorary doctorate from University of Huddersfield and an MBE from the Queen for services to Literature.
After a three year residency Lemn Sissay is now associate artist at Southbank centre. He’s been a poet and writer for his entire adult life. He’s read on stages throughout the world, Russia, America, India, Europe, Africa and Australia.
He is the author of five poetry collections. The latest is Listener published by Canongate Books. He has written various plays for stage and BBC radio. His play ‘Something Dark’ has been on tour around the world for seven years.
Lemn’s public art poems are emblazoned on buildings, in sculpture and in on streets in London and Manchester. Some have become landmarks. A documentary about Lemn’s extraordinary life and search for his father, Internal Flight, was broadcast on BBC2.
He is the inspiration behind GPS Global Poetry System an online resource for poetry behind public art. He also presents occasional documentary for BBC radio four and World Service. His artwork What If was exhibited at The Royal Academy of Arts in 2010. Lemn Sissay’s work is featured on albums, in books, in art galleries, online, on radio and upon the streets.
Venue: Slave Church Museum, 40 Long Street, Cape Town
The work of writers of African heritage, whether they hail from the “old” or the “new” diaspora, has been known for its exceptional vigour and originality, and has unsurprisingly attracted the attention of scholars from all over the world. In recent years, however, criticism focusing on the production of artists from the old diaspora, either African American or Caribbean, has often examined these authors’ displaced identity in the Americas or in Europe at the expense of their African heritage and their perception of it. Even analyses of contemporary literary texts centring on the slave trade have more readily discussed writers’ representation of history than their engagement with Africa per se – the latter topic having seemingly lost the prominence that it once enjoyed in scholarly circles, as writers themselves appear to have less frequently chosen to place the continent of their ancestors at the centre of their fiction and poetry. Yet, in many cases, this African dimension still seems to play a significant role in the overall assessment and understanding of their works, and is therefore worthy of renewed critical attention.
African cultures and settings cannot be said to suffer comparable neglect in recent discussions of works by writers of the new diaspora, a category that broadly encompasses those who were born on the continent but left it either as children or as young adults. However, perhaps because these diasporic artists provide the bulk of the canon of contemporary African literatures, their perception of the continent of their birth has rarely been assessed through the lens of their geographical position, many critics preferring instead to emphasize globalizing trends or, conversely, to position diasporic artists, such as third-generation Nigerian writers, as the unproblematic heirs to the strategies of historical and cultural retrieval implemented by older Africa-based authors. Even though recent efforts have been made to circumscribe the specificity of the new diaspora’s artistic perceptions of Africa, the question still remains under-explored.
Taking our cue from Countee Cullen’s famous line – included in his 1925 poem “Heritage” – we would like to invite participants in this conference to address the diverse critical blind spots surrounding the representation of, and engagement with, Africa in the works of contemporary writers and artists from the old and the new diasporas. The questions and topics that could be addressed (either through close readings or theoretical contributions) include, but are not limited to:
- How is Africa represented in the diasporic imagination? Is it usually metaphorized or romanticized? Or, on the contrary, does it tend to be depicted in a realistic mode? Is the continent viewed as being trapped in a past marked by slavery and exploitation, or as being marred by a present of poverty and corruption? Do some diasporic artists unwillingly contribute to the perpetuation of stereotypes about Africa as a monolithic whole?
- Is Africa still relevant to the artists of the old diaspora? Does it still shape their creative minds? Is “African diaspora” a pertinent discursive category when discussing Caribbean or African American artists?
- Conversely, is the concept of “African diaspora” established enough to provide a valid critical framework in the case of the new diaspora? Do diasporic artists from North, South, East and West Africa have a common external vantage point from which to appraise the country or continent of their birth? Or, on the contrary, does their geographical location seal their common estrangement from Africa?
- What are the differences or parallels in the representations of Africa found in the works of artists of the old and new diasporas on the one hand, and those who are based in Africa on the other?
- What is the role played by gender, class, generation and/or race in the way diasporic writers perceive the culture and the land of their ancestors?
- Are categories that include references to the African continent rather empowering or limiting? How so?
- What is the role played by academics, journalists, facilitators and publishers in the dissemination of the artistic production of the old and new diasporas? To what extent do these actors encourage strategies of (self-)exoticization? Do they favour selective canonization?
- How do new technologies, particularly the internet, shape the dialogue between artists of the old and new diasporas, and those residing in Africa? Are distinctions between writers based on the continent and overseas still relevant in the twenty-first century?
- What, if anything, does Africa expect from its diasporic writers? Are these artists entitled to criticize the continent they originate from, or are they expected to treat it with special consideration? In other words, do diasporic artists have any particular ethical duty?
We welcome proposals within the field of literature, but also film, music and visual arts. Abstracts for 20-minute papers should be about 200 words, and panel descriptions for 90-minute sessions about 700 words (overall description of the panel in about 100 words, plus three individual abstracts of about 200 words). Non-Anglophone and comparative approaches are most welcome, but all papers will be delivered in English.
Proposals should be sent by 15 July 2012 to africatomenow@gmail.com. A response will reach you by 15 August 2012.
