October 27, 2004
Event: African Culture Week at Illinois Wesleyan University
Date: Oct. 31-Nov. 7, 2004 (Sunday--Sunday)
Admission: All events are free and open to the public
Background: African Culture week is meant to educate people about African culture and tradition. To begin the week at Illinois Wesleyan, there will be a screening of Lost Boys of Sudan, directed by Megan Mylan and Jon Shenk (2004) on Sunday, Oct. 31 at 7:00 p.m. in Beckman Auditorium of The Ames Library, 1 Ames Plaza, Bloomington. There will also be a post-screening discussion led by former “Lost Boys” from Sudan—students at Truman College in Chicago who are Sudanese refugees. Following are a list of other events that will take place throughout the week:
-- Monday, Nov. 1, from 12:00-1:00 p.m. there will be a “Non-Organized” talk by Professor of Sociology and Anthropology Rebecca Gearhart in the Davidson Room of the Memorial Center, 104 E. University St., Bloomington.
Also on Monday, from 3:00-4:00 p.m. in Beckman Auditorium, in The Ames Library there will be a talk, Sharing our Past, Looking toward the Future: Sudanese “Lost Boys” talk about their Experiences in Africa and in the U.S.
-- Tuesday, Nov. 2, from 4:00-5:00 p.m. in the Merwin & Bates Reading Room on the fourth floor of The Ames Library, there will be a talk by visiting Scholar at Risk, Professor of Political Science Tatah Mentan, Murdering Democracy: Reconfiguring Autocracy in Francophone Africa.
Following Mentan’s talk, there will be a wine and cheese reception from 5:00-6:00 p.m. in the Merwin & Bates Reading Room, The Ames Library.
-- Wednesday, Nov. 3, from 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. in Evelyn Chapel, 1301 N. Park St., Bloomington, there will be an African Chapel Hour with Professor of History at Illinois State University, Agbenyega Adedze.
-- Thursday, Nov. 4, from 4:00-5:00 p.m. in the Hansen Student Center Lounge, 300 Beecher St., Bloomington, there will be “African Storytelling” with Illinois State University Professor of English Nancy Tolson.
There will also be a screening of Ghosts of Rwanda, directed by Greg Barker (2004), in the Center for Natural Science, 201 E. Beecher St., Bloomington, room C101 at 7:00 p.m.
-- Friday, Nov. 5, at 7:00 p.m. in Buck Memorial Library, 210 E. University Ave., Bloomington, room 108, there will be a screening of Guelwaar, directed by Ousmane Sembene (1993), in French and Wolof with English subtitles, with an introduction by IWU Associate Professor of French Valerie Orlando.
There will also be African food available during the day, for IWU students only, in the Bertholf Commons, 104 E. University St., Bloomington.
-- The final event will be held on Sunday, Nov. 7, from 5:30-7:15 p.m. in the Hansen Student Center: African Culture Night: African Food and Entertainment by the Ewe Dance Association.
African Culture week is co-sponsored by the African Studies Team, composed of faculty members of the International Studies program, under the guidance of Gearhart, and the African Students Association, led by Olukayode Adedamola Karunwi, class of 2005.
Contact: For more information, contact Gearhart at (309) 556-3921.
