ATHENS, Ohio -- Africa and its descendents and the children of Islam will be the topics of focus when Ohio University hosts "Global Africa and Its Encounters in Southeast Asia and the Americas," April 10-12.

The weekend will feature two conferences where research on African children and people of African descent in the Americas will be shared. The weekend also will include a concert and two music workshops by one of the nation's premier African-American female a cappella groups.

The weekend kicks off at 7 p.m. Thursday night with the opening ceremony of the "Children of Islam: Faith and Social Change in Africa and Southeast Asia" conference in Morton Hall 237. The conference centers on childhood issues in and around Islamic societies in Southeast Asia and Africa.

Presenters will discuss how Islam has provided socialization for children regarding family and community life, education, the arts, politics, work, economy and inter-group relations. All sessions of the conference are free and open to the public, but only registered attendees will receive meals.

Ohio University's Department of African American Studies will host "The African Diaspora in the Americas: Current Research" symposium, April 11-12 at Baker Center. The symposium will exhibit research on the African Diaspora in the Americas and highlight the collaborative and interdisciplinary research of faculty and students.

The two-day event will include three plenary sessions, 10 panels, three workshops, an art exhibition and performances by the West Virginia University Steel Band and Ohio University Assistant Professor of Dance Travis Gatling. The symposium is free and open to the public, but there will be a fee for meals.

In Process..., an African-American female a cappella quartet from Washington D.C., will host complimentary workshops at the Ohio University School of Music Recital Hall on April 11 and 12, before performing a free concert at 8 p.m. Saturday at Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium.

For the past 22 years, In Process... has changed lives and empowered people with its music. The music is designed to transform and heal people as well as address many of the world's important issues, such as AIDS, women, substance abuse, family, self-respect, love, equality, freedom, the environment, justice and peace.

"Ohio University is one of the few universities with an African Studies program and also was one of the first to create an African American Studies program," said African American Studies Department Chair Vibert Cambridge. "This entire weekend will display Ohio University's longtime commitment to advance African and African-American issues."

For more information about the weekend visit www.ohiou.edu/equity/inprocess.html .