By George Mauzy
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, room 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 University 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 at 3:30 p.m. Friday, April 11, and 9 a.m. Saturday, April 12. The group wraps up its visit with a free performance 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 music designed to transform and heal people as well as address many of the world's important issues. The group sings about most of the world's most pressing issues, such as AIDS, women, substance abuse, family, self-respect, love, equality, freedom, the environment, justice and peace.
Ohio University has one of only 12 African Studies programs and one of only nine Southeast Asian Studies programs to be recognized as National Resource Centers by the U.S. Department of Education.
"Ohio University was one of the first schools 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, contact Assistant Director for Institutional Equity Diane Bouvier at (740) 593-2620 or visit www.ohiou.edu/equity/inprocess.html.
George Mauzy is a media specialist with University Communications and Marketing.
