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In the News: Community
50 years of Involvement: Black United Students Celebrate 50 years
BUS @ 50 Reloaded: photography collection from E. Timothy Moore, Lafayette Tolliver, and others
The Department of Pan-African Studies, with the support of Kent State University office of the President and University Libraries is pleased to announce “BUS @ 50 Reloaded: A photography collection from Lafayette Tolliver, E. Timothy Moore, and others,” an exhibit of the photographs of Lafayette Tolliver, E. Timothy Moore and others. An opening reception will take place Saturday, October 6, 2018 from 12 p.m. - 4 p.m. in the Uumbaji gallery in Oscar Ritchie Hall. Exhibit dates are October 6, 2018 - October 28, 2018 gallery hours are from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Featured Events:
Center of Pan-African Culture to feature youth production.
The Center of Pan-African Culture announces upcoming children's production, "The Calabash Kids: A Tale of Tanzania" written by Aaron Shepard, directed by Asantewa Sunni-Ali. Youth between the ages of 6 -17 will perform in the production as a part of the Center of Pan-African Culture’s Pre-Kwanzaa Celebration in December.
“Pan-African Theatre Ensemble Announces Fall 2018 Productions”
The Pan-African Theatre Ensemble (PATE) will hold two productions: “An Echo in the Bone” written by Dennis Scott, November 15, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. and “Malcauchon, or Six in the Rain” written by Derek Walcott, November 29, 2018 at 2:30 p.m. Performances will run in the African Community Theatre, room 230 Oscar Ritchie Hall, located at 225 Terrace Drive on Kent State University campus. Tickets are on sale now. Call (330) 672-0082 or email at dforbese@kent.edu for your tickets. Tickets can also be purchased online by visiting the African Community Theatre webpage
https://www.kent.edu/pas/act .
"Center of Pan-African Culture Pre-Kwanzaa Celebration"
Save the Date: Saturday, December 8, 2018 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. room 250 Oscar Ritchie Hall. More information to be announced soon!
DPAS Faculty Research
Belize-Dr. Asantewa Sunni-Ali
As holder of a 2018 Summer Research and Creative Activity Appointment I traveled to Belize and Guatemala, Central America to collect data for research and documentary series, Seedz of Revolution. Seedz explores the lived experiences of African descended youth working in pursuit of individual and collective liberation. Over the course of six weeks, I conducted interviews, participant observations, and empowerment workshops with Garifuna youth, government workers and elders. The collected research data will be used for both academic publication and for the production of Seedz of Revolution: Growing Up Garifuna, an episode in the documentary series.
Ghana-Dr. Felix Kumah-Abiwu
My 2018 summer has been eventful and productive in terms of my research works. I was in Ghana from May to June to conduct field research works in the cities of Accra, Kumasi and Tamale. The project is part of my main research agenda on “Elections, Political Violence and Ghana’s Democratic Governance.” My interactions with ordinary Ghanaians, political, policy and media elites/experts through my face-to-face interviews have been greatly rewarding. Not only did I collect rich data for my ongoing research projects, but I also enjoyed the trip very much, thanks to the research fund I received from Kent State University.
Ghana-Mwatabu Okantah
The DPAS Ghana Study Abroad program present students and community stakeholders with a unique chance to explore 21st century life—at both the village and city levels—in the West African nation of Ghana. This interdisciplinary course is an academic/cultural opportunity designed to explore contemporary “life” in a modern West African society. This two week experiential sojourn is designed introduce participants to the “real Africa.”
Scotland Summer 2019-Dr. D. Amy-Rose Forbes-Erickson
I was accepted to represent Kent State University in the International Collegiate Theatre Festival (ICTF) program 2018-2019 for the Pan-African Theatre Ensemble to perform at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland in the summer, 2019. I received internal funding from the University Research Council to research and participate in the ICTF with a devised production of Mwatabu Okantah’s Cheikh Anta Diop: Poem for the Living, called “Digital Masks to Africa.” This new production explores a philosophical and spiritual journey to Africa with a multilingual cast performing in African languages (Wolof, Twi, Kiswahili), and European languages (English, French, Spanish, German) to reflect African descent cultures and communities around the world.
Nia (Purpose) @ KSU
Featured KSU Student leader
Brianna Robinson-Editor in Cheif UHURU Magazine
Brianna Robinson is currently the Editor in Chief of Uhuru Magazine here at Kent State studying Sociology with a concentration in inequalities and she has a minor in art history. She is also a founding member of the Black Femme Collective, an organization which serves as a safe space for all black people who are feminine aligned. She is very passionate about the feminism, equity, the arts and self expression and hopes to reflect the pursuit of freedom through everything she creates in the future."