African Languages and Societies Commons^™

The Space Gap, Access To Technology, And The Perpetuation Of Poverty, Tyler A. Way

International ResearchScape Journal

No abstract provided.

Eritrea And The Migration Dilemma In The Horn Of Africa, Elizabeth Stark

International ResearchScape Journal

The state of Eritrea is gradually losing its population. A variety of human rights violations including mandatory indefinite conscription is contributing to many Eritrean citizen’s choice to flee. Those that do flee, tend to go to Sudan or Ethiopia as there is a long historical and cultural connection between the three countries. Additionally, Sudan and Ethiopia have a variety of laws and institutions in place to help the various refugees they take in. However, while there is this legislation, refugees are still vulnerable segments of the population that face many troubles. This shared history, culture and the legal protections afforded …

The Relevance Of The Message To Time And Space: President Barack Hussein Obama Speaking, Michael A. Nkansah

Africana Studies Student Research Conference (2013-2019)

This paper adopts the traditional perspective of rhetorical criticism by Aristotle to analyze the speech that is said to have made Barrack Hussein Obama, the President of United States of America. The traditional perspective has been used to explain advertisements, novels, films and for the most part speeches. Concepts that form the construct of the traditional criticism are used to describe, interpret, evaluate and make subtle judgments about the rhetorical artifact. In order to achieve this, Aristotle proposed three elements for rhetorical analysis of an individual’s performance to a target audience within a span of time: (i) the speaker or …

The "Independence" Of Ethiopia And Liberia, William Seger

Africana Studies Student Research Conference (2013-2019)

This essay will examine the independence of Ethiopia and Liberia, two states frequently upheld as the only remaining independent African states during the colonial era. These two countries remained independent primarily because of the diplomatic regard that European nations held them, not because of military or geographic factors. The European view that these countries were legitimate players on the world stage was essential to avoiding outright conquest. However, these countries failed to achieve “real” independence. They had to sacrifice territory, succumb to European economic intrusion, and be placed in spheres of influence in order to remain “independent.” In fact, Liberia …

Ethics And The Policing Of African Americans And Those Of African Descent In America, Richard Brown, Abhijeet Shirsat

Africana Studies Student Research Conference (2013-2019)

What role does ethics play in policing Black America? The criminal justice system has a race problem (Obama, 2017; Alexander, 2010). Data shows that racial disparities exist within corrections (Robertson, 2014). The numbers of minorities that are entangled within the courts, the number of arrests made by police and the numbers of unarmed blacks who have recently been killed by the police, support the notion that who have been given a pass by county prosecutors and states attorneys (Chaney & Robertson, 2015). Amadou Diallo, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and John Crawford are just a few of the names …

Pop Music As E-Civism: Negotiating Change Through Subaltern Voices In Burkina Faso, Lassane Ouedraogo

Africana Studies Student Research Conference (2013-2019)

In 2014, a popular revolution led by a group of underground pop musicians ousted a 27-year regime in Burkina Faso. In attempting to find meaning in how these musicians were able to mobilize millions of people across the country under the banner of Le Balai Citoyen (the Citizen Broom), I studied their works before the 2014 revolution. I found that pop music from Burkina Faso represents a subaltern discursive engagement voice whereby lyrics and video frames disseminate a counter-discourse and call for action against government malpractices. By examining the lyrics and video frames as a discursive voice in 40 YouTube …

Nothing Compares 2 U: The Performance Of Prince Through Cover Songs, Jacqueline Hudson

Africana Studies Student Research Conference (2013-2019)

Prince was lauded as one of the greatest and most influential multi-hyphenate (singer-songwriter-producer-instrumentalist) in the music industry. He influenced many artists across different genres of music such as rock, funk and soul. Not only was his music timeless over the years as long as he began as a performer in the late seventies, his lyrics were thought-provoking, innovative and reflective of its time. Being a prolific songwriter, Prince wrote songs originally for other artists such as Stevie Nicks and The Bangles. Also, he obviously wrote songs for himself, but a few of these songs have been covered musically by other …

The Impact Of Ww Ii On African Nationalism And Decolonization, Jacob Louis Money

Africana Studies Student Research Conference (2013-2019)

Who was the true victor that emerged from the Second World War? General consensus among academia is that the United States and USSR were the chief benefactors from the downfall of the Axis, as they became the foremost states among the global community, in part due to the regression of traditional powers such as Britain and France. However, Africa as a whole was profoundly changed by the war and the most destructive conflict in history propelled the continent along the path to self-determination. Without the contribution of Africa to the allied cause, both in manpower and material, the eventual triumph …

Firelie Báez: Road Map Of Symbols, Mariah Morales

Africana Studies Student Research Conference (2013-2019)

The Dominican diaspora artist, Firelie Báez, is painting in the history of resilient Afro Caribbean women and making their acts of defiance more readily known through various works such as Bloodlines and Sans-Souci. Báez imbeds images in her artwork that follows the slavery movement from Africa to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, then ultimately to the rich cultural past of Louisiana. Báez’s work is a full on multi-sensory experience. She provokes different responses with her diverse styles of media. The artist’s subtle but powerful narrative found within her work promoted by her dynamic range of color selection, makes the viewer …

Haunted By Solitude: Isolation And Representation In Zanele Muholi’S Archive, Michelle M. Fikrig

Africana Studies Student Research Conference (2013-2019)

This paper focuses on contemporary South African photographer Zanele Muholi’s (b. 1972) extensive photographic archival project, Faces and Phases, which documents South Africa’s black queer community. The series exists not only as a book published in 2014, but as an exhibition that has been shown globally. In the introduction to her book of the Faces and Phases series Muholi states her goal as “[articulating] the collective pain [black lesbians] as a community experience” (emphasis mine). Yet the series, composed of over two hundred black and white portraits, is made up of photographs of individual black lesbians. This paper explores …

A Life Elsewhere?: Afropolitanist Reading Of Race Struggle, Identity And Home In Chimamanda Adichie’S Americanah, Hammed Oluwadare Adejare

Africana Studies Student Research Conference (2013-2019)

Globalization and global movements have had significant impacts on the kinds of literary works that have been produced by writers of African descent in the 21^st century. There is currently the pervading popularity of diasporic writing, a kind which has come to be associated with works produced by a community of immigrant writers, either with common ancestral homelands or shared immigration experiences. Many of these works have painted African immigrants as leaving their home countries because of desperate situations. Many have also presented the narratives of double- trouble for Africans who fled their homes only to be confronted with …

Translation And Botswana Literature In Setswana Language: A Postcolonial Criticism And Practice, Keith Phetlhe

Africana Studies Student Research Conference (2013-2019)

The role of translation in the development and transformation of various aspects of both traditional and modern Botswana literature cannot be overlooked. This is not only because of its significance in defining and describing the different categories of the literature but also due to fact that translation has opened paths that make it possible to theorize and critique Setswana literature in the context of translation. Translation in Setswana literature applies to a vast volume of works encompassing the written and oral genres. This project aims to explore the perspectives and arguments that have been submitted by various translators and authors …

Accessibility Of Educational Materials For Undergraduates With Visual Impairments: An Ongoing Study, Oluwafisayo Ilemobola Oke

Africana Studies Student Research Conference (2013-2019)

Persons with visual impairments in Nigeria are known for making demands for access to information that suit their reading interests (Adetoro 2014). The provision of such services is rendered by public libraries (Adetoro 2010; Atinmo 2007). However, public libraries are confronted with surmounting the challenge of high demands for alternative educational formats (Adetoro 2010). Much of the research that have been carried out relating to access of alternative educational materials have been focused on secondary school aged participants and older adults leaving out college age individuals. They also deployed quantitative methods of data collection which only show a numbered representation …

Iconoclasm In Ancient Egypt, Micaela Deogracias

Africana Studies Student Research Conference (2013-2019)

Iconoclastic controversy in Egypt caused the destruction of thousands of pieces. Those impacted were nearly lost to history, if it were not for the inability to efficiently destroy all traces of a ruler. While iconoclasm affected a wide span of Egyptians, this study will focus on Pharaoh Akhenaten and his family (including Tutankhamen), Queen Hatshepsut, and Queen Hatshepsut’s son, Thutmose the Third. This study will explore cultural symbolism and focus on the mystery of missing crooks and flails in Egyptian statuary. Among the topics discussed in the symbolic portion of the study will include reasons for the symbols’ absences and …

Eclectic Architecture In A “Model Colony”: The Sacred Heart Cathedral In Lomé, Diana Kate Karsanow

Africana Studies Student Research Conference (2013-2019)

In the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, while under the colonial rule of the German Empire, Togo was coined the “model colony.” This status was due largely to economic success and what has been referred to as a more peaceful colonial encounter. Some have argued the German administration’s ability to recognize cultural differences between themselves and the local people was successful in lieu of more rigid assimilation polices. German administrators did not overtly force their beliefs and social structure upon the local people of Togo, but instead, as I explore in this paper, creatively intertwined their own perspectives …

Mande Cultural Expression In The Work Of Female Potters, Amanda Johnson

Africana Studies Student Research Conference (2013-2019)

For centuries, Mande women of West Africa have been creating ceramics through traditional methods passed down from one generation of women to the next. Mande ceramics, created by skilled female artists, function not only as a means of making money, but also represent broader Mande concepts of social organization and spirituality. The process by which ceramics are created and the forms of the vessels represent ideas of Mande culture, and show how Mande ideas have spread throughout West Africa and remained constant over time. The potters themselves, known as numumuso, use hand building techniques to create ceramic vessels from …

Performing Afro-Mexican Identity: The Racial Politics Of Negrito And Devil Dances, Alexus Chavana

Africana Studies Student Research Conference (2013-2019)

In examining the racial dynamics of Mexico, one clearly notices relatively few Mexicans who identify as Black or Afro-Mexican. This paper is therefore concerned with the historical context that forged the racial atmosphere of Mexico today. Mexicans are discouraged to embrace la tercera raíz or the third root of Mexican heritage and identity stemming from Africa. The Mexico of today has been profoundly shaped by this African influence that dates back to the arrival of Cortés and the Spaniards. However important African identify is for understand boarder Mexico, most are reluctant to acknowledge this aspect of their heritage. After centuries …

Wrapped In Tradition: Ceremonial Skirts Of Kuba Women In The Western Congo Basin, Rachel Wilson

Africana Studies Student Research Conference (2013-2019)

The Kuba Kingdom resides in the central Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The numerous clans which make up the kingdom have become recognized around the world for their exceptional corpus of design patterns which adorn their embroidered ceremonial skirts. The decorated wrap-skirts of Kuba women are a social construct and have come to represent the communal artistry of the Kuba clans. The raffia cloths are woven by the men and decorated through the combined effort of several women. The effect of having the skirt decorated by multiple women is that each skirt has its own unique design …

The Acts Of Subjugation And Repatriation Of Africa And Its People Through The Viewfinder, Mariah Morales

Africana Studies Student Research Conference (2013-2019)

No abstract provided.

Monuments, Movements, & Memory: The Visual And Spatial Implications Of The Shooting At Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Megan G. Zembower

Africana Studies Student Research Conference (2013-2019)

This paper focuses on the dichotomous relationship of race relations and visual culture in the American South, with a particular focus on the shooting of nine black Americans at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, on June 17, 2015 by Caucasian South Carolinian Dylann Roof. Prior to the shooting, Roof posted images of himself posed in front of various Confederate landmarks in South Carolina to online social media platforms. Using these images as evidence, I contend that Roof’s racist motivation for the crime was, in part, fostered by the surrounding environment that memorializes fallen Confederate soldiers …

Vohou-Vohou: A Search For Post-Colonial Cultural Identity In Cote D’Ivoire, Olivia Keefer

Africana Studies Student Research Conference (2013-2019)

This paper addresses the Vohou-Vohou movement (1970s-1980s) in Cote d’Ivoire. Through an explanation of the region’s history, the paper brings to light the motivations of the movement and its founders. The work of Youssouf Bath, Théodore Koudougnon, and Kra Nguessan are the focus of this paper to represent the movement’s style, formation, and impact on Cote d’Ivoire culture. Vohou-Vohou developed a decade after Cote d’Ivoire gained independence from French colonial control, and the movement became an inward return to local culture. The artists had an interest in rejecting the West. A visual representation of the rejection is seen through Vohou-Vohou …

Painting Photographs: Absence On Mohammed Mahmoud Street, Kirsten Stricker

Africana Studies Student Research Conference (2013-2019)

The Egyptian Revolution prompted an outpouring of art. It filled the streets of Cairo, a city that had lacked any street art prior to the revolution, with large murals and art of every kind. Ammar Abo Bakr says that his massive murals are not art — they are news. His works are a protest against the censorship and selective reporting of the mainstream media. Bakr is best known for his large mural on Mohammed Mahmoud Street near Tahrir Square, Cairo. The mural is massive and contains many elements. One element consists of paintings of mothers holding photographs of their children …

The Essence Of Bogolanfini: Thinking About Ethical Design With African Inspiration, Sierra N. Bailey-Van Kuren

Africana Studies Student Research Conference (2013-2019)

Bogolanfini are intricately designed textiles created by Bamana women in Mali. The cloths are created through a natural process, producing rich designs and motifs that address stories, narratives, female-specific ideas or relate to historical events. Each textile is hand made for a particular individual and given to her as she enters adulthood, an event marked by puberty and clitoridectomy. During this time, the cloth is used to absorb blood from the operation, a process transferring the woman’s spirit into the bogolanfini. As she progresses through life, the utility of her bogolanfini extends to absorbing her life-blood during menstruation, first intercourse …

Rethinking The "Anonymous:" Simeon Agbetuyi And The Yoruba Example, Caroline Bastian

Africana Studies Student Research Conference (2013-2019)

In looking at “Traditional” and “Contemporary” African Art, it is clear Western culture still struggles with recognition of the individual African artist. For example, most museum exhibitions displaying local or more continent-based African art still tend to embody a flawed sense of “traditional” art created by a culture rather than an individual. In contrast, contemporary African art stresses the importance of the singular artist, their personal style, historical context, and cultural motivation. Part of the problem stems from colonialism, when many Western “collectors” seized any art they deemed valuable and “exotic,” taking it away from context leaving behind all information …

African Mask Display In Context, Elise C. Aronson

Africana Studies Student Research Conference (2013-2019)

African masquerade is deeply interconnected with the community in which it performs. However, in Western-based exhibition display, the mask becomes the sole object of scrutiny and interest, decontextualizing it from its holistic dimension and multi-media interface. In fact, much of masquerade’s cultural significance is lost if the dynamic multimedia display of which the mask is part becomes alienated from its holistic context, reducing it to a mere static object hung on a wall. The argument can be raised, to mount a mask on a white wall or behind glass, especially grouped among other masks from Africa, as many museums do, …

Renee Green: Combination Artist, Cail P. Lininger

Africana Studies Student Research Conference (2013-2019)

Renée Green, a combination artist, engages viewers in multi-faceted and diverse topics without directly addressing the central theme. In Partially Buried In Three Parts (1991-1996), Green utilizes films shot in a “home-movie” fashion and site-specific archiving to curate complex dialogues across three different locations: Kent State in 1991, exploring the shootings in 1970 and Robert Smithson’s installation, Partially Buried Woodshed; Germany and the United States and what it means to be a displaced national undergoing culture shock; and Korea, in war and peace. Green originally displayed all three in an installation designed to invoke feelings of nostalgia amidst confusion regarding …

Media In The Murid World: Analysis Of Inscribed Faith And Religious Identity In Murid Agencies’ Media Approach, Macodou Fall

Africana Studies Student Research Conference (2013-2019)

Previous studies about Muridiyya have mostly focused on the economic and political influences of the Senegalese Sufi Islamic Brotherhood founded by Shaykh Amadu Bamba at the end of 19^th century. At the beginning, Muridiyya was a reactive force to colonialism and it aimed to propose alternatives to Western cultural and economic domination. However, the rapid growth of Muridiyya was possible via the creation of decentralized Murid organizations and groups called dahiras (religious associations). Prior to the rise of dahiras, Murid’s religious ideology spread throughout daaras (Quranic schools), which intended to initiate Murid talibes (disciples) to Islam and the …

Mediated Sankarism: Re-Inventing A Historical Figure To Reimagine A Future, Lassane Ouedraogo

Africana Studies Student Research Conference (2013-2019)

Thomas Sankara has contributed significantly to the formation of the modern national identity of post-independent Burkina Faso before his assassination in 1987. This essay used discourse analysis to examine the emergence of Thomas Sankara’s ideology also known as Sankarism (and his praxis?) in the Burkinabe public discourse. In the current socio-political context of a nascent democracy characterized by the emergence of active civil society movements and multiple political factions contesting the right to govern and claiming the capacity to provide a new direction to a country caught up amid local and global issues, the reinvention and re-appropriation of Sankarism call …

The African Immigrant Experience In France According To "La Haine", Samantha B. Weiss

Africana Studies Student Research Conference (2013-2019)

Le Haine depicts the fictional experiences of three immigrants to France, each with a different background, but a similar fate. The title, which translates to "hate" sets the tone for the movie, which is quick to explain its motives – depicting the life of a French migrant as a hopeless, fruitless one. Though the African character - his home nation never named - can speak perfect French and even attempts to better the lives of those around him, his efforts are met with violence, hatred, resistance, and an anti-immigrant mentality. By reading the conflicts of the movie in reference to …

What To Keep, What To Let Go: The Case Of Indians From Nyasaland, Debra Nicholson

Africana Studies Student Research Conference (2013-2019)

This paper examines how identity may be constructed in the case of multiple transnational migrations within just a couple of generations, using an example (or examples) of immigrants from India to Nyasaland (present-day Malawi) to Great Britain to Canada.

What happens to your sense of identity when your Indian ancestors emigrate to Nyasaland, you grow up there, but around 1964, soon after independence from Great Britain, all Indians, including you and your family, are deported from your homeland of Nyasaland?

In one case study analyzed in this paper, a Nyasa Catholic woman of Indian descent first travels to Great Britain …