AFRICA AT NOON IS 50!
Every Wednesday at noon — since 1973! — African Studies Program faculty, students, and community members have gathered for AFRICA AT NOON, a one-hour weekly lecture series bringing diverse African research from scholars around the world to a campus and community audience.
Spring 2024 Africa at Noon events will be livestreamed on Zoom. Join Zoom.
You can also view available recordings of past Africa at Noon speakers on our YouTube or through the event pages. Watch Recording.
Check us out on the news at Madison360.
Find a Past Lineup and Recording
We are currently updating this page. Kindly check back for complete Fall 2026 lineup.
Fall 2026 Schedule
Location: Room 206, Ingraham Hall, 1155 Observatory Drive Madison, WI 53706
Time: 12:00-1:00pm
September 9
Director’s Welcome Luncheon
Hosted by Jeremy Foltz
Faculty Director of the African Studies Program, UW-Madison
Location: Room 206, Ingraham Hall, 1155 Observatory Drive Madison, WI 53706
September 16
The Elevation of Protection: Civil Unrest and Biodiversity Conservation in Liberia
Shadrach Kerwillain
Ecologist at Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Hosted by Gregg Mitman
Location: Room 206, Ingraham Hall, 1155 Observatory Drive Madison, WI 53706
September 23
Trending EAST: Engaging Differences, Asking Questions, Seeking Restoration, and Tending Wounds
Upenyu Majee
Inaugural Director of the Institute of Ubuntu Thought and Practice (IUTP), Michigan State University (MSU)
Hosted by Jeremy Foltz
Location: Room 206, Ingraham Hall, 1155 Observatory Drive Madison, WI 53706
September 30
To Be Worthy of the Name of My Father
Rachel Jean-Baptiste
Professor of Gender Studies, Standford University
Hosted by Jeremy Foltz
Location: Room 206, Ingraham Hall, 1155 Observatory Drive Madison, WI 53706
October 7
Three things to know about Africa and the Great War (Since the Centenary)
Michelle Moyd
Associate Professor of History and Red Cedar Distinguished Professor, Michigan State University
Hosted by Emma Kuby
Location: Room 206, Ingraham Hall, 1155 Observatory Drive Madison, WI 53706
October 14
Virtual Cameroon Conference
Across Borders: Innovative Perspectives in Cameroon Scholarship
Hosted by Jacqueline-Bethel Tchouta Mougoué
Associate Professor of African Cultural Studies, UW-Madison
Location: Room 206, Ingraham Hall, 1155 Observatory Drive Madison, WI 53706
October 21
Mpho Seipubi
Project Manager of Whose Stories Will We Hear (Mandela Washington Fellow and YALI RLC Alumni)
Hosted by Jeremy Foltz
Location: Room 206, Ingraham Hall, 1155 Observatory Drive Madison, WI 53706
October 28
Embroidered Traditions from Morocco to Afghanistan
Janet Marion Purdy
Barbara Franke Associate Curator, Textiles, Art Institute of Chicago, and Visiting Lecturer, Department of Art History, University of Chicago
Hosted by Jeremy Foltz
Location: Room 206, Ingraham Hall, 1155 Observatory Drive Madison, WI 53706
November 4
Advancements in Biotechnology: Any Hope for Africa?
Victor Ujor
Assistant Professor of Food and Nutritional Sciences, UW-Madison
Hosted by Jeremy Foltz
Location: Room 206, Ingraham Hall, 1155 Observatory Drive Madison, WI 53706
November 11
Crossing Borders: Trade, Frictions, and Informal Traders in East Africa
Eleanor Wiseman
Assistant Professor of Agriculture and Applied Economics, UW-Madison
Hosted by Jeremy Foltz
Location: Room 206, Ingraham Hall, 1155 Observatory Drive Madison, WI 53706
November 18
Insurgency in the Sahel: Simple Explanatory Models Meet Complex Political Realities in Central Mali
Matt Turner
Professor of Geography, UW-Madison
Hosted by Jeremy Foltz
Location: Room 206, Ingraham Hall, 1155 Observatory Drive Madison, WI 53706
December 2
Writing and Filming Queer North African Stories
Abdellah Taïa
Moroccan Francophone writer and filmmaker
Hosted by Nevine El Nossery
Location: Room 206, Ingraham Hall, 1155 Observatory Drive Madison, WI 53706
December 9
Can the Service Sector Lead Structural Transformation in Africa? Evidence from Côte d’Ivoire
Jeremy Foltz
Professor of Agriculture and Applied Economics, UW-Madison
Hosted by Aleia McCord
Location: Room 206, Ingraham Hall, 1155 Observatory Drive Madison, WI 53706