SESSION III 11:30 – 12:10PM
Before the Internet, there was African Fabric: How Africans Communicate Using Fabric
Industry (3rd Floor)
Just like the United States, many in Africa communicate using cellphone apps and social media. However, sending messages through fabrics and clothing is also an old, but enduring communication tradition. Come to this interactive workshop to learn how Africans, especially women, have used fabrics to pass messages and to educate, honor, unite, and heal their communities. Bring you cameras as you will have the opportunity to wrap yourself in some of these unique communication devices.
Presenter: Emilie Songolo, African Studies Librarian, UW-Madison
Papermaking in Ghana: Art, Craft, and Environmental Conservation
5th Quarter Studio (2nd Floor)
In 1969, the Forestry Research Institute of Ghana brought fourteen pulp-mulberry plants into the country and planted them in a forest preserve with the intention of evaluating the potential for paper production. This plan was never implemented, and the Pulp-Mulberry has become a serious non-indigenous invasive plant.
Mary Hark, a practicing artist, will share her experience of developing a community hand papermaking project which has great potential to support sustainable conservation practices and is contributing to local and international collaborative artistic endeavors.
Presenter: Mary Hark, Professor, UW-Madison
Glimpses of a Continent: Undergraduate Students Share their Study Abroad Experiences in Africa
Landmark (3rd Floor)
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to spend time on the African continent as a college student? What would your daily life be like? Who would you meet? Where could you visit?
Join us to hear stories like these from recently returned study abroad students as they share their experiences and photos with you. Imagine yourself in their shoes and leave with practical next steps to begin your own story.
Presenter: Kate Hamoonga, Study Abroad Advisor, UW-Madison with returned study abroad students Kyra Fox (Uganda), Page Bazan (Morocco), and Hiwot Adilow (South Africa)
Nigerian Perspectives on Love and Marriage
Northwoods B (3rd Floor)
American weddings have many familiar customs like the throwing of the bouquet, goofy photo booth costumes, and the electric slide. Have you ever wondered about wedding celebrations in other cultures? In this session, you will learn about Yoruba weddings and witness the sights and sounds of weddings in Nigeria.
Presenter: Tolu Akinwole, Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant, Nigeria
Comics, Political Cartoons, and Power after the Arab Spring
Northwoods A (3rd Floor)
We read cartoons and comics for laughs and entertainment, however many cartoons are also extremely political. Join Sami for an examination of the political cartoons of some of the most influential artists after the Arab Spring. You will learn how the visual language of cartooning provides artists with a trove of powerful techniques that can shake regimes and even destabilize regions.
Presenter: Sami Lamine, Graduate Student, UW-Madison
The Moral Occult of Melodrama and the Music of Fela Kuti
Alumni (2nd Floor)
Come to this session to learn about and listen to the music of Fela Kuti, arguably Africa’s most renowned musical figure. Fela was known not only for for his pioneering sound and charismatic performances, but also political activism. This session explores how Fela’s popular music addressed the themes of justice and injustice in Nigeria and beyond.
Presenters: Pelumi Felajumi, Graduate Student, UW-Madison