ANNOUNCEMENT: Conference in Honor of El Anatsui and Obiora Udechukwu

Greetings of the New Year! And what better way to start than with this news: 

All Roads will lead to my alma mater, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka this summer for the conference being planned by the university's Faculty of Arts in honor of my dear teachers and friends El Anatsui and Obiora Udechukwu. I Can't express in words my excitement about this celebration for two most generous teachers anyone could ever have. It is fitting that the university to which they gave so much, will now recognize their work and achievement as professors and as artists of international renown. I am eternally proud to call them my teachers! A shout out to the Dean of the Faculty of Arts at Nsukka and to my friends there who initiated this project. 

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Deadline: 15 February 2015

CALL FOR PANEL AND PAPER PROPOSALS

Anya Fulu Ugo: An Interdisciplinary African Arts Conference of the Faculty
of Arts, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in honour of El Anatsui and Obiora Udechukwu 

Theme:  African Art and Artists After the Millennial Turn

Venue: University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria
Date: 24-27 June 2015

In line with an Igbo saying: Anya fulu ugo jaa ya mma, na-adi afu ugo kwa daa (the eye that sees an eagle should adore it, for only rarely are eagles seen), the Faculty of Arts, University of Nigeria, Nsukka announces its interdisciplinary African Arts Conference Series in honour of Nigerian and other African scholars who have made landmark contributions to the humanities. Under the banner "Anya Fulu Ugo", the maiden edition will be in honour of Professors El Anatsui and Obiora Udechukwu. 

The broad theme of the conference is "African Art and Artists After the Millennial Turn". It proposes an interdisciplinary approach to the discourse of the current state of art and artists in Africa and in the African Diaspora. We invite panel and paper proposals from Nigerian,
African and world scholars in mass communication, theatre and film studies, linguistics, literary studies, music, economics, anthropology, history and international relations, archaeology, tourism and museum studies, political science, etc. that examine: the life and work of important contemporary African artists at home or in the Diaspora.

* the work of curators of contemporary African art.

* the rising concern surrounding ownership of Africa's cultural patrimony and the call for the restitution of Africa's art objects looted by the West.

* the place of African national museums and galleries in the global art world.

* auction houses and the commoditisation of contemporary African art.

* the low level of critical and theoretical engagements of artistic production within Africa, and the way forward.

* the intersections and divergences between African visual art today and other branches of the arts in general.

Panel and paper proposals should not exceed 300 words and should reflect the theme and sub-themes of the conference or related areas. Panel proposals should include the list of potential participants with their contact addresses and those of the panel chair(s).

Interested scholars should submit proposals via email to our Chairman, Professor Ikenna Dieke, at diekeikenna4@gmail.com or Faculty liaison, Dr. Ozioma Onuzulike, at ozioma.onuzulike@unn.edu.ng on or before February 15, 2015. 

We look forward to welcoming you at Nsukka!