Cornell center marks anniversary with Africana studies conference

The Africana Studies and Research Center at Cornell is marking its 30th anniversary by co-sponsoring the 31st annual African Heritage Studies Association (AHSA) conference today through Sunday, Oct. 17, at the Clarion University Hotel in Ithaca. The conference is free to students with valid Cornell IDs. There is a small fee for all others.

Today's kick-off events include a "Tribute to the Elders," honoring Ithaca's elders of African descent, which takes place at 7 p.m. in the St. James A.M.E. Zion Church, 116 Cleveland Ave., and the public is invited.

Conference highlights also include a presentation by Sonia Shanchez, world-renowned poet and scholar, and a Friday banquet featuring historian Ali Mazrui as the keynote speaker. Both are open to the public.

The conference itself, titled "Reflections on Three Decades of Africana Studies: Protestation, Conception, and Illumination," will celebrate Africana studies in general while developing new ideas to meet the challenges of the next millennium, organizers say.

"People should know how much the field has progressed in the last 30 years," said Mwalimu Abdul Nanji, senior lecturer at Cornell's Africana Studies Center. "But while the accomplishments are many, there are significant challenges facing the field both from within and without."

These other challenges include engendering the field, funding for research and, at Cornell, the development of a Ph.D. program as well as an expansion of facilities and resources.

Scholars from universities across the United States and Canada will make presentations in keeping with the interdisciplinary nature of Africana studies itself. Among the topics addressed: community empowerment, intellectual traditions of ancient Africa, technology in Africana research, and political conflict and human rights, among others.

Organizers also have chosen to highlight new emerging scholars in the field.

"That is a critical component of the 'reflection' theme," said Nomvuyo Mzamane, a recent Cornell doctoral graduate. "Many of us today are in fields from business administration to computer science, from early childhood education to horticultural sciences, from visual arts to medicine. We insist on having Africana studies be a component of both our professional and personal development, a concept too many universities continue to fail to grasp. Within the field, we must also explore these needs and opportunities. I am excited about this conference because the diversity of fields represented here means some of that work will begin this weekend."

Negotiating these and other pertinent issues will require input from scholars involved at every level of this multidimensional field. The organizers hope the conference will stimulate new ideas, ease some of the growing pains of this vital field and inspire further growth.

For further information, call 255-4626 or send an e-mail to spt1@cornell.edu.