Overview
Africa Week is a yearly, week-long celebration of the diverse identities, cultures, and experiences of people from the African continent, as well as those of African descent living in the diaspora. It features a range of cultural, educational, and social events aimed at promoting African heritage and unity.
This year’s theme is Beyond Borders: Towards Pan-African Unity. We hope to explore inter-country and intra-African understanding and cooperation, the forces that emphasize differences instead of similarities, and strategies toward a more united Africa.
EVENTS CALENDAR
Visual designed by Ian Scott '24
Events Rundown
Monday, May 6
Join us in Haldeman 246 on Monday, May 6 from 6 to 8pm to discuss why and how there is diversity in blackness and how to use that to further Pan-African unity. Food is provided from The Karibbean.
- Professor Adedoyin Teriba holds a Ph.D. from Princeton University and specializes in modern and contemporary architecture & urbanism — focusing particularly on such traditions in West Africa and its diasporas. Teriba's teaching and scholarship investigates the ways in which folklore, orality, language, art, dance, and music are used as tools — historically and presently — to generate an architecture that creates a sense of place. Teriba is also interested in the ways that performance-based ways of creating architecture have been a staple of architectural design in parts of Africa and its diasporas for the last two hundred years or more.
- Professor Ayo Coly is a professor of comparative literature and African and African American Studies. She holds the Class of 1925 Professorship and studies discourses about Africa, Africa in theory, gender and sexuality in Africa, and African literatures. Before she became a professor, she used to DJ.
- Professor Clifford Campbell holds a PhD in African History from the University of Ghana. His research and teaching interests are primarily in 19th and 20th century Africa and African diaspora history with an emphasis on West African history, Ghana, women in Africa. His research explores the phenomenon of the "reverse diaspora,' which examines how the African Diaspora in the Caribbean has influenced West Africa, and more importantly, how it fits into our understanding of transnationalism in the global history of the twentieth century.
- Professor Sackeyfio-Lenoch holds a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a specialization in West Africa and the history of Ghana. Her first book, The Politics of Chieftaincy: Authority and Property in Colonial Ghana, 1920-1950 examines critical junctures and transformations in the history of local Ghanaian institutions during the first half of the twentieth century
Tuesday, May 7
Engage in our Sip and Paint on Tuesday where you can paint works by Black artists or pieces that reflect Black themes, all while enjoying Afro-Soul music and non-alcoholic beverages, including Welch's grape juice, soft drinks (coke, fanta, sprite), Milo drink and Roselle Juice—a popular West African drink made from hibiscus flowers also known as bissap (Senegal), foléré (in Cameroon), Zobo (in Nigeria), Dabileni (in Mali), Sobolo (in Ghana), and Wonjo (in Gambia). Finger food would be provided by Samosa Man.
Thursday, May 9
Learn a Soyeya choreography to an afrobeats or amapiano song! Can't wait to see the moves learned showcased at the fake wedding on Saturday!
Friday, May 10
Enjoy an evening of field games including football, sack races, tug of war. Students will grill braai and suya.
Saturday, May 11
Join us on the road to Kano ("Infinite Love") on Saturday as we celebrate the fake wedding of Maryanne and Ikenna. This event will display the customs from Kenya and Nigeria. Some of the ceremonial practices highlighted also resonate with general East and West Africa.
There will also be performances from the Afro-ensemble and the Soyeya African Dance Troupe.
Some traditions on display: Dowry ceremony, Veiling, etc.
Planning Committee
Staff Advisors
Amanda Wong, Office of Pluralism & Leadership
Natalie Kittikul, Student Life
Students
Chairs: Amanda Adetula '26 & Chukwuka Odigbo '25
Hosaena Tilahun '25 (Finance Lead)
Ivie Aiwuyo ‘26 (Marketing & Social Media Lead)
Jesuferanmi Ayanlade ‘27 (Outreach and Operations Lead)
Oumiekhari Fatty-Hydara ‘27 (Events Lead)
Ganza Belise Isingizwe
Gichuki Kinyanjui
Godwin Kangor
Hawa Hamidou-Tabayi
Jackline Gathoni
Mirelle Mah'moud
Miriam Dia
Shandu Chiuswa
Winnie Brenda Waiya
We are grateful to the following organizations for sponsorship and/or support:
Dartmouth African Students Association
Special Programs and Events Committee
Office of Pluralism and Leadership
Leslie Center for the Humanities
Institute for Black Intellectual and Cultural Life
Department of African and African American Studies
Department of Philosophy
Allen House
North Park House
South House
West House