Dr. Elizabeth Morton - August 21st, 11am, Cornell Auditorium
West Africa's diverse cultures, though numerous, share common practices of using art to conclude one life phase and begin another. These transitions—from conception to birth, childhood to adulthood, marriage to elderhood, and ultimately, death and the afterlife— are crucial to the well-being of West African societies. Consequently, formal rites and ceremonies often mark passages into new life stages, and special objects and adornments are crafted specifically for these rituals. Even seemingly decorative art often holds deeper, ritualistic significance, underscoring the inherent functionality of artistic expression within West African culture. This presentation will explore how specific objects from the MSSU's permanent collection of African art facilitated successful transitions between life stages.
Elizabeth Morton, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Art History Wabash College. Her publications and research focus primarily on modern art in Africa and American collections of African art. Morton has many years of curatorial experience, including dozens of exhibitions at the National Museum and Art Gallery in Botswana, where she worked for four years through the Swedish International Development Authority. Most recently, she curated the reinstallation of African Art at the Snite Museum of the University of Notre Dame and authored the catalogue Dimensions of Power Dimensions of Power (2018). Morton’s curatorial projects also include the permanent reinstallation of the Eiteljorg Suite of African and Oceanic Art and Dynasty and Divinity: Ife Art in Ancient Nigeria (2011-2012) at the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields. In 2022-23, she served as a consulting curator to the Indianapolis Museum of Art, advising on repatriation, restitution, collaboration, and reinterpretation of its African collections. She concurrently served on a national committee known as Collaboration, Collections, and Restitution Best Practices for North American Museums Holding African Objects Working Group (CCRBP).
Gallery Reception - August 21st, 12pm, Cragin Gallery - A reception with light refreshments for Dr. Elizabeth Morton following her talk about the West African Art from MSSU's permanent collection.
Dr. Taiwo Bello - Assistant Professor of African History at Oklahoma State University - August 26th, 12:15-1pm, Corley Auditorium - "Gender, Ethnicity and Violence during the Nigerian Civil War, 1967-1970"
The civil war was fought between Biafran and Nigerian soldiers, and the war’s event led to the demise of many people in the Biafran heartland, especially women and children. This development was mostly triggered by the blockade imposed on the secessionist state of Biafra by the Federal Government of Nigeria. This talk explores how women in the Biafran heartland responded to the development. It suggests that the women’s broad support to Biafra qualified them as enemies of Nigeria, hence, the attacks by the Nigerian soldiers.
Taiwo Bello is an Assistant Professor of African History at Oklahoma State University. He has published widely on several topics including gender, war and violence, and global and diaspora studies. He is working on a monograph on women in Biafra during the Nigerian Civil War, 1967-1970.
Guest Lecture - September 4th, 10-11am, Corley Auditorium
“Akwaaba” means “welcome” in Twi, the language of the Akan people in Ghana. This lecture welcomes participants to West Africa, by providing a broad overview of West African history, politics, and culture. It will also examine common stereotypes about Africa, challenging popular notions about the continent and the West African region.
Dr. William Mountz teaches the History of Modern Africa in the Social Sciences Department at Missouri Southern. His research has focused on U.S. foreign policy in Africa. He has co-led a study abroad trip to Ghana. He holds a Ph.D. in History from the University of Missouri.
Dr. James Yeku - Associate Professor of African and African-American Studies, University of Kansas - September 9th, 11am-12pm, Corley Auditorium - "Cultural Netizenship and the Limits of the Digital Public Sphere"
This talk explores the concept of cultural netizenship, which I have previously described as the most immediate and condensed mode of cultural and political critique on social media. I will examine the unruly flows of online popular culture, such as memes and other visual texts as platformed aesthetics that disrupt dominant articulations of power in postcolonial states in West Africa, particularly the new iterations of dictatorial regimes in the Sahel, whose digital warfare shapes the co-optation of cultural netizenship for the region's resurgent anti-democratic fantasies.
James Yékú, a recipient of the Alexander von Humboldt fellowship, teaches at the University of Kansas. He is the author of Cultural Netizenship: Social Media, Popular Culture, and Performance in Nigeria, The Algorithmic Age of Personality: African Literature and Cancel Culture, as well as two poetry collections and a nonfiction collection.
Taste of West Africa - September 9th, 4:30pm-8:00pm, Dianne Mayes Student Life Center
Enjoy several different West African dishes prepared by chef Saul Paniagua during dinner hours at the cafeteria on MSSU's campus.
Between Lines is a reflection on what it means to live between two worlds, physically, culturally, and emotionally. The title refers to the invisible threads that connect where I come from and where I am now. Each piece in the show draws inspiration from vessels used in everyday Ghanaian life, reimagined to reflect the complexities of personal history and belonging. The lines, cracks, and textures in the clay carry stories, some remembered, some imagined, about home, movement, and the spaces in between.
This exhibition is part of my broader goal to use ceramics as a way to preserve cultural heritage while also opening up space for new interpretations. Through this work, I hope to create a quiet, reflective environment that encourages viewers to think about their own histories, identities, and the meanings carried within everyday materials.
Teddy Osei is a Ghanaian ceramic artist, educator, and researcher whose work sits at the crossroads of cultural memory, tradition, and identity. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Ceramics and 3D Design at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. Growing up in Ghana and later living in the United States, Osei’s practice bridges African ceramic traditions with contemporary sculpture, grounding his art in both personal history and broader diasporic dialogues.
His pieces draw on ancestral methods, coil-building, and symbolic surface patterns to create vessels and forms that hold intimate stories of community, lineage, and the fluidity of self. Widely exhibited, Osei’s work treats clay as a language: one that preserves, connects, and quietly resists erasure.
Dr. Bukola Oyeniyi - Associate Professor of History, Missouri State University - September 17th, 12pm-1pm, Corley Auditorium - "Boko Haram Terrorism in Nigeria and Its Implications for the United States"
This presentation examines the rise of Boko Haram, its ideological and operational framework, and the broader security implications not only for West Africa but also for U.S. foreign policy and counterterrorism strategy in the region.
Dr. Bukola Adeyemi Oyeniyi is an Associate Professor of History and Fellow at the Institute of Advanced Studies, New Europe College, Romania. With over two decades of teaching and research experience, Dr. Oyeniyi specializes in terrorism, conflict studies, and African socio-political history. He is the author of The Ife-Modakeke Conflict: Historical Legacies, Cultural Divergences, and Sociopolitical Tensions (2025, Bloomsbury Academic) and Understanding Global Terrorism (forthcoming, Cognella Academic Publishing), which examines global patterns of terrorism and counterterrorism. In addition to his extensive work on Boko Haram and Islamist insurgencies in the Sahel—where he explores the intersection of ideology, governance, and local grievances—Dr. Oyeniyi has recently completed two new manuscripts focused on Boko Haram and terrorism and counterterrorism in West Africa. He has previously served as Head of Department at Nigerian universities and held a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of the Free State, South Africa.
Dr. Merve Fejzula - Assistant Professor of History, University of Missouri - September 24th, 12pm-1pm, Corley Auditorium - "Brokering War, Preventing Peace: West Africa, North America, and the Crisis in Sudan"
Since April 2023, over 13 million Sudanese people have been displaced and tens of thousands have been killed by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Both West African and North American states have attempted to intervene in the face of such extraordinary loss and devastation, yet their efforts to broker peace sidestep their imbrication in the counterrevolutionary war. This talk will unpack the global scale of the crisis in Sudan and its longer historical roots.
Merve Fejzula is a historian of modern Africa and its diaspora, specializing in twentieth-century West Africa's global connections, as well as a filmmaker and curator. She has been the recipient of prizes like the Institute of Historical Research's Sarah Pollard Prize, fellowships from the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and residencies at the Camargo Foundation, among many others.
Esther Akheituame - PhD Candidate, University of Missouri - September 30th, 11am-12pm, Corley Auditorium - "Nollywood as a Decolonial and Counter-Narrative Tool"
This research talk explores Nollywood, Nigeria’s vibrant film industry, as both a cultural mirror and a decolonial tool for constructing counter-narratives that challenge dominant portrayals of gender, society, and cultural identity. Drawing on African feminist frameworks and mediated counter-narrative theory, I examine how select films resist stereotypes, portray culture, and reflect the unique complexities of modern Nigerian life. Additionally, this research highlights how indigenous Nollywood producers are actively reshaping the representation of Nigerian society and womanhood, offering alternative and empowering storytelling that reflects African experiences from within.
Esther Akheituame is a Ph.D. candidate in Communication at the University of Missouri. Her research focuses on media, culture, and identity, with particular emphasis on African feminism and counter-narratives in Nollywood. She investigates how media representations influence social perceptions and how media can serve as a powerful tool to challenge dominant narratives. Esther is passionate about amplifying African voices in research, and this is reflected in her scholarship.
Reading West Africa: An Afternoon of West African Literature - September 30th, 3:00pm-4:00pm, Library Quiet Room L-413 - Sigma Tau Delta
This afternoon of readings will highlight West Africa’s diverse voices and its rich literary history. It will include selections of prose, poetry, nonfiction, and drama, with all readings in English. Enjoy selections presented by students and friends of the Missouri Southern chapter of the English honor society Sigma Tau Delta. Co-sponsored and refreshments provided by Spiva Library. Image: Yemi Festus, “Images from Yoruba storytelling 2025,” CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
MSSU Concert Band Performance - October 2nd, 7:30pm, Taylor Performing Arts Center
This concert will feature pieces composed and inspired by West African musicians.
Teddy Osei - Artist Talk - October 3rd, 12pm-1pm, Corley Auditorium
Teddy Osei- Artist Reception - October 3rd, 1pm-2pm, Cragin Gallery
West African Folktales at Joplin Public Library Story Time - October 4th, 10:30am, Joplin Public Library
Join us for an all-ages celebration of West African storytelling at the Joplin Public Library, where MSSU students will bring to life a vibrant collection of folktales and picture books. This event will showcase read-aloud tales like the clever adventures of Zomo the Rabbit and Susan Verde’s The Water Princess that tells the story of young Gie Gie, who dreams of bringing clean water to her village, which is inspired by real-life activist Georgie Badiel. The readings highlight resilience, hope, and the power of imagination. Following the readings, families are invited to participate in an activity inspired by the characters and themes of the stories. Come join in an exploration of the richness of West African storytelling, creativity, and community.
Ramatu Ahmed - October 8th, 10am-11am, Corley Auditorium
Ramatu Ahmed is the founder of the African Life Center, based in the Bronx, New York. She is a respected advocate and leader in the fields of public health, rural development, women’s and children’s services, and immigration. Her work includes co-publishing research on the Ghanaian immigrant community in New York, and she has been recognized for her contributions by institutions such as the Bronx Borough President’s Office, the New York State Assembly, Harlem Hospital, among others.
West African Folktales at MSSU - October 9th, 10am-11am, Ron Richard Athletic Center Room 211
You're invited to a joyful, story-filled morning as students share a vibrant collection of West African folktales with Head Start children. Listeners will be transported into the magical world of trickster tales and animal adventures – including Zomo the Rabbit, Anansi the Spider, and a lively tale in which a mosquito’s tall tale sets off a chain reaction of chaos, ultimately explaining why mosquitoes are forever buzzing in our ears. These stories celebrate cleverness, community, and the wonder of imagination—and they’ve been passed down through generations by master storytellers. Whether you're a curious child or a grown-up who loves a good tale, this reading promises laughter, learning, and a chance to travel across continents without ever leaving your seat.
Adeyinka Akinsulure-Smith, PhD - City College of New York - October 15th, 12pm-1pm, Corley Auditorium - "African and Invisible: New York's Black Migrant Crisis, Part I - The Service Providers"
This presentation will share the findings of a qualitative study that sought to document and understand the experiences and needs of recent Black sub-Saharan African migrants in NYC (i.e., those arriving from the US Southern Border versus those arriving via other entry points) from the perspective of their NYC Service Providers using interviewer-administered, in depth semi-structured individual interviews. These findings are not only important for learning how best to address the multifaceted needs of this vulnerable population, but will also lay the groundwork for a larger study that can inform interventions aimed at improving services and allotting resources for this underserved population.
Adeyinka M. Akinsulure-Smith, Ph.D., ABPP, is a Sierra Leonean born, licensed psychologist. She is Board Certified in Group Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). A tenured Professor in the Department of Psychology at the City College of New York, the City University of New York (CUNY) and at the Graduate Center, CUNY, she cared for forced migrants, as well as survivors of torture, armed conflict, and human rights abuses from around the world at the Bellevue Program for Survivors of Torture from 1999 to 2024. Guided by the urgent need to acknowledge and provide culturally informed services for survivors who have fled their home countries and are struggling with mental health challenges and/or with psychosocial disabilities, Dr. Akinsulure-Smith’s research utilizes qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches to better understand and address such challenges, while working with local partners to improve validity and cultural significance. Over the years, her advocacy, clinical work, research and teaching have focused on three specific areas: i) Experiences of forced migrants, survivors of human rights abuses and armed conflict; ii) Mental health interventions in low resource settings; and iii) Mental health consequences of service provision.
11:00 a.m. Saturday, October 18, 2025
The Book Nook, Kuhn Annex 118, MSSU
Snacks provided
Admission: Free
Hosted by Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society; open to all
Chinelo Okparanta’s award-winning debut short story collection Happiness, Like Water (2013) includes ten short stories featuring women in both their Nigerian homeland and navigating new homes in the United States. These stories are quiet, beautiful, finely crafted, and sometimes haunting. As a reviewer for AFREADA writes, “Here is a world marked by electricity outages, lush landscapes, folktales, buses that break down and never start up again. Here is a portrait of Nigerians that is surprising, shocking, heartrending, loving, and across social strata, dealing in every kind of change. Here are stories filled with language to make your eyes pause and your throat catch.”
Chinelo Okparanta was born and raised in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. She has earned degrees from Pennsylvania State University, Rutgers University, and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and is currently Associate Professor of English and Director of the Program in Creative Writing at Swarthmore College. In addition to Happiness, Like Water, she has written two novels and has published work in The New Yorker, Granta, Tin House, The Kenyon Review, AGNI, and other venues.
12:00 noon Wednesday, October 22, 2025
1:00 p.m. Wednesday, October 22, 2025
Spiva Library 410
Snacks provided
Admission: Free
Sponsored by Literary Lions; open to all
Chinelo Okparanta’s award-winning debut short story collection Happiness, Like Water (2013) includes ten short stories featuring women in both their Nigerian homeland and navigating new homes in the United States. These stories are quiet, beautiful, finely crafted, and sometimes haunting. As a reviewer for AFREADA writes, “Here is a world marked by electricity outages, lush landscapes, folktales, buses that break down and never start up again. Here is a portrait of Nigerians that is surprising, shocking, heartrending, loving, and across social strata, dealing in every kind of change. Here are stories filled with language to make your eyes pause and your throat catch.”
Chinelo Okparanta was born and raised in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. She has earned degrees from Pennsylvania State University, Rutgers University, and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and is currently Associate Professor of English and Director of the Program in Creative Writing at Swarthmore College. In addition to Happiness, Like Water, she has written two novels and has published work in The New Yorker, Granta, Tin House, The Kenyon Review, AGNI, and other venues.
Beatrice Opokuah Atencah - Cragin Gallery, October 20th-November 19th - "Squeeze Me In II"
As a visual artist whose oeuvre is centered on Installation, fiber sculpture and conceptual mixed media art, my explorations over the years have evolved from two-dimensional paintings and tapestries to fiber sculptural works. My primary pursuit is to explore feminine bodies, movements, and identity of my personal experiences navigating between spaces informed by my fashion background. Through craft processes, I discuss re-discovery and transformation of identity by folding and draping of contrasting hard and soft materials using clothing materials to reveal themes of impermanent existence, constraint, bittersweet memories and beauty.
These materials communicate my malleable existence in new spaces, serve as a symbol of feminism and reveal my identity as Akan reidentified as Black. My background in fashion design has enabled me to consider the wall and space as mannequins on which I drape these undulating sculptural forms. By allowing the folds surprise me in various ways, I create these works to account for my vulnerability, hybridity, and powerful presence in the West. My style of wrapping connects viewers to ideas of covering, protection and concealment. Sewing embraces community reliance and diversity whereas weaving illustrates the spirit of continuity and traveling routes. I take major inspirations from my cultural background and life here in the West.
The installation “Squeeze Me In II” delves into re-discovery and transformation of identity using materials as hard as copper, seed beads, and corset boning, and soft as fabrics. It encompasses processes like sewing, sculpting, and beading with particular attention paid to space interaction with the targeted audience. This exhibition seeks to discuss the essence of change and transformation within a given space unfamiliar to the occupant by exploring the art of corsetry that metaphorically translates my feelings into a diary of hand-sculpted sculpture. Space here refers to anything as little as a path that leads to a destination, mindset or imagination, or a permanent abode of an individual. People, animals, and even non-living objects change in color, attitude and physical appearance by their environmental influence either positively or negatively. My intent is to discuss my period of transformation between two continents through visual interpretation of materials, their histories, and metaphorically illustrate my origin and language.
Originally from Ghana-West Africa, Beatrice Atencah creates fiber sculpture and site-specific installation artworks that explores the nexus of fiber and metal sculpture in Africa & America, and the histories pertaining to cultural acculturation. Her artistic sensitivities and interrogations are profoundly informed by transformation and adaptation through explorations of patinated copper, married with woven Kente strips made in Bonwire, Kumasi- Ghana.
This has included exhibitions and curatorial projects spanned nationally and internationally across USA, Turkey and UK coupled with 5 publications, numerous awards, and grants. Atencah's recent curatorial projects "Interlacing in African Textiles" and “Mary Warren Collection” changed the dynamism of African Textiles and its hybridity at the Eskenazi Museum of Art in Bloomington and IU Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at Indiana University Bloomington where she obtained her MFA in Studio Arts - Fibers.
Beatrice Opokua Atencah - Artist Talk - November 6th, 5pm-6pm, Corley Auditorium
Beatrice Opokua Atencah - Artist Reception - November 6th, 6pm-7pm, Cragin Gallery
Margrethe Horlyck-Romanovsky - Assistant Professor, Brooklyn College - October 28th, 11am-12pm, Corley Auditorium - "Food Environments and Dietary Patterns in New York City Ghanaian Immigrant Communities"
Exploring the relationship between food environments and dietary patterns in the Ghanaian immigrant community in New York City. Drawing on community-based research, it highlights how cultural preferences, neighborhood food access, and migration-related changes shape eating habits and health outcomes. The presentation also discusses implications for culturally relevant nutrition interventions and policy.
Dr. Margrethe Horlyck-Romanovsky is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health and Nutrition Sciences at Brooklyn College, City University of New York. Her research focuses on dietary acculturation and chronic disease risk, particularly type 2 diabetes, among immigrant populations of African descent, with a special emphasis on the Ghanaian community in New York City. She conducts both qualitative and epidemiological studies to explore how cultural, generational, and environmental factors shape dietary behaviors and health outcomes.
Dr. Kwasi Ofori-Yeboah - Professor of Political Science, Southwest Baptist University - November 3rd, 11am-12pm, Corley Auditorium - "Africa: The Unending Quest for Stability, Growth, and Development"
Why are some countries poor? And why does Africa occupy the unenviable position of the poorest continent on earth? The Africa saga is more disheartening in light of the abundance of natural and human resources.
My presentation will address Africa's underdevelopment's historical and structural underpinnings and the post-independence experimentation development models and outcomes. I will explore the continent’s prospects and pitfalls as it navigates a roadmap to economic growth and development in the context of regional and international headwinds and the changing dynamics of the global political economy in the contemporary era.
Dr. Kwasi Ofori-Yeboah was raised in Ghana, where he obtained his bachelor's degree in political science at the University of Ghana. He then got his Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Political Science at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. He has taught political science at Southwest Baptist University, Bolivar, MO, since 1997. His area of interest includes African History and Politics, International Relations, and Comparative Politics. He has edited a book and has a few publications to his name.
Ghana Fante Baby Outdooring and Naming Ceremony - "Mfantse Dzinto" - November 3rd, 12pm-1:30pm, Corley Auditorium
Name determination in Ghana can depend on several factors such as the tribal affiliation, patriarchal lineage, and other circumstances. Some naming conventions are common to most of the tribes, such as the names based on the day of the week the child is born, the order of birth among siblings, whether a person is one of multiple births such as twins or triplets, or other unique circumstances surrounding the birth. After a baby is born, the parents host a special “Outdooring and Naming ceremony” to introduce the new baby to the extended family and community at large.
Come experience a traditional outdooring and naming ceremony from the Fante tribe.
Personalized Fante Naming Certificates will be given to the first 50 guests who send their specific birth characteristics to Dr. Rebecca Shriver, Executive Director of International Education (e-mail to Shriver-R@mssu.edu) by October 17, 2025. Information required are your name, the day of the week you were born, male or female (the Fante cultural names are binary only), order of birth among siblings, and if one of multiple at birth such as twin or triplets, indicate the order in the multiple.
Dr. Nii Adote and Faustina Abrahams are natives of Ghana.
Dr. Abrahams is a professor at the Plaster School of Business. He has been at MSSU since 1999. He is a Ga, the first of six children, and born on Sunday. Faustina is the Registrar at MSSU. She has been at MSSU since 2006. She is Fante, the fourth of six children, and was born on Sunday.
The Abrahams have two sons and two grandchildren. Dr. Kwasi Ofori-Yeboah is a native of Ghana. He is a professor at Southwest Baptist University, having been there over 28 years. He is an Ashanti, the oldest of seven and was born on Sunday. He and his wife Jane have four children and one grandchild.
Dr. Alexis Trouillot - Assistant Professor, University of Kansas - November 11th, 11am-12pm, Corley Auditorium - "Manuscripts in the Desert"
West-Africa is famous for its history of literacy and manuscripts production. Today, around 67.000 manuscripts are found in local libraries.
This talk will explore the history of local writing as well as the book trade that took place across the Sahara between West African, North Africa and beyond.
Alexis Trouillot is an Assistant Professor of African and African-American Studies at the University of Kansas. His works focuses on West African manuscripts with a research concentration in the intellectual history of Mathematics in Africa.
11:00 a.m. Saturday, November 15, 2025
The Book Nook, Kuhn Annex 118, MSSU
Snacks provided
Admission: Free
Hosted by Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society; open to all
In Adwoa Badoe’s coming-of-age novel Aluta, Charlotte’s first year at university includes classes, a sophisticated and kind older roommate, parties, boyfriends and—mid-way through the year—the overthrow of the government by a military coup d’etat and the subsequent political turmoil. Set in 1981 Ghana, the novel follows Charlotte as she is drawn into the world of student politics and caught up in a dangerous nightmare when national security picks her up on a way to a clandestine meeting. The novel blends the ordinary world of a college student finding her way with the extraordinary backdrop of fraught Ghanian politics.
Adwoa Badoe is the author of 20 books for children and young adults. She is also a storyteller who has written, produced and recorded works for stage. She was raised in Ghana and attended university there and now lives in Guelph, Ontario. On her website, she explains “The reason I write is to help create a better future. I do that largely by observing daily life and exploring the past. I feel privileged to write for children and young adults because they are the future we all hope for.”
WEST AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL
All Screenings held at Cornell Auditorium, Plaster Hall
Dahomey - 7:00pm, Tuesday, September 2nd - This 2024 documentary from Senegal, Benin, and France directed by Mati Diop is a dramatized account of how 26 historical artifacts from the Kingdom of Dahomey were returned from a museum in France to their place of origin in Benin. Introduction by Dr. Jody Jensen.
Black Girl - 7:00pm, Tuesday, September 9th - This 1966 film by Senegalese filmmaker Ousmane Sembène is about a young Senegalese woman who moves to France to work as a nanny. It explores the themes of immigration, prejudice, and post-colonialism. Introduction by Melissa Thompson-Holt.
Touki Bouki - 7:00pm, Tuesday, September 16th - This is a 1973 Senegalese film written and directed by Djibril Diop Mambéty. It tells the story of Mory and Anta, a cowherd and a student, respectively, who try to gather enough money to emigrate to France. The fast-paced editing and experimental nature of the film put it in stark contrast to other West African films of the 1970s. Introduction by Dr. Bill Fischer.
Thunderbolt - 7:00pm, Tuesday, September 23rd - A 2000 film from Nigerian director Tunde Kelani combines melodrama and issues of ethnicity, gender, culture and identity in post-colonial Africa. It is a retelling of the Othello story with a supernatural twist. Introduction by Dr. Jill Greer.
Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti - 7:00pm, Tuesday, September 30th - This 2024 Nigerian film directed by Bolanle Austen-Peters and written by Tunde Babalola tells the story of the life and times of renowned Nigerian activist Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, who also happened to be the mother of legendary musician Fela Kuti. Introduction by Esther Akheituame, PhD Candidate.
The Woman King - 7:00pm, Tuesday, October 7th - This 2022 historical action-adventure film by director Gina Prince-Blythewood tells the story of the Agojie, a woman warrior unit that served the West African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 19th century. Viola Davis was nominated for a Golden Globe for her lead performance as General Nanisca. Introduction by Jesse Nzan, Nursing Student.
Timbuktu - 7:00pm, Tuesday, October 21st - This 2014 co-production of Mauritania and France was written and directed by Abderrahmane Sissako. It tells the story of a cattle herder and his family in Mali whose lives are violently interrupted by jihadists. Introduction by Dr. Nii Abrahams.
This is My Desire - 7:00pm, Tuesday, October 28th - Also known as Eyimofe, this 2020 Nigerian film by the twin-brother directors Arie Esiri and Chuko Esiri is about a printing shop technician and hairdresser who seek a better life on foreign shores. The film premeired at 17 film festivals around the world. Introduction by Dr. Stephanie Goad.
