Africa Scholars Forum
Upcoming Event: Africa Day 2024
Democratic Backsliding in West Africa: Contradictions, Challenges, and Difference
Date: April 19th, 2024, 8:00 am – 8:00 pm
Location: Campus Center Ballrooms B & C, UMass Boston
This conference is scheduled to take place on April 19th, 2024, from 8:00 am – 8:00 pm at the UMass Boston Campus Center, in addition to six breakout sessions on various topics on democracy in West Africa, the conference includes keynote speakers and UMass Boston’s annual Africa Day gala night and cultural activities.
The Africa Scholars Forum (ASF) at the University of Massachusetts-Boston’s John W McCormack School of Policy and Global Studies and Boston University’s West African Research Association (WARA) are pleased to host a one-day conference that examines democratization challenges, limitations and opportunities in the West African region through a range of questions. Are liberal democratic regimes and institutions consolidating in West Africa? What is the relationship between democracy and development in the region? What role does insecurity – human rights and terrorism – play in consolidating or reversing democracy in West Africa? What role are the resurgence of an anticolonial struggle and the movement to decolonize Africa playing? Finally, with ECOWAS and the African Union playing resurgent roles in responding to coups and democratization initiatives in the region, what role are African regionalism and sub regionalism playing in addressing democratic reversal?
To participate as a paper panelist, submit a 300–500-word abstract to one of the six-session themes below HERE: Paper Submission Form
1. Explaining Democratic Backsliding in West Africa
2. Democratic and Liberal Institutions and Polities in West Africa
3. Democracy and Development in West Africa
4. Security and Democracy in West Africa
5. Anticolonialism, De-colonialism, and Democracy in West Africa
6. Regionalism and Democracy in West Africa
Papers may examine themes and topics related to the conference concept and be on a country or countries in the West African region. Papers may cover a range of interdisciplinary subjects in political, economic, social, and cultural contexts, as well as in local, national, regional, and global sites of analysis. The best papers will qualify for publication in conference proceedings. Deadline for abstract submissions is February 29th, 2024!
Goals and Objectives
On May 30th, 2018 at the inaugural meeting of the Africa Scholars Forum steering committee. All committee members listed below agreed to work on the following initiatives:
- Develop an undergraduate minor and a graduate certificate in African Studies
- Establish a formal speaker series on African issues at UMass Boston
- Engage student groups on campus who have Africa programming missions, and create undergraduate student research initiatives on African study
- Establish a platform for deepened African research study for graduate students at UMass Boston
- Promote existing and new exchanges with area African Studies programs and universities in Africa to facilitate faculty and student exchange, especially study abroad and community research
- Achieve prestigious grant awards on African study collaboratively.
Faculty Committee Members by College and Department
McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies
Rita Kiki Edozie, Conflict Resolution, Human Security, and Global Governance
Maria Ivanova, Conflict Resolution, Human Security, and Global Governance
Darren Kew, Conflict Resolution, Human Security, and Global Governance
Jane L. Parpart, Conflict Resolution, Human Security, and Global Governance
Malcolm Russell-Einhorn, Conflict Resolution, Human Security, and Global Governance
Timothy Shaw, Conflict Resolution, Human Security, and Global Governance
Courtenay Sprague, Conflict Resolution, Human Security, and Global Governance
Stacy D. VanDeveer, Conflict Resolution, Human Security, and Global Governance
School for Global and Social Inclusion and Social Development
Sindiso Minsi Weeks, Global Inclusion and Social Development
College of Education and Human Development
Tyra Mendez, College of Education and Human Development
Angela K. Stone-MacDonald, College of Education and Human Development
Abiola Farinde-Wu, College of Education and Human Development
Bodunrin O Banwo , Assistant Professor, Urban Education, Leadership, and Policy Studies & Educational Administration
Dana Miranda, Assistant Professor of Philosophy
College of Liberal Arts
Nada Mustafa Ali, Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Ping-Ann Addo, Anthropology
Chinelo Achebe Ejueyitchie, Africana Studies
Christopher Fung, Anthropology
Heidi Gengenbach, History
Jemadari Kamara, Africana Studies
Adugna Lemi, Economics
Aminah Pilgrim, Africana Studies
Jean L. Rene, Africana Studies
Kibibi Mack-Shelton, Africana Studies
Anthony Van Der Meer, Africana Studies
College of Management
Josephine Namayanja, Management Science and Information Systems
College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Carrie Ann Gakumo, College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Phil Nyakauru Gona, Exercise and Health Sciences
Non-Academic Units
Charlie Titus, Division of Athletics, Recreation, Special Projects and Programs
Senior Program Assistant
Balkissa Daouda Diallo
Program Assistant
Dennis Jjuuko
Managing Editor of the Talking Drum:
Margaret Gatonye
Amadou B Jallow
Members Initiative |
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The faculty and staff members of the ASF are dedicated to advancing research, study, and programming of Africa and the African diaspora through diverse platforms and projects. See some of our member initiatives below: |
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 Rita Kiki Edozie, founder and chair of the Africa Scholars Forum at UMB, served as the Local Arrangements Committee co-chair for the African Studies Association (ASA) 62nd Annual Meeting. ASA is the world's leading international association of scholars and professionals focusing on the study of Africa. The ASA Annual Meeting is the largest gathering of Africanist scholars in the world in attendance of about 2,000 scholars and professionals. Professor Edozie's 8th book project is discussed here.
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 Malcolm Russell-Einhorn, Strengthening Rwandan Administrative Justice (SRAJ) is a Center for Peace, Democracy, and Development project that aims to improve the quality, consistency, legality, and transparency of decision-making by Rwandan district authorities in administrative cases that involve thousands of citizens and businesses.
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Adugna Lemi is the director of the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC), a Kenya-based, capacity-building organization that also provides a training program. The AERC Training Program is designed to augment the pool of economic researchers in sub-Saharan Africa by supporting postgraduate studies in Economics and Agricultural Economics and by enhancing the capacities of departments of Economics and departments of Agricultural Economics/Agribusiness in local public universities.
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 Heidi Gengenbach, Assessing the New Green Revolution for Africa: The Impact of a Value Chain Approach on Women Farmers and Household Food Security is a collaborative, interdisciplinary, multi-country project. Gengenbach is leading the Mozambique case study, which is investigating the nutritional consequences of women farmers' participation in an ongoing donor-funded program to commercialize cassava production.
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Maria Ivanova, The Center for Governance and Sustainability, is home to Regional Environmental Diplomacy Institute (REDI), which is an experiential environmental governance teaching program that is designed to enhance the knowledge and skills of negotiators, policymakers, and students. REDI has so far focused on supporting the Horn of Africa, a region that is particularly vulnerable to climate change. A cohort of PhD students recently visited the region as part of their coursework. View Part I and Part II of a video describing the project. |
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Charlie Titus and Jemadari Kamara, Youth Education and Sports with Africa (YES) is a multiethnic, coeducational, sports and leadership development program administered in conjunction with partner organizations in West Africa by the Division of Athletics and Recreation, Special Projects and Programs and the Department of Africana Studies. The program affords young athletes and coaches in West Africa the opportunity to participate in basketball clinics. |
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Darren Kew directs the Center for Peace, Democracy, and Development which investigates and addresses some of the most challenging human security concerns worldwide, including in Nigeria, Rwanda, and South Africa. Through four key areas of work—Peace building and Conflict Resolution, Democratic Development, Global Health and Development, and Law and Justice System Reform. |
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Nada Mustapha Ali, Dr. Ali is researching Gender, Militarization, and peace-building in Sudan and South Sudan; She directs The Human Rights Minor at UMass Boston, an interdisciplinary program of study open to students from all disciplines. Housed in the Department of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, the minor emerged from the student-faculty-community collaboration of the Human Rights Working Group. |
Special Programs |
The Fatima Kyari Mohammed Scholarship ProgramThe Fatima Kyari Mohammed Scholarship Program was inspired by African Union (AU) permanent observer to the United Nations (UN), Ambassador Fatima Kyari Mohammed’s generous donation of her honorarium for her keynote address at the Africa Day 2020 and the matching support from the McCormack graduate school’s Africa Scholars Forum (ASF). The scholarship provides $1000 in funds to a Master’s or Doctoral student whose capstone project, thesis, or dissertation engages an African issue. Given travel limitations presented by this year’s COVID-19 global pandemic; next year, the scholarship will hopefully include an internship opportunity for the recipient of the award at one of the African Union’s permanent representational offices around the globe (including Addis Ababa, Geneva, Cairo, Brussels, Lilongwe, Washington DC, and New York City). The scholarship has been established by the ASF to promote the research and scholarship of critical issues in the African continent among graduate students at UMass Boston. |
Ambassador Hilda Suka-Mafudze Summer Enrichment AwardAmbassador Hilda Suka-Mafudze is the Permanent Representative of the African Union to the United States of America. The scholarship award is inspired by Ambassador Suka-Mafudze’s generous donation of her 2022 Africa Day honorarium as the keynote speaker. The ASF has established the award to promote research and scholarship on U.S. – Africa Relations among graduate and undergraduate students at UMass Boston. The scholarship provides $1,000 in funds to a qualified undergraduate or graduate student whose capstone project, research interests, thesis, or dissertation engages or relates to the topic of U.S. – Africa Relations, African Immigration and Diaspora in the U.S., and African Union Studies. |
Past Events |
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The Africa Scholars Forum hosts various events throughout the academic year to bring together scholars and community members in Massachusetts. These events include talks showcasing scholarly and community research on African politics, economics, policy, development issues as well as on literature and the arts. Some of the recurring events hosted by the forum include the annual Africa Day, Ubuntu graduation and recognition ceremony, the Amilcar Cabral speaker series, and annual Kwanzaa end of year. |
AFRICA DAY 2022: From Pandemics to Endemics: Year 3, Public Health, and COVID-19 in Africa - April 1st, 2022.png)
This year in 2022, our Africa Day theme traced the pandemic's evolution into a global public health endemic, and in November 2021, with the discovery of Omicron, the controversial African covid impact and response catapulted to the forefront of the ongoing, global health crisis – yet again! Our keynote speaker was Ambassador Hilda Suka-Mafudze who is the Permanent Representative of the African Union to the United States of America. Amb. Suka-Mafudze keynote address was on,Covid Diplomacy and Africa : Clinical Trials, Travel Bans, and Vaccine Equity. This year's Africa Day also featured a Keynote interview with Africa CDC Head of Policy and Communication, Dr. Benjamin Djoudalbaye who spoke on, Africa Preparedness-from states to the region; and a Gala Reception Keynote on, "The Impacts of African Music on COVID-19" presented by Dr. Oladipupo Oyeleye who is the Program Officer for Higher Education Intiatives at the American Council of Learned Societies. The Gala Reception also included a Fashion show, an Afrobeat dance performance and African food. |
Black History in Africa Series - February 18th , 2022
This year our Black History in Africa Series welcomed Prof. whose presentation was titled, Affective Justice : The International Criminal Court and the Pan-Africanist Pushback. Prof. Clarke is a Distinguished Professor at the University of Toronto and an Adjunct Professor at the University of California Los Angeles. For more than twenty years, she has conducted research on issues related to legal institutions, human rights and international law, religious nationalism and the politics of race and globalization. |
The 3rd Annual Winnie Mandela Speaker Series And Kwanzaa Celebration - December 10, 2021
The 3rd Annual Winnie Mandela Speaker Series And Kwanzaa Celebration hosted by The Africa Scholars Forum in collaboration with the Pan African Graduate Students Association (PAGSA) and the African Student Union (ASU) at UMass Boston on Friday, December 10, 2021. The Winnie Mandela Lecture was delivered by Dana Francisco Miranda, PhD, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Faculty Fellow, Applied Ethics Center at UMass Boston will is this year’s Winnie Mandel Series Speaker. The Title of the lecture was "Ecstatic Communities". Jemadari Kamara, PhD, Chair & Associate Professor Of Africana Studies And Director, Center For African, Caribbean & Community Development, Umass Boston is this year's Kwanza Celebration Curator. Rewatch the Event on Youtube: The 3rd Annual Winnie Mandela Speaker Series And Kwanzaa Celebration |
Africa Scholars Forum: Fall 2021 Welcome Event with Dr. Godwin Murunga - October 22, 2021 |
Africa Scholars Forum (ASP), the Pan African Graduation Student Association (PAGSA), and the Africa Student Union (ASU) @UMass Boston Welcome Event and Business Meeting Held on Friday, October 22, 2021, 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM The Africa Scholars Forum (ASF) Welcome Event and Business Meeting was the first Hyflex event (in-person and zoom streaming) held at UMass Boston since returning to campus post-pandemic, this fall 2021. The cross-campus program welcomed the new academic year with a keynote address by Dr. Godwin Murunga who is the 7th Executive Secretary of the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) titled,“Decolonizing African Education: Its Role in Transforming the Continent.” During his talk, Murunga emphasized the need for the African continent to transition from decolonization to decoloniality. Provost Joseph Berger also joined the discussion and reflected on his contributions to educational leadership in Malawi and noted the need to maintain a connection with Africa and to promote an exchange of knowledge and learning. During the Business meeting, Dean (Interim) and Chair of the forum, Dr. Rita Kiki Edozie invited Murunga to discuss areas of future collaboration between CODESRIA and the ASF. Video: Africa Scholars Forum: Fall 2021 Welcome Event with Dr. Godwin Murunga |
eUbuntu 2021 - May 24, 2021 |
The 2021 Ubuntu Award Ceremony included a virtual celebration of graduating Africanist scholars at UMass Boston, including the Fatima Kyari Mohammed African Unity Scholarship Awardee, and presentation of the 2021 Africa Scholars Forum Distinguished Ubuntu Community Leader Award to Abdulkadir Y. Hussein, M.P.P. of the African Community Economic Development of New England (ACEDONE). Mr. Abdulkadir Y. Hussein gave a keynote address on Immigration Related Violence in African Communities: Policing and Deportations (A Transformational Leadership Approach). The Fatima Kyari Mohammed African Unity Scholarship Award is given to two graduate students who successfully defend their dissertations addressing a critical African issue during the current academic year. The 2021 student awardees are Lyndsey McMahan, Ph.D., from Global Governance and Human Security, and Uchenna Nwangwu, Ph.D., from the School of Global Inclusion and Social Development. The 2021 graduating Africanist scholars are Esther N. Kamau, Ph.D.; Yaa Opoku Agyeman, MA; Bicherine Salome Nanga, MA; and Yacoub M. Dahah, MA. Video: |
Africa Day 2021: Transitioning Towards Post COVID Africa - April 30, 2021 |
Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Africa Scholars Forum organized a virtual event to celebrate Africa Day 2021. The theme was Transitioning Towards Post-COVID Africa: Response from Africa CDC. The keynote speaker, Elijah Paintsil, MD, FAAP, Professor of Pediatrics (Infectious disease), Public Health, and Pharmacology at Yale School of Medicine, gave a presentation titled, "Post-COVID-19 Africa Healthcare Systems: A Need for Disruptive Innovation". The keynote presentation addressed African Nation's public health preparedness and systems, along with the call to invest in disruptive solutions. Such solutions include Telemedicine, an "Africa Health Professionals without Borders," and a cross-continental disease surveillance system, allowing African Nations to expand their abilities to save lives and help prevent future pandemics. The 2021 Africa Day event also included panel discussions on Jollof Rice, African Music and Dance, and a virtual African fashion. |
Black History in Africa Series - February 26, 2021 |
 In February 2021, the Africa Scholars Forum hosted its inaugural Black History in Africa Series. The series focuses on connecting African and African American history with an emphasis on the rich history of Black people that includes the trans-Atlantic slave trade and the rich African cultures, civilizations, and monuments that still fascinate the world to this day. Professor Layla Brown-Vincent gave the keynote address on her experiences in South Africa and how communities and people are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Video: |
Amilcar Cabral Speaker Series and Kwanzaa Celebration - December 9, 2020 |
The Amilcar Cabral Speaker Series and Kwanzaa Celebration recognizes the impact of Amilcar Cabral's brand of nationalism and anticolonization on the contemporary movement to free African people. The series, organized in partnerships with the Pan African Graduate Students, invites UMass Boston Scholars and advanced doctoral students to give talks on their African studies research. The 2020 keynote speaker was Quito Swan, Ph.D., Director, William Monroe Trotter Institute for the Study of Black Culture and Professor of Africana Studies. Dr. Swan's presentation focused on The Black Pacific: Pauulu Kamarakafego and Black Internationalism in Oceania, exploring the Black Pacific through the lens of environmentalist and global Black Power organizer Pauulu Kamarakafego. Video: |
2020 African Studies Association Conference Shadow Event - November 18, 2020 |
In November 2020, the Africa Scholars Forum hosted the ASA Shadow Event, a virtual event preceding the 2020 63rd Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association. The goal of the virtual shadow event was to showcase Africanist scholars conducting research on critical, contemporary African issues. The guest speakers were Margaret Monyani, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa, and Aggrey Odhiambo, a Ph.D. candidate at Ohio University. Both presenters are up-and-coming Africanists scheduled to present at the 2020 ASA Annual Meeting. Aggrey Odhiambo presented his research titled, "From Borderless Reach to Borderless Harm: The Role of the Internet and Social Media Platforms in the Fight against Human Trafficking in Africa" while Margaret Monyani presented her research titled, "Just Being Around? The Relationship between Nation State, Borders, and Refugees in Perspective". |
Welcome and Business Meeting 2020 - October 16, 2020 |
The Fall 2020 Welcome and Business Meeting features guest speaker, E. Edna Wangui, PhD, Associate Professor, Ohio University College of Arts & Sciences. Professor Wangui’s research examines the gendered dimensions of rural development and rural livelihood change, environmental conservation, and climate change adaptation. She has focused on identifying the nature and root causes of land use/cover and livelihood change and linking land use/cover and livelihood change to gender relations and gendered labor availability within the household. Currently, she is examining the gendered dynamics of sustainable land management practices in the Upper Tana watershed in Central Kenya. Video: |
eUbuntu 2020 - May 15, 2020 |
The Africa Scholars Forum, co-sponsored by the Pan African Graduate Student Association (PAGSA), premiered her first virtual Ubuntu ceremony on May 15, 2020. The ceremony was an interactive event to remember as Africanist scholars and supporters connected across the world brandishing their African attires and Adinkra backgrounds to celebrate Africanist scholarship and achievements and reflect on the effects of racism and inequality on the COVID 19 response to Blacks, especially in the United States. The Keynote lecture was delivered by renowned Pan Africanist community leader Tony Kwame Ansah Jr., and it was titled Race, COVID 19, and the African Identity. The lecture touched on the widespread impact of COVID 19 on Blacks in the state and the available resources to help curb this impact. The event also featured a poem rendition and an award ceremony where Pan Africanist graduating scholars from various schools at UMass Boston received recognition awards and virtual badges for their academic achievements. Other awards include the Community Engagement Award, awarded to Tony K Ansah Jr. for his outstanding community contributions to Pan Africanist literature, philanthropy, and capacity building, especially during this COVID 19 crisis and the Fatimah Kyari Mohammed Africa Unity Scholarship Award for Pan Africanist graduate scholars. The meeting was attended by the Distinguished African Union Ambassador to the United Nations, Ambassador Fatima Kyari Mohammed. Video: |
Africa Day 2020 - March 6, 2020 |
The Africa Scholars Forum celebrated its 2020 Africa Day with the theme “Challenges to Pan Africanism: Afrophobia and Migration within Africa’s Borders.” The event featured a plenary keynote address by Ambassador Fatima Kyari Mohammed ( the African Union Ambassador to the United Nations) and a gala keynote address by renowned Nollywood filmmaker Rahman Oladigbolu( Producer of the award-winning film “Soul Sisters”). The event also featured a plenary panel session with distinguished scholars from the Greater Boston Area, a graduate student roundtable, a fashion show, Afrobeat entertainment, and African food. The Africa Day 2020 event celebrated and deepened discussion and Africa research study for graduate and undergraduate students at UMass Boston. It also led to the establishment of the Fatima Kyari Mohammed ASF scholarship fund. Videos: Articles: |
Ubuntu 2019 - May 15, 2019 |
 The African Scholars Forum celebrated her first Ubuntu ceremony on May 15, 2019. This event was co-sponsored by the Pan African Graduate Students Association (PAGSA). The event was a celebration of Pan Africanist academic and community engagement achievements at UMass Boston and the Greater Boston Area. The ceremony was captioned "Ubuntu" to recognize the oneness of all Blacks. "Ubuntu" is part of the Xhosa phrase "Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu", which means, "a person is a person because of other people". The event featured a keynote lecture, award ceremony, and networking with great African food and music. The keynote speaker was community visionary Vivian Kobusingye Birchall, and she presented a talk on the significant role of Africans in Boston. The award ceremony included recognition awards to Pan Africanist graduating scholars with Bachelor, Master, and Doctoral degrees from various schools at UMass Boston. These scholars were presented with branded Kente stoles, certificates, and award plaques as recognition of their academic achievements. The ceremony also featured a community engagement award from ASF and PAGSA recognizing Vivian Kobusingye Birchall for her community engagement achievements, especially her work as a producer and host of Africa2U, a local TV show that increases awareness of African nations, people, and culture in America. |
Launch Event: First Africa Day - February 27, 2019 |
The Africa Scholars Forum launched a successful 1st Africa Day with the theme "Pan Africa Rising." The event featured keynote speakers, panel discussions, graduate student flash talks, an African marketplace, and a gala night reception with Afrobeat entertainment and African food. Africa Day was a premier event that hopes to establish a platform for deepened Africa Research study for graduate and undergraduate students here at UMass Boston. Videos: Articles: |
