A native Kenyan and creator of an acclaimed PBS televisionseries will visit The University of Memphis this week to discussthe legacy of the African people.
Ali Mazrui will present "The African Predicament: Legacy ofPartition, Lure of Reparations" at the first African Studieslecture at The University of Memphis.
The issue deals with whether or not the rest of the world owesAfrica reparations. Years of colonization by Europe can still befelt, resulting in problems that would not have normally evolved inAfrica.
"I'm looking forward to deep discussion of the issue beingpresented," said Hope Smith, assistant director ofinter-disciplinary studies. "I hope to gain insight andinformation."
Born in Kenya in 1933, Mazrui is the creator of the acclaimedtelevision series The Africans: A Triple Heritage, which isproduced by the BBC and PBS in association with the NigerianTelevision Authority.
He has authored more than 20 books, including "Towards a PaxAfricana," "Africa's International Relations" and most recently,"The Power of Babel: Language Governance in Africa's Experience,"which was launched in the House of Lords, London, a historicceremony. He has also written hundreds of journal articles forpublications such as the (London) Times and The New York Times.
Mazrui is Albert Schweitzer professor in the humanities anddirector of the Institute of Global Cultural Studies at BinghamtonUniversity, State University of New York.
With many research interests, Mazrui has been consulted onAfrican politics, including constitutional change and educationalreform. He took part in political engineering in Nigeria, Ugandaand Sudan and has been involved in numerous United Nationsprojects, ranging from human rights to nuclear proliferation. Otherinterests include political Islam and North-South relations.
The lecture will be held Thursday at 7 p.m. in the FogelmanExecutive Center, Room 136, and is free and open to the public. Ashort reception will follow.
U of M's African and African-American Studies program willsponsor the event with support from the African StudentAssociation, International Studies and the Academic EnrichmentFund.
