NAB VII - ias.uni-bayreuth.de

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About Tomorrow: Trend-Setting Africa
Public Symposium as part of the Forum for the Future 2011
For far too long, Africa
has mainly been associated
with a long-lived
past and with intricate problems
in the present. It is much
less well-known, at least in Europe,
that this continent has become
a laboratory for bold and
sometimes stunning flights into
the future. Beyond the familiar
patterns of „planned development“
by national governments
and foreign donors, the current
speed of change raises the question
whether Africa allows us to
glimpse not only into the cradle,
but also into the future of humanity
– or at least some possible
ways into that future: with decreasing
certainty “from above”
and with an increased momen-
tum for creativity “from below”.
About Tomorrow: Trend-Setting
Africa was therefore chosen as
the theme of this year’s public
symposium within the „Forum for
the Future“, organized annually
by the University in conjunction
with the City of Bayreuth. Over
two days, an impressive range of
initiatives from different fields of
society, culture and politics were
presented, showing rather unexpected
aspects of Africa that may
also fascinate a wider public not
normally interested in that part
of the world. Without denying
the variety and contradictions of
the current African experience,
these presentations have alerted
us that Africa is about to take on
new roles in the global concert.
… a background of stark black
that may be taken to signal
crisis, suffering and an uncertain
future, but also strength;
… a young man on the street
who seems to dream about
that future, about the paths
to choose and its meanings
for Africa and the world,
challenging established
powers and politicians,
along with so many youths
in Africa today;
... set in an urban environment,
where the majority of Africans
live a modern life with
all its sensations and sufferings
(„itchy city“, as Kgafela
says in the poem that gave
this video its name);
... a tinge of rainbow colours
NAB Vol. XI - 2011 NAB Vol. XI - 2011
Discussion in the plenary about experiences with
micro-credit systems in Africa. (Thierl)
(red, yellow and green), old
symbol of Panafrican connectedness
across the continent
and the globe;
... a broadcasting tower, unmistakeable
indicator of the
importance of new media in
popular mobilisation (tv, mobiles,
electronic networks...);
... and the modern adaptation of
long-standing arts of orality
in Africa, as represented by
Kgafela’s „Slam Poetry“ that
is recorded in this video.
Following such lines of
thought, the Symposium was
successfully proposed, convened
and organised by the Institute
for African Studies (IAS) – the
hub of African Studies at the
University of Bayreuth which
includes, among others, the renowned
Bayreuth International
Graduate School for African Studies
(BIGSAS). The Symposium
was part of the increasing presence
of Bayreuth African Studies
amongst the wider public, well
beyond academia (see other reports
in this issue). Besides the
Symposium, as in every year,
the „Forum of the Future“ also
encompassed the award of the
“Wilhelmine of Bayreuth Prize
for Tolerance and Humanity in
Cultural Diversity” by the City of
Bayreuth. This year, in tune with
the Symposium theme, it went to
Madjiguène Cissé, a Senegalese
human rights and women’s development
activist.
The first part of the event took
Forum for the Future
Mark Kaigwa explains the potential of digital
communication in Africa. (Thierl)
place in the Auditorium Maximum
(AudiMax) of the University.
Opening addresses were
given by its Vice-President Prof.
Stefan Leible, by the Mayor of
Bayreuth, Dr. Michael Hohl, and
by the Director of the IAS, Prof.
Achim von Oppen. Prince Kum’a
Ndumbe III, university professor
and prolific writer from Douala,
Cameroon, then delivered an impressive
opening lecture. In immaculate
German, he explained
why „Africa is the Future“ and
pleaded for a more peaceful and
sustainable way forward, to
which an encounter with Africa
at eye level can contribute a lot
(see translated extracts adjacent
to this overview).
Maintaining or making peace
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