Friday, August 11, 2017

Santiago Conference on African and Afro-American Culture April 2018


XVII INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
                                AFRICAN AND AFRO-AMERICAN CULTURE
                                                      SANTIAGO DE CUBA
                     Dedicated to: Africa and its influence on the countries of the region
                                                   From 12th to 16th of April 2018
The Fernando Ortiz African Cultural Centre, the Romulo Lachatañeré Chair of Afro-Caribbean Studies, the Provincial Directorate of Culture, the Directorate of   International Relations of the CAP, the Centre for Applied Linguistics, University of Oriente and the UNESCO Chair in Afro-Ibero American Studies of the University of Alcalá, have the pleasure of announce the XVII International Conference on African and African-American Culture, to be held in Santiago de Cuba from 12th to 16th of April 2018.

The event proposes to bond experts, scholars and people interested in African and African American issues, opening a space for reflection on the most urgent problems of the subject, from a multidisciplinary perspective.

Researchers from the social sciences, artists, doctors, filmmakers, musicians, choreographers, dancers, priests and practitioners of folk religions of African origin and the public in general are convened to establish a debate on the following topics:
I- GENERAL THEMES
        Pre-colonial Africa: social, political and economic structures.
        The Atlantic slave traffic. Its treatment in the current historiography. The slave and forms of manumission. Palenque and maroons.
         Africans attitude facing the trading.
        Colonial Africa. Major European establishments. Creation of countries and nationalities in Africa. Wars of Liberation. Africa's relationship with the world.
        The African contribution as a component of the national identity of the Americas people and the Caribbean for an acknowledgement of our historical subject.
        Diachrony and synchrony in linguistic, philosophical, historical and literary studies on Africa, Afro-America and Afro-Caribbean.
        Culture and identity within the African continent.
        Gender, race and cultural identity.
        Africans and Afrodescendant in the New World.
        Multiculturalism, acculturation and re-Africanization as current trends to provide treat the African component in the New World.
        The political and cultural relationship among Africa and the peoples of the Americas and the Caribbean.
        African religions and its contemporarily en the New World
        Contemporary African and American religions.
        The so called universal religions in Africa. Catholic, Protestants, Islamic, etc.
        Current situation of the African traditional religions in the continent.
        Africa in the twenty-first century. The current cultural problems of the continent.
        Historiography written by Africans.
II- WORKSHOPS
A- Workshop, "Color and Shape"
Dedicated to all manifestations of the visual arts where the African trace. Painters, sculptors, ceramists, engravers, photographers may participate and attend to theoretical works about the following topics:
        The African influence in the visual arts of the New World. Spheres of contacts and influence.
        The visual arts in the African continent.
        The artist's concept in Africa and America.
It may also participate with an exhibit of their work, with no more than three pieces, which will be displayed in a collective hall previously coordinated with the management of the event.
Registration regulations comply with the general regulations of the event.
B- Workshop "Images"
Dedicated to ethnological film and video, that collects the image and treatment given to the African influence on American culture, and to the African cinema.

Participants can show films, videos and present theoretical work on topics such as:
        Literature, film and video. Treatment of African descendants by the media.
        Ethnological video. Its contribution to the knowledge of African reality and its process of transculturation in the New World.
        Audiovisuals and cinema perspectives in Africa.
Audiovisuals reception will be until December 15th, 2017. Must include a thematic and technique summary of the play and the filmmakers data. Videos and other film materials may not exceed 30 minutes. The Committees decision is unappealable.

Registration regulations comply with the general regulations of the event.
C- Workshop "The Ancestral Rhythm"
Dedicated to music and dancing of African origin.
Choreographers, musicians, dancers, musicologists and scholars in general may participate; they will discuss the following topics:
        African music: history, evolution and current situation in the continent.
        The African influence in the music and dancing of the New World. Analogies, differences, changes and creation process towards the formation of the national music.
        The African element as a base for staging musical and dance works.
        Present times of the music and dancing in Africa.
Performances not exceeding 10 minutes, with no more than 4 dancers may be presented. In the case of groups that decide to participate in full, scenic areas of the city will be provided to perform, being understood that these functions are part of their exposure during the event and will not be charged.

Registration regulations comply with the general regulations of the event.
D - Workshop "Mask"
Dedicated to the theatre. The African influence, and the afrodescendant on stage, to a contemporary view.

Actors, theatre directors, set designers and students of theatre in general may participate; they can exchange experiences from the following topics under discussion:
        Presence of African elements in theatrical productions
        African descent on stage, both as subjects of history and as playwrights
        The theatre in Africa.
        African literature and its theatrical representation.
In the case of groups that decide to participate in full, they will be provided scenic areas of the city to perform, being understood that these functions are part of their exposure in the event, and will not be charged. Registration regulations are those general regulations of the event. In the case of theatre groups who wish to participate and prior coordination with the management of the event, a special registration fee may be established per group.
III- SYMPOSIUM: Medicine and Culture
A space dedicated to the relationships established between the medical sciences and disciplines of social sciences from the practice of the Cuban internationalist medicine and other health agencies, which also set intercultural contacts through the medical channel. A space dedicated to the medicine doctors, where they can present their experiences, both in the field of medicine, with works of their specialty and the challenges experienced  due to the cultural shock.

Papers could be presented on: 
        Traditional African medicine. Its evolution and relationship with others in the New World 
        Tropical Medicine in Africa and Afro-America 
        Homeopathic medicine.
        The Cuban medical experience in Africa. Relations among medicine and culture 
        Doctors without Borders and other similar organisations in their practice of medicine and culture 
        The World Health Organization and its role in Africa.
        Medicine, medical policies and human relationships.
        Endemic diseases in Africa and America.
        Disease and ethnicity.
        Epidemics, viruses and control of the spread of disease 
IVº- GENERAL RULES OF PARTICIPATION

A- Reception of dissertations and communications
The papers should provide general information includding: title, full name of the author or authors, scientific degree, educational category, institution and country of origin, address, phone, fax, e-mail.
The papers may not have more than two authors and they may not appear in more than two publications.
The author or co-author who cannot attend the event will receive his diploma of speaker and a disc with the publication if he pays the registration fee.
In the case of the workshops, both theoretical works and photographs of art exhibitions, abstracts and records of filmic works and data of the exhibit must be submitted for inclusion in the Proceedings of the Conference.
They thesis may have a maximum length of 12 pages - if this length is exceeded, the paper will not be published - and 15 minutes of presentation. The papers will be published on a DVD, for which it must be delivered in digital format: double spacing, Arial 12 for the text and Arial 10 for bibliography and notes (the lastest will be placed at the end of the document and its extension does not count in the number of pages).
Papers will be accepted until 15 December 2017.
Only the papers that meet the above requirements will be published. The Organizing Committee is not responsible for the publication of the works that arrive after the deadlines provided as admission or do not meet the requirements of this announcement.
The verdict of the Scientific  Committee and the Editorial Department is unappealable and the it will be informed until the January 15th, 2018.
C-Workshops 
In the case of visual artists, they should send a short CV with no more than two pages and photographs of the exhibit they will present for inclusion in the Proceedings; also, playwrights and dancers will accompany the synopsis of their works, with a curriculum no more than one page; and if it is a group, information about its history no more than three pages
D- Tickets
The Organizing Committee is not responsible with the transportation from and to their provinces of origin.

E- Registration fee
Speakers and delegates: 200.00 CUC / MN
Students: 100.00 USD / MN
In the case of interested in participating during an specific moment of the event there will be a different fee coordinated with the direction of the event.
50.00 MN/CUC per workshop
30.00 MN/CUC per participation of one day during a work commission.
NOTA, THE PAYMENT IS IN CUCs, NO OTHER CURRENCY ALLOWED.


E- Accommodation 
There will be modules of affordable accommodations in hotels of the city, which may be requested through the Organizing Committee or the tour operator Paradiso Agency.
F- Languages
English, French and Spanish

G- Contacts
Dra. Marta E. Cordiés
Director: Fernando Ortiz African Cultural Centre
General Coordinator of the XVII Conference
Ave. Manduley No. 106 esq. A 5ta
Reparto Vista Alegre, Santiago de Cuba, CP: 90400
Telefax: (53-22) 642487
(53-22) 623893 (nights)
Lic. Maria Liduvina Bergues
Esp. / International Affairs
dayanet@sc.sc.rimed.cu
Lic. Martha Martinez Verges
President Scientific Committee
Dr. Luis Mancha
International coordinator
UNESCO Chair in Afroiberoamericanos Studies 
Professional Congress Organizer (PCO):
Paradiso
Commercial Specialist
Paradiso turismo cultural
Santiago de Cuba
Phone: 53 22 620214/654814
Note: Please send communications and acknowledgment through the three e-mail addresses to facilitate prompt communication.