02/27/2008
The Five College African Scholars Program presents:
Film screenings and conference - Wednesday, February 27th to Saturday, March 1, 2008
"We are all responsible" - Abderrahmane Sissako
BAMAKO (dir. Abderrahmane Sissako, Mali/USA/France, 2006, 115 min, in French & Bambara w/ English subtitles)
In a compelling political drama, the film Bamako presents a bracing indictment of global capitalism by demonstrating the effects of economic ideology on people's lives. Employing the judicial proceedings of a tribunal, the people of Bamako put the World Bank and the IMF (International Monetary Fund) on trial. As magistrates hear passionate testimony about the devastating impact of debt servicing and privatization, the rhythms, humor, and small tragedies of life in the neighborhood remind us of the gulf between the abstract and the concrete.
SCREENINGS OF "BAMAKO"
WEDNESDAY February 27 - 7:30 pm, Massachusetts Multicultural Film Festival, UMass Amherst, 137 Isenberg School of Management. Introduced by Danny Glover, actor and co-founder of Louverture Films, .
THURSDAY February 28 - 7:30 pm, Browsing Room, Neilson Library, Smith College. Comments by faculty Panel:
Samba Gadjigo, French, Mount Holyoke College:
"African Cinema and Bamako".
Melissa Gonzales-Brenes, Economics, UMass, Amherst:
"Gendered Impact of Structural Adjustment".
Greg White, Government, Smith College:
"Borders, Sovereignty, and International Migration".
FRIDAY February 29 - 3:00 pm, Scanlon Banquet hall, Westfield State College. Introduction by Professor Samba Gadjigo and comments by Nicole Lee, Executive Director of TransAfrica Forum.
FRIDAY February 29 - 7:30pm, Massachusetts Multicultural Film Festival, UMass Amherst, Mahar Auditorium. Introduction by Amilcar Shabazz, W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies and Demetria Shabazz, Department of Communication, UMass, Amherst
SATURDAY MARCH 1st CONFERENCE EVENTS AT SMITH COLLEGE
In collaboration with Westfield State College and the West African Research Center in Dakar.
9:30 am to 12noon, Seelye 201
INTERACTIVE VIDEO CONFERENCE WITH DAKAR, SENEGAL
Discussion with African scholars and civil society members based in Dakar, Senegal, including former Senegalese cabinet minister Aissata Tall, who appears in Bamako; Ibrahima Thioub, Chair of the Department of History at Université Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar (UCAD); Abdoulaye Diagne, Department of Economics at UCAD; Ebrima Sall, Director of Research, Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA); Ousmane Sene, Director, West African Research Center (WARC) and Mignane Diouf, Coordinator of Forum Civil.
1:00 pm to 2:30pm, Seelye 201
CONNECTING COLLEGE & COMMUNITY: ACTIVISM AND GLOBALIZATION.
Reflections on the social and political responsibilities of African filmmakers by Jean-Marie Teno, Cameroonian filmmaker in residence at Amherst College, followed by student presentations and a lively discussion of the issues. The panel will conclude with brief presentations by local organizations doing Africa-related work.
3:00 pm to 5:00pm, Weinstein Auditorium, Wright Hall
Keynote address by Nicole Lee, Executive Director of TransAfrica Forum.
“A NEW WAY FORWARD:
SUPPORTING AFRICAN STRUGGLES FOR ECONOMIC JUSTICE”
5:00pm, Poetry Center, Wright Hall
CLOSING RECEPTION
All events are free and open to the public. REGISTRATION FORM.
Sponsors include Amherst College Black studies and Political Science Departments and Women’s and Gender Studies; The Five College African Scholars Program, African Studies Council, and Lecture Fund; the Massachusetts Multicultural Film Festival; the Smith College Lecture Committee, African Studies Program, and African-American Studies Department; the Mount Holyoke College Purington Fund and McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives; the UMass Amherst Graduate School, School of Education, W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies, and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs; the West African Research Center; l’Université Cheikh Anta Diop; Westfield State College.
