The Annual Cheikh Anta Diop International
Conference
2010 marks 22 consecutive years of the Cheikh Anta
Diop International Conference. Every year scholars from
around the world convene in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
to advance the Afrocentric paradigm, strengthen and
expand this scholarly community (especially those
disciplines committed to advancing African agency at
all levels), and to address critical issues confronting
Africans at home and abroad. Held in October each year,
the conference highlights the latest in Afrocentric
research through paper presentations, special panels,
and publications. Scholars are also recognized for outstanding
achievements at the annual awards luncheon.
Dr.
Cheikh Anta Diop, the conference’s namesake, asserted
that his work was designed to scientifically reestablish
the place of Ancient Egypt (Kemet) in the orbit of African
history and culture, and recovering Kemet’s rich
legacy to expand the horizons of knowledge and history
in the interest of the African People in particular
and Humanity in general. Further, Diop recommended a
“return to Egypt in all domains” or a critical
engagement with Kemet as a fundamental source for paradigms
of excellence, achievement and possibilities in all
disciplines of human knowledge. Diop contended that
such a return for critical retrieval and creative reconstruction
“is a necessary condition to reconcile African
civilizations with human history; to build a modern
body of human sciences; and to renew African culture.”
Accepting
Diop’s charge, Dr. Molefi Kete Asante advanced
the theory, methodology and paradigm of Afrocentricity
in the academy. In 1988, Asante and colleagues founded
the Cheikh Anta Diop International Conference in conjunction
with establishing the first Ph.D. program in African
American Studies. From 1996 until the 20th anniversary
in 2008, the Association of Nubian Kemetic Heritage
(ANKH) sponsored the conference. Beginning
in 2009, the conference was convened by the Diopian
Institute for Scholarly Advancement (DISA),
which is coordinated by DISA's Executive Council.
Enhancing and transmitting competence and expertise
on ancient African civilizations is an enduring enterprise
in the Afrocentric engagement of the world and its phenomena.
The 2011 conference theme encourages scholars, activists,
educators, and the community to accept the challenge
to ensure that the legacies of ancient African cultures
are maximized as practical tools based on the genius
and model they provide for daily cultural advancement,
ethical consciousness, well-being, character building,
leadership, socio-political stability, learning, behavior,
resistance, and problem-solving. This year’s theme
serves as a reminder that a premise of Afrocentricity
is linking contemporary knowledge with the appropriate
classical African reference point, and we encourage
scholars to stretch intellectual capacity to new heights
of discovery and application in this area.
The
Pan-African personality embodies the historical memory,
common sense, collective consciousness, artifacts, social
institutions, innovations and creative visions of the
composite African People. As such, the Pan-African Personality
reflects the contemporary conditions of African people
globally. Africans are involved in a wide range of activities
to improve our conditions and life chances. The efficacies
of our institutions, programs and activities require
reflective evaluations that use Afrocentric criteria.
The Diopian Institute of Scholarly Advancement
(DISA) is committed to utilizing scholarship
in order to qualify and advance African agency at all
levels. Each year, the Conference theme facilitates
panels and papers on various aspects of African and
African Diaspora cultures, histories, thoughts and practices
from within the Afrocentric intellectual framework.
Outstanding books, articles, and other Afrocentric research
initiatives are recognized each year at the Awards Luncheon.
October
7 - 8, 2011
Holiday Inn Historic District
Philadelphia, PA
For more information contact:
Adisa
A. Alkebulan, Conference Coordinator
phone: 619/384-9868; email: Info@diopianinstitute.org
