Sweat is Invisible in the Rain: A Conference on Culture, Politics and
Contemporary Issues in The Gambia
December 14 and 15, 2019
Paradise Suites Hotel
3 Paradise Beach Place
Off Bertil Harding Highway (Kololi)
Banjul, The Gambia,
The Pan-African University Press, in collaboration with The Chronicle, invites participation in a conference titled Sweat is Invisible in the Rain. The conference borrows the title of Chemo Njie's trailblazing memoir — the first book to examine the long, brutal, authoritarian, and anti-development government under the leadership of Yahya Jammeh — to capture the emerging social landscape of The Gambian society and its politics of the last half-century.
The catalytic events of the twentieth century produced the demise of colonial times in their strictest sense and the birth of several newly independent nations that employ a variety of political systems. These changes occurred across every continent of the globe, and Africa is no exception. However, the onslaught of challenges faced are different for each region and far from ubiquitous. Within Africa, various nations embody unique sets of principles and dissimilar forms of politics and governance that are difficult to generalize. The Gambia, the West African nation bordering Senegal and the Atlantic Ocean, is one of these nations. As a state that acquired independence relatively recently, and due to its relatively small size, The Gambia is often overlooked by Western media and scholarship, despite its long-running history with Europe.
In light of Cherno Njie's new book, Sweat is Invisible in the Rain, this conference will question much of what is known about this nation. The primary purpose of the conference is to analyze and discuss the themes surrounding and involved in this extraordinary memoir. Speakers are invited to present on a variety of topics, ranging from the nature of democracies in Africa to the intersection of military, political, and public action, as well as other themes. The conference simultaneously intends to create an intellectual space for examining freedom of the press, free speech, and the characteristics of authoritarian states and how they come to exist. This analysis will intersect with discussions on the structure of newly created governments and the economic behavior of markets in unstable or at-risk states.
Scholars are invited to examine diverse, yet often quotidian aspects of living in diasporic communities along with these communities' unique position in global affairs. The conference intends to address core issues such as the role played by diaspora immigrants in politics or activism in their countries of origin. Being that it is of significance to the book, presenters will also be invited to scrutinize the position and role of African immigrants and refugees living in Europe and the United States specifically, and the nature of their distinctive experiences.
The objective of such dialogue is to examine the overall context, motivation, and importance of this book and the larger role it plays within academic and political spheres.
We invite submissions on the following sub-themes in addition to other ideas that the participants may have:
- Democracies in Africa
- Democracy–Bureaucracy Relations in Africa, or Democracy, Development, and Political Institutions in Africa
- Religion, Ethnicity, and the Geopolitics of Representation in Africa
- Nepotism, Corruption, and the Judiciary in Nation-building in Africa
- Freedom of the Press in the African Context
- African Diaspora and Immigration Issues
- The Structures of African Governments
- Characteristics and Histories of Authoritarian States
- Politics and Activism in Diasporic Communities
- The American Prison-Industrial Complex and Race Relations
- African Communities in the West
- Social Issues in The Gambia
- Culture, Cultural Dynamics, and Socio-Political Practices
- Culture and Politics in The Gambia
- African Political Regimes and their Influence on the World
- Military and Political Intersections in Africa
- Unique Challenges of West African Nations
- The Role of the African Union in West Africa
- ECOWAS and The Gambia
- Transformation of African Culture in the Modern World
- The Gambian Diaspora Community in the United States
- The Texas–West Africa Relationship
- Corruption Within Democratic States
- Economic and Political Challenges of The Gambia
- Media, Art, and Communication of the West and Africa
- African Refugees and Asylum Seekers
- The Modern Role of Technology in Politics
- The Meeting Point of Anglophone and Francophone Colonial Heritage and Ideologies
Please submit 200-word abstracts by October 15, 2019 to:
Toyin Falola (toyinfalola@austin.utexas.edu)
There will be no registration fee, but participants are responsible for their transportation to Banjul, or at least to Dakar. The conference organizers can arrange for free transportation from Dakar to Banjul.
Toyin Falola
Department of History
The University of Texas at Austin
104 Inner Campus Drive
Austin, TX 78712-0220
USA
512 475 7224
512 475 7222 (fax)
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