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FEBRUARY 2012
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Today - February 29th
This year’s edition of our annual African Film Festival spotlights
pool attendants in Chad, Beethoven lovers and gangsters in
Kinshasa, Tuareg immigrants in Italy, a Spanish filmmaker in
Morocco, and even two African American hipsters in San
Francisco as it spans the globe to feature new voices from
Africa and the African diaspora. A Screaming Man, from Chadian
director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun (Daratt), acclaimed as one of
Africa’s top contemporary filmmakers, anchors the festival, which
also features a strong line-up of works from and about the Democratic
Republic of Congo. Viewers can sample a documentary about a classical orchestra in Kinshasa (Kinshasa Symphony), then dive head-first
into the city’s gangster life in the Tony Scott–like action film Viva Riva!, before embarking on a rich experimental documentary series—part
animation, part archival footage—on the entire history of the country (Kongo). Starting the series off is Barry Jenkins’s festival hit Medicine
for Melancholy, a contemporary work about two young African Americans in San Francisco whose visit to the Museum of the African Diaspora
reminds us of the importance of seeking out images and narratives from all over the world, whether from Chad, the Congo, Italy, or San Francisco.
Tickets required: $5.50 BAM/PFA members UC Berkeley students, $9.50 Adults (18-64), $6.50 Berkeley faculty, staff, and retirees Non-UC
Berkeley students Senior citizens (65 & over) Disabled persons Youth (17 & under)
Friday, February 3rd
at 12 Noon
Center for African Studies invites you to a film screening of
followed by a Conversation with Filmmaker Wendy Dent.
IAES, 2223 Fulton St. 6th Floor Berkeley
With 15 years of experience and her work filmed and screened
across 5 continents, filmmaker Wendy Dent has built up a diverse
range of skills, credits for 30 films, and has four feature screenplays,
three books and two more feature docs already on slate.
No News From Harare delivers a cutting edge account of the current political climate in Zimbabwe, as reported solely from those who have the
courage to speak out.
Spiced with sharp political comedy which satirises the unspeakable, and featuring exclusive interviews filmed undercover with NCA leader
Dr Lovemore Madhuku, rare footage of the recent land evictions and real accounts by the lawyers representing its victims, No News From
Harare presents a chilling portrayal of Zimbabwe that Mugabe would prefer remains unseen.
On the filming of No News From Harare;
“The tension in the air was palpable. A chill ran down my spine while I was filming a rare opposition party protest outside parliament and
interviewing a local who was telling me that six of his friends have already disappeared... then the Secret Service drove by”.
Saturday, 4 February
5:30pm to 7:30pm
Learning, Living, Loving Together…
Hard Lessons from Educational Change in South Africa
by Dr. Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector
University of the Free State, South Africa, Teach With Africa Honoree
Panel Discussion with
John Gilmour, Founder and Director, LEAP Science and Maths Schools, South Africa; Wanda Holland Greene, Head of The Hamlin School,
San Francisco, CA; Dr. Edward Kujawa, Dean, School of Education, Dominican Univ. of CA; Dr. Amina Mama, Professor and Dir/Women
and Gender Studies Program, UC Davis; Dr. William Worger, Professor of History, UCLA
Event Chair & Moderator: Dr. Joel Samoff, Professor of African Studies, Stanford University
Tuesday, February 7
5:30–6:45 pm
Acclaimed Somali novelist Nurrudin Farah
Mills Hall Living Room
Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland, CA 94613
Acclaimed Somali novelist Nurrudin Farah is the author of more than 10 books, includingFrom a Crooked Rib and, most recently,Crossbones—the
third novel in a trilogy that began with the novels Links and Knots. His work has been translated into 20 languages and won numerous awards.
Farah was named the 1998 laureate of the Neustadt International Prize for Literature and has been nominated many times for the Nobel Prize in
Literature. Considered one of the most important writers in Africa, Farah now lives in Cape Town, South Africa, with his wife and their children.
Thursday, February 9th
at 12 Noon
The African Mining Vision and the New Scramble
for Africa with Dr. Yao Graham
652 Barrows Hall, U.C. Berkeley Campus
Saturday, February 11th (full program details below).
Yao Graham is Coordinator of Third World Network (TWN)-Africa,
a pan-African non- profit research and advocacy organization based
in Accra. Dr. Graham has been an activist and writer on African
development and global economic justice issues for more than 30
years and has written and lectured extensively on these issues. Yao Graham was the founding editor of the Ghanaian newspaper Public Agenda
and is currently the Africa Editor of the Review of African Political Economy (ROAPE).
His talk will analyze the context for the adoption of the African Mining Vision by African heads of State and Government in 2009 and the mineral
policy agenda it offers.
TWN-Africa was established in 1994 as a pan-African organization to work for economic and social equity within Africa and for an equitable
place for Africa in the global order. The organization focuses on engagement and mobilization around strategic development policy issues facing
Africa in the age of globalization, especially from the perspectives of the vulnerable and marginalized.
The organization has been at the center of building networks Across Africa TWN-Africa publishes the magazine African Agenda six times a year.
Saturday, February 11
5:00 – 9:00 pm
Second Annual Ubuntu Awards’ Dinner
Terrace Room, 1800 Madison St. Oakland, CA
Keynote: Dr. Yao Graham
Third World Network, Africa
Mistress of Ceremony: Ms. Linda Burnham
Honorees:
Adam Hochschild, world renowned author
Christine Chacha, Tanzanian grassroots activist
Jacqueline Copeland-Carson Ph.D African Women’s
Development Fund, USA
Mutombo Mpanya, Ph.D Congolese scholar
Additional recognitions goes to
Dr. Robert Scott (posthumous) &
The Allen Temple Baptist Church AIDS Ministry
Dr. Wangari Maathai (posthumous) of The Green
Belt Movement
mail your check made payable to Priority Africa Network
1212 Broadway, Suite 842, Oakland, CA 94612
For more info, call us at (510) 663-2255
Wednesday, February 15
7:00 pm
Distinguished Visiting Writer Faith Adiele
Mills College Student Union
Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland, CA 94613
Faith Adiele was born in rural America to a Nigerian father
and Nordic-American mother, and the PBS film My Journey
Home documents her travel to Nigeria to find her father and
siblings. She holds a BA in Southeast Asian Studies from
Harvard University, an MA in Creative Writing from Lesley University, and MFAs in Fiction and Nonfiction from the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop.
Her memoir about becoming the first black Buddhist nun of Thailand, Meeting Faith (W.W. Norton), received the PEN Beyond Margins Award for Best
Memoir. The original Obama, Adiele has appeared on National Public Radio; in a television pilot for a new reality program and an ad for a national
insurance company; on the Tavis Smiley show; and in “A Day in the Life of Faith Adiele” (a two-page center spread in Pink Magazine).
Her writings on spirituality, travel, and culture have been widely anthologized, and she is co-editor of Coming of Age Around the World: A Multicultural
Anthology (The New Press). Named as one of Marie Claire magazine’s “Five Women to Learn From,” Faith has been the keynote or featured speaker at
universities, churches and community centers around the world. Her honors include the Millennium Award from Creative Nonfiction, and 15 residencies in
5 countries, including a UNESCO International Artists Bursary to Italy, the Banff Centre for the Arts (Canada); the Sacatar Foundation (Brasil); the Yaddo
Corporation (USA); and the MacDowell Colony (USA). A contributor to O: The Oprah Magazine, Essence, and Transition, Adiele currently serves as the
Distinguished Visiting Writer at Mills College in Oakland, California, where she is completing Twins, a memoir about her heritage that will complete the
story begun in the PBS film. Visit her at http://adiele.com and http://faithadiele.blogspot.com.
Friday, February 17
6:00 - 8:00 pm
Kenya Culture Conversation with Maasai Leader Salaton Ole Ntutu
Omiiroo Gallery, 400 14th St. (14th & Franklin), Oakland, CA
Oakland has a unique opportunity to gather with Salaton Ole Ntutu, Maasai chief, shaman,
and visionary community leader from Maji Moto, Kenya. He is visiting our Bay Area for the
month of February from Kenya. This evening will be hosted in collaboration by Kenyan artist
Githinji Mbire at Oakland’s Omiiroo Gallery.
We welcome you to an evening of chai and conversation, to hear stories of his traditional
Maasai life from childhood days herding goats and cows amongst wild animals, through
warriorship when he spent seven years in the African bush, into his present role as a
visionary leader.
Today, he is helping his people navigate the challenges of retaining their culture and way
of life in the face of pressing environmental, social and economic threats. He incorporates
world views in his mission, through travels to India, Europe, and the US.
Saturday, February 25th
9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Knight Management Center
Keynote speakers include:
James Mwangi -- CEO of Kenya's biggest bank by number of customers.
Jeffrey Sachs -- Come hear Dr. Sachs talk about sustainable development in Africa and the role of developmental aid
Danladi Verheijen -- Mr. Verheijen is undertaking an ambitious project of bringing efficient light rail transportation system to
Nigeria. Come learn from his successes and challenges on this project
Panels will be on Technology and media, Agribusiness, Capital markets and Investments, and BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India
and China) in Africa.
Registration is now open and tickets are moving fast. Register here
Saturday, February, 25
2:00 - 5:00 pm
Education Development Opportunities Celebrates Black History Month
Studio One Art Center, 365 45th Street, Oakland, CA 94609
A Celebration of Black Heritage: "Reflection, Recollection & Respect".
Speakers:George Holland Sr, Esq, President NAACP Oakland Chapter
Jerri Lange, Author, "A Black Woman's Life in the Media"
Mikail Ali - Commander of Police, SanFrancisco Police Department
Wanda Sabir - College Professor, Founder/CEO - MAAFA SF/Bay Area
Invited Guests: Prince Ekpen Erediauwa - Mayor, Benin-City, Nigeria
John Okorocha - Director Isocare, Los Angeles, CA
Oakland Sister Cities International
Admission is free and open to the public
Free Food and Free Parking!
RSVP: Osagie Enabulele - 510.393.6262 or
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MARCH 2012
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Saturday, March 3
5:30 - 11:00 pm
Anuanom Club Presents A Kente Ball & Banquet Dinner
"Celebrating Ghana at 55"View Event Flyer
shannon Community Center 11600 Shannon Avenue, Dublin
Special entertainment and guest speakers, dancing, silent auction,
raffle, games and prizes.
Benefit dinner to support Contra Costa and Solano County Food Banks
canned/packaged food drive (please bring can/packaged food to donate)
Tickets $55/person
No ticket sales at the door, advance purchase and reservations can be made through
Kwadwo & Abena Poku Tel 925 778 0411
Abu & Harriet Marmah Tel: 925 680 5543
