New Appointment: Assistant Director of the Center for African Studies

It is our great pleasure to announce the appointment of Dr. Phiwokuhle Mnyandu, as the Assistant Director of the Center for African Studies (CfAS) at Howard University. Dr. Mnyandu is accepting the role after the retirement of our outgoing Assistant Director, Dr. Wheeler Winstead. At Howard University, Dr. Mnyandu established the University's Zulu program and led it to become the largest Program of Zulu Language study outside South Africa.

Dr. Phiwokuhle Mnyandu has over ten years of experience researching Africa-China relations as well as seven years teaching in African Studies as well as World Languages. He also consults governments departments on issues of language, culture, technology and geo-strategy. He is a regular commentator on global affairs. He is an expert on trans-regionalism, academic diplomacy, and the Zulu language and its global growth. His books include South Africa-China Relations: Between Aspiration and Reality in a New Global Order, the first book about China-South Africa relations by a single scholar. He holds an M.A. in International Political Economy from Warwick University and a PhD in African Studies from Howard University.

In this role, as the Assistant Director, he will work closely with the Director of the Center, Dr. Krista Johnson, who is responsible for the implementation and success of the programs, projects, and activities outlined in the NRC grant proposal. The Assistant Director is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Center.

The Center is the recipient of a Title VI Comprehensive National Resource Center (NRC) grant in African Studies from the US Department of Education and engages in programming that enhances education in African Studies at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional school levels, creates academic and scholarly events, and provides outreach to K-14 educators, media, business, and general audiences. Over the past nine years the Center has elevated the visibility of Howard University’s expertise in African Studies and critical African languages, fostered integration of African Studies across Howard’s campus, and enhanced collaboration with migrant communities within the DMV. The CfAS provides a structure for faculty to engage in conversations across disciplines and methodologies and supports a vibrant curriculum in African Studies and critical African languages training, with over 1000 students enrolled in African Studies courses annually, and over 800 students enrolled in African languages courses.

We will also take this opportunity to thank Dr. Wheeler Winstead, who is retiring from the University, for over the past decade of exemplary service as professor in the Department of African Studies and Assistant Director for the Center of African Studies. He served at the Center since its beginning in 2014 and was a crucial part of its launch. We thank Dr. Winstead and wish him a fulfilling next chapter.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Mnyandu on his new role, as well as thanking Dr. Winstead for his ongoing service to the University.