CfAS Awarded nearly $3M Grant!

The Center for African Studies at Howard University has been awarded National Resource Center (NRC) and Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) grants from the United States Department of Education.  The Center will received nearly $3 million for the 2022-26 grant cycle to support Africa-focused programming, education and outreach, as well as African language instruction.

Graduate Highlight - Julius G. Johnson

Julius G. Johnson graduated with a Ph.D. in African Studies this spring. His dissertation was titled "The Role of Islam in the Construction and Affirmation of Identity in the Nation of Islam & The Leyenne Brotherhood in Senegal." 

Graduate Highlight - Camille Ciara Dantzler

This spring, Camille Ciara Dantzler graduated with a Ph.D. in African Studies. Her dissertation was titled "Rising Screen: Women Filmmakers, Poetic Politics, and the Developmental Cinema Complex of the Rwandan Film Industry (1991-2018)." In which she explores ways Rwandan women’s representations and participation in the film industry occupies civic space for women centered dialogue that can engender different modes of experimental social activism through the intersections of filmmaking, gender, and creative expression.

The Bunche Center Celebrates Fellowship Anniversaries

Congratulations to the Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center at Howard University which celebrates the 10th, 20th, and 30th anniversaries of the Payne, Rangel, and Pickering Fellowships.

Thank you to the fellowships staff and all of the fellows who have increased diversity and excellence in foreign service over the decades!

Go to the Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center fellowship page

HBCU Students And Africa: An Interview With Ambassador Kamissa Camara

Article from The Hilltop:

"This past summer, Howard University’s Center for African Studies hosted its first online course, Advanced Seminar in African Policy. The course was led by Ambassador Kamissa Camara, director for external affairs and Africa policy at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change and senior visiting expert for the Sahel at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C..  

Our Brenda Randolph receives the NCAC Free Speech Defender Award

The Center for African Studies' Brenda Randolph is receiving the Free Speech Defender Award from the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) for promoting non-stereotypical books on Africa for young people. Watch the Benefit live on November 10 at 7pm ET.

Register: ncac.org/about-us/events/benefit-2021

Montgomery College Awarded $159,406 NEH Grant to Study Black Diaspora in the US

Montgomery College (MC) has received a $159,406 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to support the project, “Concepts of Black Diaspora in the United States: Identity and Connections among African, Afro-Caribbean, and African-American Communities.” This prestigious grant is part of the Institutes for Higher Education Faculty program. The MC project was one of 12 funded in this category, one of 239 funded in the summer cycle, and one of five awarded in Maryland.

HU's 1st African Language Summer Institute produces language proficiency

During Howard University’s first African Language Summer Institute 7 languages were taught. These languages were Amharic, Arabic, Somali, Swahili, Yoruba, and Zulu. There were close to 60 participants at different levels from different universities. What was covered in the summer is what students would cover in one year during the regular semesters.
 

Howard University Leads in Critical African Language Training

Student enrollment in African language courses reached 772 during the 2020/2021 academic year at Howard University! This represents the largest enrollment in one year in African languages of all US Title VI universities. From 2014-2020 HU also had the highest African language enrollment of all US Title VI universities - reaching 3481 students. 70% of students taking African languages credit Howard’s African languages offerings as an important factor in their decision to come Howard. The University is growing due to this language training.

The Language of Diplomacy

For senior Ashley Tousana, learning languages is the first step to building foreign relations. She has spent enough time studying Mandarin and living abroad in China that she considers it a second home. It has also reinforced her interest in possibly pursuing a career in China-Africa development affairs, specifically in their trade policy and economic relations.