Campus, community events highlight Black History Month
Black History Month is celebrated annually in February across the United States to honor and remember important people and events around the world. The following events are being held on campus and in the community to mark Black History Month.
Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 3-5
Held at 8 p.m. on all three days, assistant professor Christopher Walker and his NuMoRune Collaborative will present “Generation Dancing.” This concert blends intergenerational elements of urban movement, music and storytelling through contemporary dance. After Thursday’s performance there will be a talkback with the artists, who are from the UW Dance Department as well as Futurepointe Dance, a New York-based Dance Company. Following Friday’s show will be an informal reception. The show will take place in the Margaret H’Doubler Performance Space in Lathrop Hall. Tickets are $15 for the general public and $10 for students and seniors. Thursday’s show will have a $5 ticket option for students.
Friday, Feb. 4
UW Cinematheque is screening a variety of Nollywood films, a term for films of the booming Nigerian film industry throughout the month of February. Cinemateque films are free, however seating is limited.
“Welcome to Nollywood” will be screened at 7 p.m. in 4070 Vilas Hall. This film is a documentary offering an intriguing look inside the emerging film industry of Nigeria. Jamie Metlzer’s documentary follows two of Nigeria’s most famous directors, each different in personality and style. His film explores the work behind Nigerian cinema, especially its economic challenges.
Following “Welcome to Nollywood” is “Arugba” at 8:10 p.m. Created by filmmaker Tunde Kelani, “Arugba” is an allegory of contemporary Nigeria. The film is a story of a small-town Yoruba king who condemns corruption albeit welcoming devious foreign investors.
Saturday, Feb. 5
At 12:30p.m. Sundance Cinemas will screen the film “FELA!” This is a musical based on events in the life of Nigerian composer and political activist Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. The film will feature his life in the days when he was the target of a number of government soldiers assigned to end his nightclub performances. “FELA!” is a hybrid of dance, theatre, and music. Kuti’s life is revealed through his music, a blend of jazz, funk, and African rhythms and harmonies. There will be an introduction and post-film discussion with Tejumola Olaniyan, a professor of Literature and Cultural Studies in the Department of African Studies.
UW-Cinematheque will screen the film “The Prisoner of Zenda” at 7 p.m. in 4070 Vilas Hall. This film is the story of the future King of Ruritania. He invites his cousin to his coronation, however the future King is poisoned by another throne-seeker. His cousin is forced to step into the King’s role.
Wednesday, Feb. 9
“Africa at Noon” will be held in 206 Ingraham Hall, featuring Alli Tripp, a professor of Political Science and Gender & Women’s Studies at UW. Her lecture is titled “Museveni’s Uganda: Paradoxes of Power in a Hybrid Regime.”
Friday, Feb. 11
“Friday Forum,” a program sponsored by the UW Dance Program, will be a special celebration of Black History Month. Assistant professor Christopher Walker and talented African-American students will engage in African and African-Caribbean dance, hip-hop, spoken word, poetry, drumming, chanting, singing, and more. Titled “Moonshine,” this celebration will take place at 3:30p.m. in the Margaret H’Doubler Performance Space in Lathrop Hall.
Wednesday, Feb. 16
“Africa at Noon” will be held in 206 Ingraham Hall, featuring Sharon Hutchinson, a professor in UW’s department of Anthropology. Her lecture is titled “After the Referendum: Scenarios on South Sudan’s Future.”
Thursday, Feb. 17
The African Studies Department is hosting a roundtable discussion titled “Urgent Understanding: The Electoral Crisis in Côte d’Ivoire.” Lead by a number of panelists, this discussion will take place at 7p.m. in Memorial Union in the Old Madison Room (third floor). Panelists include UW associate professor of political science Scott Straus, and Professor Thomas J. Bassett and Carol Spindel of the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.
Wednesday Feb. 23
“Africa at Noon” will be held in 206 Ingraham Hall, featuring Brian Ekdale, a Ph.D. candidate in the UW School of Journalism and Mass Communication. His lecture is titled “Creativity and Constraint in Advocacy Media Production in Nairobi’s Slums.”
– Aimee Katz
