Mamadou Badiane (left), Director of the Afro-Romance Institute and Associate Professor of Spanish at the University of Missouri, with Darío Henao Restrepo, Dean of Arts and Humanities at the University of Valle in Cali, Colombia, and Aminata Niang Diène, Chancellor at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar.
Photo by Lizette Sofía Moreno Quesada
Nearly 30 years since it formed as the United States’ first academic center of its kind, the Afro-Romance Institute continues taking steps that position the University of Missouri as a leader in studying the African diaspora.
This fall, the institute’s faculty traveled to Dakar, Senegal, where they organized and presented the Jorge Isaacs International Symposium focused on the legacy of Afro-Colombian writer, physician, and anthropologist Manuel Zapata Olivella.
“We were proud to bring together a group of scholars, artists, and activists from Africa, North America, Central and South America, and the Caribbean for a meaningful, transatlantic dialogue that fosters the exchange of ideas and collaboration,” said Mamadou Badiane, director of the Afro-Romance Institute and associate professor of Spanish in the School of Languages Literatures and Cultures.
The symposium attracted attendees from four continents — mirroring the Afro-Romance Institute’s uniquely wide geographical and linguistic arc, encompassing Spanish America, the Hispanic Caribbean, the Francophone Caribbean and Africa, Brazil and Lusophone Africa, and the Iberian Peninsula.
Also in attendance were four Mizzou graduate students, whose participation in hands-on learning abroad was aided by the Campbell endowment, and students from international institutions, who learned about opportunities to continue their education at MU through graduate programs in the School of Languages, Literatures, and Culture.
“We’re proud to support collaboration and learning on a multinational scale as is demonstrated by the range of institutions at this conference,” said Cooper Drury, dean of the College of Arts and Science. “Indeed, this is a representation of the exceptional work occurring in the Afro-Romance Institute and throughout the School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures.”
Building on the success of this event, Badiane hopes to bring this conference to MU soon, further positioning MU as a go-to for those seeking to deepen understanding of Africa and its diasporas throughout the Americas.