Coming to Columbus on May 15-19, the 45th Annual African Literature Conference features a host of contributions from Arts and Sciences faculty, staff, alumni and students. In addition to a robust series of lectures, panel discussions, readings and conversations, the event will also feature a free, public keynote talk by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie on Wednesday, May 15, at the Ohio Union.

This annual conference was organized by Adélékè Adéẹ̀kọ́, Distinguished Professor of Humanities, and Kwaku Larbi Korang, associate professor of African American and African Studies, and will celebrate 45 years of the African Literature Association, as well as 50 years of Research in African Literature, an academic journal headquartered at Ohio State.

A complete schedule of events is available.

Contributions, presentations and support from Arts and Sciences faculty, alumni and students include:

• Adélékè Adéẹ̀kọ́, Humanities Distinguished professor of African American and African Studies
• Kwaku Larbi Korang, associate professor of African American and African Studies
• Ryan Skinner, associate professor of Music
• Danielle Marx-Scouras, professor of French
• Alioune Badara Fall, French graduate teaching associate
• Kelly Jo Fulkerson Dikuua, PhD candidate in African American and African Studies
• Kayode Odumboni, MA/PhD student in English
• Siddarth Srikanth, PhD student in English
• Richard Ayodeji Olugbuyiro, graduate student in Spanish & Portuguese
• Luana Lamberti, graduate student in Spanish & Portuguese
• Sheneese Thompson, PhD candidate in African American and African Studies
• Omar Dieng, PhD student in African American and African Studies
• M.J. Sims-Maddox, MA, PhD; Political Science; 1975, 1991

Adichie, the keynote speaker, is a widely acclaimed and multiple award-winning novelist whose opinion is sought on pressing global issues. Her widely read works include Purple Hibiscus, Half of a Yellow Sun, That Thing Around Your Neck, Americanah, We Should All Be Feminists and Dear Ijeawele: A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions. Her TED Talk, “The Danger of a Single Story,” has more than 20 million views on YouTube.

The 2019 African Literature Confernce is sponsored by Research in African Literatures and the Ohio State Department of African American and African Studies, Center for African Studies, Office of the Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion, Department of English, Department of French and Italian and Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies.