African Studies Committee
Western Oregon University
Dr. John A. Ayam,
Fulbright scholar from Nigeria, will give a public lecture on "Islamic
Fundamentalism in Northern Nigeria" from 3:30 to 5:00 on Tuesday
21 February in the Columbia room of the Werner University Center.
The lecture is sponsored by the African Studies Committee and the International
Education Committee. Contact
person: Mark Moritz (moritzm@wou.edu)
November 14: Abouna, film showing in ITC 211 at 7 PM
November 15: Basket sale at International Fair, Werner Center, 11-2
Abouna, a Chadian film, is shown November 14 in ITC 211 at 7 PM on the campus of Western Oregon University. The event is free and open to the public.
Description: In N’Djamena, the dry, dusty capital of Chad, an errant father abandons his family, an event quite common in this poor country. When he fails to show up to referee their soccer match, 15-year-old Tahir and his younger brother, Amine, set out to look for him, though it soon becomes clear that he is gone for good. The boys’ mother, feeling abandoned and unable to cope, places them in the care of a Koranic school far from home. Unhappy in the authoritarian and sometimes brutal environment, the boys plan to escape and search for their father, until Tahir falls in love with a mute local girl. One of only two Chadian filmmakers, Haroun (Bye-Bye Africa) confounds “western” notions of story development, slowly revealing the sad and sometimes harsh reality of life in this part of the world. “When you make a happy end,” the filmmaker has said, “In Chad they know that it’s not true.” Nonetheless, the refreshingly unpredictable narrative contains moments of great tenderness, comic flourishes, and ultimately a message of hope. Exquisitely photographed using a palette of saturated primary colors and earth tones, the film offers a fascinating glimpse into a world rarely represented in cinema.
On November 15, from 11 AM to 2 PM there will be a sale to support the Makindu Children's Program, a nonprofit organization which supports AIDS orphans in Makindu, Kenya (www.makindu.org). The Program will be selling baskets made by Kenyan women, as well as African made jewelry and soapstone items, in the International Fair organized through the International Student Office.
