The image of Africa is attracting growing
interest on several fronts. Signs of such greater interest can be
found on the Internet.
In particular, there has been a significant increase
in the number of university courses on Africa’s history, culture,
and presence in the media – both in the North of the world
and in Africa itself – in an attempt to identify the existing
stereotypes and have veritable interpretations prevail over (including
scientific) commonplace. In North America, websites focusing on
these aspects include that of the School of Arts & Sciences
of the University of Pennsylvania – with a major centre for
African studies (www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/AS.html);
the website relating to a course held at the Swarthmore College
specifically devoted to “cultural constructions” of
Africa (www.swarthmore.edu/SocSci/tburke1/fall99.htm),
or the one related to a course on the ”invention” of
Africa in the Western thought at the University of Texas at Dallas
(www.utdallas.edu/~nblyden/f99hst4305.html).
A course arranged by MIT in Boston (and the Caribbean) was for instance
focused on the cinematic representation of Africa (http://web.mit.edu/fll/www/subjects/21F047Syllabi.html).
The Society of Research on African Cultures (SORAC) has a very interesting
website (see box).
Two South African sites worth visiting are: that of
the Journalism & Media Studies Department of Grahamstown’s
Rhodes University, that makes available information on courses on
journalistic coverage of Africa, with plenty of bibliography available
(http://journ.ru.ac.za/amd);
and the Cape Town University Centre for African Studies' site providing
a training module on perceptions and misperceptions of Africa
(www.meg.uct.ac.za/Final_Report_99/chapter_03_images_of_africa.doc).
There are also plenty of online portals on Africa
already reported in previous issues of this magazine which help
form an up-to-date image of that continent in many areas. In addition,
more websites have the purpose to recuperate and enhance a transcontinental
African identity, such as www.africana.com
(which also reports on cultural and scientific relations between
African-American and African intellectuals and professionals), or
the Africanews site (www.peacelink.it/afrinews.html)
providing updated information on Africa from African operators,
such as the Infosud agency (www.infosud.org). A site focusing on
the dissemination of a more exhaustive image of Africa in the Italian
context is that of Milan’s African Studies Centre (Centro
Orientamento Studi Africani) (www.cosafrica.it).
In this respect, a few sites of UN organizations
are worth noting. They include the “Africa recovery”
office’s site (www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec);
the Economic Commission for Africa’s site (www.uneca.org),
and, of course, that of OSCAL (www.un.org/esa/africa/oscal.htm).
Websites
A more comprehensive image of Africa: up-to-date
information on a number of aspects concerning the reality of present-day
Africa are available on the Web. This column regularly provides
indications on this.
PROMOTING KNOWLEDGE OF THE AFRICAN CONTINENT
(http://picard.montclair.edu/~sorac)
This is the Montclair University SORAC (Society of
Research on African Culture) website (USA). Its Executive Director
is Gabonese scholar Daniel Mengara. SORAC's objective is to encourage
studies on Africa's reality that would help dismiss current stereotypes,
and also encourage dialogue between African and Western scholars.
Also, this website makes available information on the Society's
activities, and has discussion forums.
CEAF's RESEARCH ON AFRICA
(www.ehess.fr/centres/ceaf/index.html)
This is the website of the Centre d’Etudes Africaines
de l’Ecole des Hautes Etudes en sciences Sociales in Paris,
edited by Jean-Pierre Dozon, with the contribution of Jean-Loup
Amselle (see his article in this issue). The site sets out the Centre's
history and current programmes (research, courses, publications,
etc), including a programme concerning images of the African continent.
MATRIX CENTRE'S MODULE
(http://ex.matrix.msu.edu/africa/curriculum/lm1/1/lm1_teachers.html)
This site is edited by the Matrix Centre, from the
Michigan State University (USA), and includes an example of training
module on the image of Africa and on stereotypes that do not allow
proper knowledge of this continent.
UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION ON AFRICAN REALITY
(www.africainformation.co.uk)
This website is edited by the Africa Information
Centre that was set up by Lawrence Flint within the University of
Birmingham (UK) but is now independent. Its purpose is to encourage
access to online resources on African reality, and enhance the visibility
of African intellectuals. A number of links to research institutions
(including African universities), governmental sites, events and
professional opportunities are available on the site.
Translation: Rita Bandinelli
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