2011 Symposium on Africa

Representatives from 10 different nonprofit organizations spoke last December in the Symposium on Africa hosted by the University of Science and Arts.

The representatives, along with organizer Dr. Stephen Kandeh, addressed the topic of “How Oklahoma is making a difference in Africa.”
Drawn from a broad spectrum of backgrounds, the symposium speakers illustrated both the complexity of the difficulties faced by the African people and the grassroots response abroad to address them.

While all of the non-profit organizations represented are based in Oklahoma, they act in support of a wide-range of interests in Africa; from supporting an orphanage in Kenya to providing clean water in war-torn nations such as Uganda and Rwanda.

Kandeh, an associate professor of sociology, has been organizing these annual symposia at USAO for four years in order to “sensitize students to the potentials of Africa.”

“Though I’m continually trying to create awareness about Africa and Africa’s problems as a continent, my more specific goal is to enrich the students’ educations by enabling them to look at another part of the world, especially one that is spoken of less often in their regular studies,” Kandeh said.

The next Symposium on Africa is scheduled for Nov. 3, in Station 82 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.