ANA/AE-FUNAI INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, CREATIVE WORKSHOP HOLDS TODAY, CHIKA UNIGWE TO DELIVER KEYNOTE ADDRESS
By Wole Adedoyin (ANA PRO South)
All is set for the 3rd edition of the ANA/AE-FUNAI International Conference, Creative Workshop earlier scheduled to take place today, 2nd of July, 2021 at the Rasheed Abubakar Auditorium, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo, Ebonyi with the theme: RE-IMAGINING BELONGINESS IN 21ST CENTURY AFRICA. The host, The Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu Alike Ikwo has shown an unusual commitment to ensure a hitch free event.
Expected to deliver the keynote address is Dr. Chika Unigwe, Author of On Black Sister’s Street and several novels and 2012 winner of the Nigerian Prize for Literature.
Chika Unigwe has published short fiction in several anthologies, journals and magazines, including Wasafiri (University of London), Moving Worlds (University of Leeds), Per Contra, Voices of the University of Wisconsin and Okike of the University of Nigeria.
She won the 2003 BBC Short Story Competition and a Commonwealth Short Story Competition award. In 2004, she was shortlisted for the Caine Prize for African Writing. In the same year, her short story made the top 10 of the Million Writers Award for best online fiction. In 2005, she won third prize in the Equiano Fiction Contest.
Her first novel, De Feniks, was published in Dutch in September 2005 and is the first book of fiction written by a Flemish author of African origin. Her second novel, Fata Morgana, was published in Dutch in 2008 and subsequently released in English as On Black Sisters' Street. On Black Sisters' Street is about African prostitutes living and working in Belgium, and was published to acclaim in London in 2009 by Jonathan Cape. On Black Sisters' Street won the 2012 Nigeria Prize for Literature; valued at $100,000 it is Africa's largest literary prize.
Camillus Ukah, ANA President has given firm assurances that the host (Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo) is ready to deliver a memorable conference despite the many national and international troubles in the last few months.
He finally urged Writers, literary enthusiasts and the general public to attend.
The 2021 ANA/AE-FUNAI Conference & Workshops will provide an enabling environment for scholars to interrogate the diverse narratives that are associated with the different quests for “Belongingness” and how these are implicated within conjectures of Africa’s social groupings such as indigene/non-indigene, netizens/citizens/migrants, gender constructions (male/female/transgender), sexualities (heterosexual, lesbian, gay, bi-sexual), rich/poor economic divides, languages, traditions, urbanities, families, academic institutions, the internet, corporate organizations, crime, subalterns, terrorism, religion, just to mention but a few. How have these quests or denials of “Belongingness” created unities or disruptions in our appreciation of our common humanity and societies in Africa and what are the implications?
ANA-AE-FUNAI PARTNERSHIP
BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN TOWN AND GOWN
THE ALEX EKWUEME FEDERAL UNIVERSITY NDUFU ALIKE IKWO (AE-FUNAI)
The Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu Alike Ikwo (herein after called AE-FUNAI) is one of the twelve new Universities founded by the Nigerian Federal Government in 2011. AE-FUNAI started academic activities in 2012/2013 academic session under the leadership of the pioneer Vice Chancellor, Prof Oye Ibidapo-Obe. In 2016, Prof Chinedum Nwajiuba took over as the Vice Chancellor, and since then AE-FUNAI has experienced gigantic leaps in the development of infrastructural, research and human capacity projects. Prof. Sunday Oge Elom, a Professor of Medical Biochemistry is currently the Vice Chancellor of AE-FUNAI. Until his appointment which was announced through a Press Release signed by the Registrar/Secretary of Council, Odisa C. Oleke (Mrs.) on Tuesday, 19th January, 2021, Prof. Sunday Oge Elom was the immediate past Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic of the Institution.
As the home of “soaring eagles,” AE-FUNAI’s vision is to become a vibrant centre of learning and research that will be reputable nationally and internationally.AE- FUNAI aims to be a hub for the economic transformation and development of the region, thus it passionately nurtures the spirit of entrepreneurship and self-reliance as can be seen in the partnership agreement between AE-FUNAI and the Association of Nigerian Authors.
ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIAN AUTHORS (ANA)
Founded by the late Chinua Achebe on 27th June 1981, the Association of Nigerian Authors (hereafter called ANA) is the umbrella body that caters for the interest of all the creative writers & critics in Nigeria. Thus it is the foremost professional body for all creative writers and critics in Nigeria. With branches in almost all the states of the Nigerian federation, ANA’s National Executive Council, currently led by Camillus Ukah, has the major responsibility of evolving, as well as coordinating most activities of the Association, both at the state and national levels. In order to sustain and successfully implement most of its promotional programmes, the Association has sought and operated different partnership packages with respectable corporate bodies and individuals from both within and outside the country. The present partnership with the Federal University Ndufu Alike Ikwo, is one good example of partnership that is poised towards sustained collaboration in bridging the gap between the professionals in the Ivory tower and those in the industry. This is a common vision that is passionately shared by the two leaders - Prof. Sunday Oge Elom, Vice Chancellor of AE-FUNAI and Camillus Ukah, the President, Association of Nigerian Authors.
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