Kwantlen hosts international conference ,,,,,

..... to celebrate Africa's Man of the

Millennium

(METRO VANCOUVER, B.C.) In commemoration of the centenary birthday of Dr.

Kwame Nkrumah, "Africa?s Man of the Millennium", Kwantlen Polytechnic

University will host the Kwame Nkrumah International Conference from

August 19-21, 2010. This conference will bring scholars and students from

Canada and from the around the world to share research and ideas on

Africa's place in the global community, and to discuss the life,

achievements and shortcomings of Africa's foremost Pan-Africanist.

?Nkrumah is the single most important African politician of the past

century, said Molefi Kete Asante, professor at Temple University. "Almost

all ideas that are vetted by contemporary leaders have appeared in

Nkrumah?s writings or speeches. He is the seminal African political

philosopher.?

Asante?one of the most distinguished contemporary scholars, as well as the

author/co-author and editor of over 60 books and scholarly articles?will

provide the keynote address in celebration of the conference with other

scholars in the context of Pan-Africanism, post/neo-colonialism and

globalization via cross-disciplinary, multi-centric, and international

perspectives.

As the first international conference dedicated to ?Africa?s Man of the

Millennium? in Canada?in a period of intense academic debate about the

merits and demerits of the globalization and the place and role of the

tri-continents of Africa, Asia and Latin America?Dr. Charles Quist-Adade,

Kwantlen sociology faculty member and conference organizer, hopes the

conference will provide Canadian scholars in general, and Kwantlen faculty

in particular, a unique and timely opportunity to seriously engage and

scrutinize Nkrumah?s intellectual and political legacy in the areas of

international political economy and governance.

"Looking at the sheer interest in the conference from all parts of the

world and judging by the breadth and reach of proposed abstracts it is

easy to conclude that Canadian scholarship stands to gain enormously from

the conference," said Quist-Adade.

This conference will also include student presentations which will provide

an excellent opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to

showcase and discuss their research with peers and with faculty members

from across Canada. An opportunity such as this is critical for students

in developing their own interests and knowledge, in networking with

faculty and students, and in building curriculum vitae to support graduate

school applications and employment opportunities.

When asked what relevance does a conference on Nkrumah have for Canadian

students and scholars, Asante said, ?Students should know one of the

greatest African leaders of the 20th century. Nkrumah was a giant in terms

of philosophical writings, political leadership and international vision.

All students should listen to his ideas and judge for themselves about his

relevance to today's politics."

Additional topics to be discussed include the following:

Perspectives on African Decolonization and Development

African Intellectuals and Decolonization and Development

Leadership, Democracy, Citizenry, and African Development

Armed Struggle and Decolonization in Africa and the "International War" on

Terrorism

Historical and Contemporary Perspectives on Pan-Africanism

The Intellectual Traditions and the Many Stands of Pan-Africanism

The 5th Pan-African Congress and the First All-African Peoples Conference:

Continuity and Change

The Architects and Pioneers of Pan-Africanism and Global (Pan) African

Unity

Liberation Wars and Contemporary Forms of Armed Resistance and the US-led

"War on International Terrorism"

AFRICOM, Militarization and African Security

Failed Unions: The Cases of the Soviet Union, India and Pakistan

The Creation of "The Perfect Union": Lessons from Canada, Europe, and the

USA

Dafur and Other Internecine Conflicts as a Test for the African Union's

Trans-Saharan Unity

Global African Unity in the Age of Globalization: Strategies and Tactics

Fifty years of Political Independence in Africa: Independent Africa in the

Global Context

The Obama Presidency and Africa's Destiny

African Youth, African Women, and Africa's Future

The African Personality and Identity in Continental and

Trans-Continental/Diasporic Contexts

Global African Dialogues: Factionalism as a Source of Strength

Globalization: A Curse or a Nirvana- Breaking Africa's Cycle of

Underdevelopment

For more information about the conference or to register, please visit:

kwantlen.ca/knic.html

As a leader in innovative and interdisciplinary education, Kwantlen

Polytechnic University offers all learners, regardless of background and

preparation, opportunities to achieve the highest standards of academic

performance. For more information, visit: kwantlen.ca

-30-

Backgrounder about Kwame Nkrumah:

Kwame Nkrumah led Ghana to independence on March 6, 1957 after more than a

century of British colonial rule, the first in independence in sub-Saharan

Africa. Nkrumah is regarded as one of Africa?s greatest statesmen, if not

the greatest. BBC listeners in Africa voted him ?Africa?s Man of the

Millennium? in 1999, and in 1978 the United Nations awarded Nkrumah a

posthumous gold medal during a session of the UN committee against the

racist regime in South Africa.

In the political realm, his idea on the primacy of the political sphere is

still important today in the discourse on development. He observed: "seek

ye first the political kingdom and all else shall be added unto you." This

widely quoted nearly religious invocation asserts that if the political

system is developed first, it can serve as the instrument through which

social and economic development is achieved.

In addition, Nkrumah:

? was the only world leader to attempt a peace accord with America

to end the Vietnam War

? built new schools and accelerated the education system in Ghana by

introducing free and compulsory universal elementary education

? introduced free healthcare delivery system

But Nkrumah also had his flaws. His one-party state ?democracy? stifled

different and divergent views from the other side of the political divide.

His installation as ?Life President? of the Convention People?s Party made

him a dictator in the eyes of many. He also did nothing to discourage

party cronies from turning him into a demigod. While he did not subject

his opponents to the callous, brutal repression and bloody massacres

symptomatic of other African dictators, Nkrumah did use the Preventative

Detention Act (PDA) enacted by the British Colonial Administration to

throw his political opponents into jail without trial.

For more information about the conference, contact:

Charles Quist-Adade

Faculty, Sociology

Cell: 778-240-8636

charles.quist-adade@kwantlen.ca

OR

For more information about Kwantlen, contact:

Audrey Wang

Manager, Communications

Tel: 604.599.2385

audrey.wang@kwantlen.ca

Charles Quist-Adade, PhD

, Department of Sociology

Kwantlen Polytechnic University

[t] 604.599.2254 [e] charles.quist-adade@kwantlen.ca

CONSIDER. COMPARE. CHOOSE. | kwantlen.ca