Vol. VII 2008 NAB Newsletter of African Studies at Bayreuth University According to the German Re- search Foundation (DFG), BIGSAS started “graduate schools are an im- portant factor in creating Interview with Ute Fendler, high-profile and internation- the Dean of BIGSAS __________________ 2 ally competitive centres of ac- Building Partnership __________________ 5 ademic excellence in Germany. As a quality instrument for BIGSAS started ______________________ 6 supporting young researchers, Open gates for BIGSAS-Delegates their aim is to train outstand- at partner universiti es ________________ 8 ing doctoral students within an excellent research envi- Exhibiti ons _____________________________ 10 ronment.” The decision of the Guests ________________________________ 21 Initiative for Excellence of the In Brief ________________________________ 25 Federal Government and the Personalia _____________________________ 26 Federal States on 19th Octo- Projects ______________________________ 28 ber 2007 for the funding of the Publicati ons ____________________________ 36 International Graduate School Reports _______________________________ 41 of African Studies (BIGSAS) In Memoriam __________________________ 51 meant a big leap forward for Editors’ note ___________________________ 52 African Studies at the Univer- sity of Bayreuth. see page 6f Interview Interview Ute Fendler, the Dean of BIGSAS , linguistic and media divides. comparative approach. Struc- I.B.: What does BIGSAS stand interviewed by Isaac Bazié, University of Québec (Photo: Roncador) I see these approaches as an tural conditions for phenom- for? For a tradition of re- important way to perceive Af- ena become more obvious, search and teaching on Af- rican artistic creativity as the which facilitates reflection on rica at Bayreuth University, a Currently one of the busiest result of rich interactions and and the development of theo- multi-disciplinary initiative persons at Bayreuth University, cross-fertilization. However, retical concepts. to increase its profile in Afri- Ute Fendler holds the Chair in this approach means multi- can studies or even a turning Francophone and Comparative disciplinarity, but Bayreuth I.B.: As a former student at point in this field? Literatures since October 2006. University, due to its long and Bayreuth University you are Besides her considerable work- well-established tradition in able to survey a long period of U.F.: One of the most important load as professor, she has also research across various disci- time. How have African Studies reasons why Bayreuth Univer- been Dean of BIGSAS since Oc- plines focused on Africa, is the changed in the field of research sity has been successful in the tober 2007. Isaac Bazié seized right place to do it. and teaching at Bayreuth Uni- scope of German’s national the opportunity to interview versity during that time? her for our newsletter. I.B.: You just mentioned this international conference U.F.: I really appreciate the “Children and Youth in Africa fact that intercultural phe- Interview with Ute Fendler, the Dean of BIGSAS and Latin America” which you nomena have become a grow- organised. What are the links ing and main research focus at between these regions ac- Bayreuth University. New net- I.B.: Where did you teach before tural communication, with a teaching Francophone litera- cording to you? works such as AEGIS, promot- Bayreuth University off ered focus on Francophone coun- tures with a regional focus on ing research in African Stud- you the Chair of Francophone tries in Africa, the Caribbean, Africa. Secondly, I would like to U.F.: To pursue African Studies ies on an international level and Comparative Literature, and Canada, while preparing stimulate research in this field doesn’t imply that you narrow have been established. But I and how did you come to the my postdoctoral thesis on by organizing conferences your notion of Africa down to also observe that the focus field of African studies? South American travelogues with the side-eff ect of creating a region – even if it is, in this has shifted considerably to the in the 18th century. an academic network in col- case, a huge continent. This so-called Anglophone coun- U.F.: In fact, I did my Ph.D. in perception is too narrow and tries. International academic Bayreuth with János Riesz in African arti sti c creati vity as the result of also too simplistic. This con- exchange using English as the Romance Studies. So my inter- tinent has always been part main vernacular doesn’t inevi- rich interacti ons and cross-ferti lizati on est in African Studies is some- of a global system of mutual tably mean the restraint of re- Ute Fendler, the Dean of BIGSAS thing of a long-term relation- exchanges and influences, not search interests to exclusively (Photo: Roncador) ship. After completion of my I.B.: Bayreuth University is fa- laboration with research cen- only with Europe, but also Anglophone countries. But at Ph.D., the German Academic mous for its African Studies. tres such as Paris, Bordeaux, with the Americas, Asia and the same time, there are a cou- “initiative of excellence” is our Exchange Service funded my How would you describe your Montréal, Toronto etc. A good the Arab world. Putting Af- ple of projects at the Univer- long-established tradition of position as lecturer at the Uni- contribution to this tradition? example of this kind of activity rica into a larger context via sity of Bayreuth on Lusophone outstanding research in Afri- versity of Ouagadougou for a was the conference on “Chil- crossing boundaries helps to countries, which open up new can studies. This is simply a period of five years, where I U.F.: I would like to maintain dren and Youth in Africa and deepen our understanding and perspectives. So the poten- matter of record. Besides two extended my research inter- this long-established tradition Latin America” held in Bay- knowledge of Africa. In our tial of Bayreuth research re- Collaborative Research Cen- ests to film studies. Back in of research on Francophone reuth in February 2008. Be- case, there already pre-exists sources could be developed to tres funded by the German Germany, I taught at the Uni- literatures in Africa. My aim sides these activities, I am also some sort of common ground a real interdisciplinary work Research Foundation, there versity of Saarbrücken, mainly in this field is threefold. First very eager to strengthen com- in historical and cultural per- beyond linguistic and regional have already been post-grad- in media studies and intercul- of all, I would like to continue parative approaches across spectives, inviting us to use a boundaries. uate programmes on a smaller 2 NAB Vol. VII - 2008 NAB Vol. VII - 2008 3 Interview BIGSAS scale. One of the main advan- of the most important tasks AEGIS and our alumni network, ful means to enhance mutual tages of BIGSAS is our 22 prin- of scholars in African Studies. but also by our BIGSAS partner collaboration. These activities Building Partnership cipal investigators, coming African junior scholars, and universities in Morocco, Benin, quite often develop into com- from diff erent academic dis- already-established scholars, Kenya, Mozambique and South mon research projects. Common agenda on higher education ciplines but working closely should bear this burden in Africa. Exchange programmes together in common research an atmosphere of mutuality between BIGSAS and our I.B.: What is your most adven- From 2 to 5 July, 2008, repre- partnership. How can applica- areas. This atmosphere of mu- and on an equal footing. This partner universities guaran- turous vision concerning Afri- sentatives from our partner tions be facilitated? What are tual collaboration also mani- is also one of the mantras of tee a close collaboration in can Studies at Bayreuth Uni- universities, Abomey-Calavi the administrative difficulties fests itself in the supervision African Studies. Besides dec- research and teaching. One versity in general, and in your (Benin), Moi-University (Ken- to be solved in order to support of our doctoral candidates. larations of intent, there is an of the intended side-eff ects department in particular? ya), Mohammed V-Agdal (Mo- and train promising doctoral To cut a long story short, urgent need for action to be will be a closer co-operation rocco), Universidade Eduardo students in the field of African BIGSAS is the result of previ- taken. How will BIGSAS make between our partner univer- U.F.: It is always somehow dan- Mondlane (Mozambique), and Studies? In the afternoon these a contribution to a construc- sities. Besides this privileged gerous to talk about visions, al- A symbolic present: Delegates from Moi University, Kenya, presenti ng a plate to pre- tive and long-term exchange? exchange under the umbrella though visions are necessary to Isaac Bazié (Photo: Roncador) sident H. Ruppert. From left to right: N. Shitemi, A. Nngulu and E. Kamaara. (Photo: Tylle) initiate changes. But since you ask about my vision concern- Isaac Bazié ing my own field of research, I Isaac Bazié has been professor of French literature at the Univer- would say that a centre for film sity of Quebec, Montréal since 2001. He started his studies at the and media studies would be a University of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso at the Department of fantastic project. It would take German Studies and fi nished his “Licence” in Germany at the Uni- into account the most recent versity of Saarbrücken. From there, he moved to Bayreuth where developments in most African he studied Francophone literature, German literature and African countries, it would also allow linguisti cs and obtained his Masters and Doctorate. The ti tle of the focus on the interaction his doctoral thesis (supervised by János Riesz) was “Die kriti schen between various discourses Reakti onen der deutschsprachigen, französischen und englischen clustered in media and would Presse auf den Literaturnobelpreis von 1984 bis 1994” (Criti cal reflect local as well as inter- ous experiences and exper- reacti ons of the Germano-Franco and Anglophone press on the national ideas and tenden- tise.