YARI YARI NTOASO CONTINUING THE DIALOGUE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON LITERATURE BY WOMEN OF AFRICAN ANCESTRY ● ACCRA, GHANA ● 2013 ● ORGANIZATION OF WOMEN WRITERS OF AFRICA ● NEW YORK UNIVERSITY MBAASEM FOUNDATION THE WOMEN FOR AFRICA FOUNDATION 2 YARI YARI NTOASO CONTINUING THE DIALOGUE Thursday, 16 May through Sunday, 19 May 2013 Sponsored by The Organization of Women Writers of Africa, Inc. New York University Institute of African American Affairs Hosted by Mbaasem Foundation Lead Partner Fundación Mujeres por África/The Women for Africa Foundation Supported by New York University Africa House New York University Accra New York University Africana Studies Program The Haiti Illumination Project Planning support provided by: The New York Council for the Humanities a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities 3 CONFERENCE ORGANIZERS The Organization of Women Writers of Africa (OWWA) Founded in 1991 by African-American poet, performing artist, and activist Jayne Cortez and Ghanaian playwright and scholar Ama Ata Aidoo, the Organization of Women Writers of Africa, Inc. (OWWA) establishes connections between professional African women writers around the world. OWWA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit literary organization concerned with the development and advancement of the literature of women writers from Africa and its Diaspora. OWWA is also a non-governmental organization associated with the United Nations Department of Public Information (UNDPI). www.owwainc.org and www.indiegogo.com/owwa - also on Facebook and Twitter #YariYari OWWA Co-Founders: Ama Ata Aidoo & Jayne Cortez Executive Board: J.e. Franklin, Rashidah Ismaili, Rosamond S. King, Louise Meriwether Board of Directors: Ama Ata Aidoo, Margaret Busby, Gabrielle Civil, Alexis DeVeaux, Latasha N. Diggs, Zetta Elliott, Donette Francis, Paula Giddings, Cheryll Y. Greene, Renee Larrier, Tess Onwueme, & Coumba Touré Advisory Board: Maya Angelou, Maryse Condé, Nancy Morejón, Sapphire The Institute of African American Affairs (IAAA) at New York University was founded in 1969 to research, document, and cele- brate the cultural and intellectual production of Africa and its diaspora in the Atlantic world and beyond. IAAA is committed to the study of Blacks in modernity through concentrations in Pan-Africanism and Black Urban Studies. http://africanastudies.as.nyu.edu/page/IAAA Staff: Manthia Diawara, Director Jaïra Placide, Associate Director Iris Cofield, Administrative Aide Linda Morgan, Administrative Secretary CONFERENCE HOST Mbaasem Foundation (“women's words, women's affairs”), founded by Ghanaian author Ama Ata Aidoo, was established to spe- cifically support African women writers and their works. A combination of the realities of the current African environment actively deprive African writers of facilities and resources that make writing a little easier and more effective. There are few supporting structures for writers outside their own resources. The foundation was established to address the problems that all Ghanaian and African –but especially women- writers have to struggle with. LEAD PARTNER Fundación Mujeres por África is a private organization. It was founded with the intention of becoming an exemplary body in Spain and internationally with its commitment to sustainable economic and social development, human rights, peace, justice and dignity for people and especially for women and girls in Africa. http://mujeresporafrica.es/ CONFERENCE SUPPORTERS New York University Africa House is an interdisciplinary institute devoted to the study of contemporary Africa, focusing on eco- nomic, political, and social issues on the continent and programs in the Arts. Part of Africa House’s core mission is to advance the understanding of the links between Africa and the rest of the world, through the social, historical, economic and other lenses. http://www.nyuafricahouse.org/ International education is a long-standing part of New York University’s global mission, which includes a wide range of initiatives both in the United States and abroad to facilitate the exchange of knowledge. At New York University Accra students have an exciting opportunity to experience firsthand the diversity and complexity of West Africa. http://www.nyu.edu/global/global- academic-centers/accra.html Africana Studies at New York University is an interdisciplinary undertaking devoted to scholarship on the histories, political and cultural movements, institutions, economies and identities of Africans and the African diaspora across the globe. http://africanastudies.as.nyu.edu/page/home Haiti Illumination Project HIP’s mission and primary commitment is to change how Haiti is understood, especially in the popular imagination. HIP recognizes and considers representation as a force for change. To that end, we actively attempt to demys- tify Haiti beyond the stereotypes. 4 YARI YARI NTOASO YARI YARI NTOASO STAFF & VOLUNTEERS Conference Director Videographers Special Thanks to: Rosamond S. King, OWWA Nathaniel Phillips Manthia Diawara Ed Parada Ulrich C. Baer Conference Co-Director Akosua Anyidoho Jaïra Placide, NYU-Institute of African Consultants Awam Amkpa American Affairs Rashidah Ismaili Yaw Nyarko Louise Meriwether Roger Joseph Kingsepp Local Organizing Committee Margit Edwards Ama Ata Aidoo, Mbaasem Foundation Collaborating Organizations Kingsley Lims Nyarko Akosua Anyidoho, NYU-Accra The Pan-African Writers’ Association Tameka Hipp Kinna Likimani, Mbaasem Foundation Haiti Illumination Project Megan Goins-Diouf Kingsley Lims Nyarko, NYU-Accra The Ghana Association of Writers Iris Cofield Martina Odonkor The Writers Project of Ghana Linda Morgan Kuukua Dzigbordi Yomekpe Witness Tree Literary Arts Education The following New York University pro- Legacy Committee grams, departments, offices, and Acknowledgements schools Mel Edwards Cassava Republic Press NYU Office of the Provost / Margit Edwards Black Renaissance Noire Globalization and Multi-Cultural Laura Rice SABLE LitMag Affairs Rosamond S. King NYU Africa House Margaret & Quincy Troupe The organizers would like to ac- NYU Accra April Silver knowledge the generous support of the following individuals: NYU Africana Studies Victoria Honsford Maya Angelou NYU Corporate and Foundation Sapphire Relations Publicity & Administrative Consultants The Cortez-Edwards-Coleman family NYU Accra staff and student volunteers Marsha Jean-Charles Megan Goins-Diouf Special Thanks to: Jessica Lynne Gabrielle Civil Yari Yari logo designed by Zetta Elliott Melvin Edwards Tweetmeister Donette Francis Tara Betts Kadija George Madhu H. Kaza Facebook Maven Gina Athena Ulysse Latasha N. Diggs YARI YARI NTOASO 5 Dear Colleagues, On behalf of the Organization of Women Writers of Africa (OWWA) and our cosponsors and collaborators, I welcome you to the historic Yari Yari Ntoaso: Continuing the Dialogue – an international symposium on literature by women of African descent. ( Yari means the future in the Kuranko language of Sierra Leone; Ntoaso means understanding and agreement in the Akan language of Ghana.) This is the third Yari Yari conference, and the first in Africa. It gathers more than 60 partici- pants from more than 20 countries, the majority based in the global South, to have exciting and informative conversations about women’s literature and activism. Friends, I was not supposed to write this letter. In the midst of planning Yari Yari Ntoaso, in December 2012, Jayne Cor- tez, the Co-Founder of OWWA, the originator of Yari Yari, a world-renowned poet and performer, and my mentor and friend, passed away. As I write this, Jayne became the first African-American granted a special plot of land by an Oba of Benin, Nigeria. We will honor her work during Yari Yari Ntoaso, and the entire conference is a tribute to her legacy. The theme of this gathering – chosen by Jayne herself – is “continuing the dialogue.” The panels, workshops, and per- formances will continue the dialogues of the first two conferences – Yari Yari: Black Women Writers and the Future (1997) and Yari Yari Pamberi: Black Women Writers Dissecting Globalization (2004), which together connected hundreds of women writers, scholars, and artists of African descent in conversation with thousands of audience members. In Accra, we will dialogue about our creative and political work, from the challenge of getting and keeping our work in print, to the necessity of responding to our political and environmental realities, to the complexities of our creative processes. This gathering will also connect our current work to our ancestors, elders, youth, and future descendants. We will explic- itly and implicitly dialogue with Jayne’s work and that of other Yari Yari attendees who have passed away since 2004, in- cluding Octavia Butler, Elizabeth Catlett, Bob Chrisman, Lucille Clifton, Lily Golden, Ousmane Sembene, and Fatou Ndiaye Sow – and all of our predecessors. And in order to dialogue across generations, for the first time Yari Yari includes pro- grams for children and youth. The 21 st century has witnessed the creation or reestablishment of women’s and writers’ organizations throughout Africa and its diaspora. Often these organizations both support and are staffed by emerging writers or those whose writing has yet to receive international recognition. Yari Yari Ntoaso marks this moment. Our goals are: to provide an opportunity for the exchange of ideas;