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Wednesday, September 5, 2018 at 12:00pm to 1:30pm
africana, Hoyt Fuller Room 310 Triphammer Rd, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
Please bring a brown bag lunch and we will provide beverages.
Our first palaber will be hosted by Professor Siba N'Zatioula Grovogui.
With the colonial contempt reserved for things African, English colonialists defined palaber as loud, confused, and empty talk. In French, the word retains its derogatory connotation. It is used to refer to gatherings in so-called traditional African societies, but is usually used without mention of its actual purpose: to allow members of the community to exchange information, make decisions about the quotidian, render justice, and reflect on issues of concern. Under the baobab tree of the West African savannah, what is derided as palaber was a recurring event whose forms and agendas were generated in open and respectful consultation of the whole. Thus understood, palaber is respectful of wisdom and experience but it also values new perspectives, fresh ideas and views from its own community of scholars and partisans as well as guests from all horizons. These include the novice, expert, sage, professional, and/or simply those with interesting life or professional experiences, extending to the well-traveled, transient, and any other peculiar entity.
Free and open to the public
Donna Pinnisi
607-255-4291
Siba N'Zatioula
http://africana.cornell.edu/siba-n%E2%80%99zatioula-grovogui
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