African Arts and Cultures A Cross-Campus Interdisciplinary Seminar [CUHK]ANTH 3321 [CUHK] COMM 3131 [HKU] 3002

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1 African Arts and Cultures A Cross-Campus Interdisciplinary Seminar [CUHK]ANTH 3321 [CUHK] COMM 3131 [HKU] An interdisciplinary undergraduate course (Anthropology, Journalism, Psychology) - An inter-university undergraduate course (CUHK and HKU) - A knowledge transfer project that promotes the integration of academic knowledge, social engagement, and community-building (Local NGOs and potentially, LCSD). Course Description This course will be an interdisciplinary seminar that introduces students to the arts and cultures of Africa through a basic outline of the continent s history, geography, and political economy, as well as within the context of increasing Africa-China engagements. A distinct component of the course is the integration of academic knowledge, social engagement, and community-building as students get to work with local and African residents, as well as artists in Hong Kong. Justification In spite of its claims to being a global city, Hong Kong society suffers from significant racism and African populations have been the targets of much explicit discrimination. This project seeks to address these issues by providing a platform for local students and the general public to interact with African residents in Hong Kong. Through academic seminars and workshops for University students to learn about African history, political economy, and different art forms, as well as secondary school outreach and community events such as "African Food and Arts Festival,' the project initiates a multi-module approach to encourage cross-cultural engagements. The interactions provide a fresh lens into the diversity and richness of African societies and cultures and helps locals expand their understanding of Africa, which is necessary given the current China-Africa partnerships in the economic, media, and political sectors. One of the foremost reasons for the mistrust and rejection that Africans experience in Hong Kong is local people s lack of understanding of African societies. The imagined Africa in Hong Kong is dominated by media images of primitive cultures, war and violence in some African countries. The course is an innovative cross-campus and cross-disciplinary exercise organized on the principle of mutual exchange and reciprocity. The academic curriculum aims to provide the intellectual tools for students to engage productively with their African interlocutors in the non-academic programs. A key element is the partnership

2 between local students and African participants in designing the content of outreach programs for secondary schools as well as the program for the African Culture and Food Festival. In Fall 2017, the spotlight of the LCSD World Cultures Festival will be on Africa - it will feature artists and performance groups from different parts of Africa for 6 weeks mostly in the Hong Kong Cultural Center. CUHK/HKU is proud to be part of this celebration of African Arts in Hong Kong. A South African Graffiti artist, DFeat, is coming to Hong Kong host a series of lecture and workshop for students including a community art project in Yuen Long. Learning Outcomes After completing the course, students will be able to 1) appreciate the diversity of African arts and cultures; 2) develop basic knowledge of contemporary issues affecting Africa; 3) analyze the impact of African cultures in globalization; 4) envision the future of Africa-China relations; 5) develop skills in multicultural engagements. Course Structure The course is composed of 4 modules: 1) Academic seminars and Field Visits, 2) Arts Workshops, 3) School Outreach, and 4) Arts and Culture Festival organizing. Module 1 The Academic Curriculum Each meeting will be taught by one to two instructors Sep 7 Meeting 1 Introduction : History and Connections of Africa to the World Sep 14 Meeting 2 Between Africa and China Sep 21 Meeting 3 Cross-Cultural Psychology, and Workshop Sep 28 Meeting 4 Geography and Literature in Africa Oct 12 Meeting 5 Research Methods and Africans in Hong Kong [Field visit to Chungking Mansions] Oct 19 Meeting 6 Music in Africa Nov 9 Meeting 7 PUBLIC LECTURE AT YIA, Visual Arts in Africa Graffiti Art as Social and Political Protest (by Dfeat, aka Jason Redman) Nov 23 Meeting 8 Africa: Global Engagements in Hong Kong

3 Module 2 Workshops Workshops on Drums, Dance and Music Sep 21, Oct 26, Nov 2 + rehearsals before performances Module 3 Secondary School Outreach Students will participate in teaching outreach programs in secondary schools. The outreach will involve working with secondary school students on music performances for Nov 3, Nov 11, and Dec 17. Working together with workshop instructors, students will learn how to devise interactive performance through games and fun exercises. Students will lead discussion groups with secondary school students about their perception of Africa and Africans, and their impressions after the outreach program to assess the effectiveness of the event. (see Seminar 3, Sep 21) This is a chance for students to learn to engage in sharing their knowledge for social impact both learning knowledge in a participatory way and learning to teach through outreach to secondary school students, encouraging cultural exchange and cross-cultural understanding. Each student will choose to take part in 4 hours of outreach: Choose from any two sessions on Sep 22, 29, Oct 13, Dec 8 or one session on Oct 20. Module 4 Performances and Exhibition (either performance on Nov 5 or Nov 11, and must attend Dec 17) There are two parts to this module: As part of the course assignment, students will be using material from the seminars, as well as from their own research, to prepare posters for use on Dec 17 to provide the general public with basic introduction to Africa and its diverse cultures and artistic expressions. Participation in Designing and Organizing the community event "An African Christmas in Hong Kong Fair in Yuen Long on Dec 17. With the academic knowledge, workshop training, as well as outreach experience, students will be able to work with their African counterparts in designing and organizing. The material and games developed for the workshops will also be included in the Fair.

4 Assessment Participation 50% Workshop Participation 15% Outreach Participation 15% Performance 15% Narratives 5% Coursework 50% Coursework Assignments 1. Research on One Topic of African Culture and Text Production (35%) Students will form groups and work on one specific topic of their choice for research and 1) poster presentation on Dec 17, or 2) a digital platform to share their research. Students will submit an individual 2,000 word essay at the end of the semester on Dec 21. Sep 28 Oct 19 Oct 26 Nov 23 Nov 30 Meet with instructor to discuss topic of interest Submit Topic in Class (1-Page write up) Group Discussion and Research in Class Exhibition/Webpage preparation in Class Submit Final Draft for Banner Production Suggested topics are: i. Hair in African Culture ii. Food in African Culture iii. Face painting in African Culture iv. Graffiti as Art v. African communities in Hong Kong vi. African Music vii. Christmas in Africa 2. Reflection (15%) After the Dec 17 fair in Yuen Long, write a 1,000 word reflection on your experience in the project. More details to follow. Due date is Dec 22. Funds for workshops and organizing African Arts and Culture Festival comes from the Robert Ho Foundation (Arts for Community).

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6 Academic Units Involved at CUHK and HKU This proposed course is an interdisciplinary team-taught seminar on African Arts and Culture offered by the Department of Anthropology and Department of Journalism, with support from the Department of Psychology. It will also be held in partnership with the African Studies Program of the University of Hong Kong. Team of Faculty Members CUHK Sealing Cheng (Anthropology) is an anthropologist and has conducted research on human trafficking and related issues of human rights and policies. Since 2012, she has been doing research on the multiple forms of marginalization that Africans, especially African asylum-seekers, in Hong Kong encounter on an everyday basis. Gordon Mathews (Anthropology) is Professor and Chair in the Department of Anthropology. His book on Chungking Mansions: Ghetto at the Center of the World (2011), which, in its Chinese translation, won the 7th Hong Kong Book Prize. His forthcoming book is on the African community in Guanzhou, China. His previous publications include books such as What Makes Life Worth Living? How Japanese and Americans Make Sense of Their Lives (1996), Global Culture/Individual Identity: Searching for Home in the Cultural Supermarket (2000). Professor Mathews is President of the Society for East Asian Anthropology, American Anthropological Association, co-editor of Asian Anthropology, and Organizing Committee member for the World Council of Anthropological Associations. Saskia Witteborn (Journalism & Communication) has done research with forced migrants and communication for a decade in several countries. In addition to academic outputs, her field research has taught her that the interactions between local populations and marginalized groups can be a beginning for mutual engagement but only if the topic of engagement, such as the arts, are intertwined with reflections on existing inequalities and sociopolitical knowledge. Lawal Marafu (Geography and Resource Management) is the Director of the Postgraduate programme in Sustanable Tourism at CUHK. His research interests cover Tourism, Environment and Climate Change, Ecotourism, Leisure, Recreation Planning and Management. He served as a facilitator at the Clinton Global Warming Intiative Meeting in Hong Kong in He has acted as a bridge between Africa and Asia. He serves as the regional coordinator for the New Partnership for Africa s Development, Buisness Group (NEPAD-BG), and also coordinates for the African Business Roundtable in Asia. Winton Au (Psychology) as a social psychologist has been researching how to promote cooperation in mixed-motive situations that aims to bring people with divergent individual interests towards a common goal that benefits the entire collective as a whole. Chinese and Africans in Hong Kong tend to perceive themselves as two disjointed groups of people who could even be competing for the

7 same resources that results in intergroup conflicts and perpetuating negative stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination against each other. In this project we aim to apply robust experimental findings to nurture intergroup relations between Africans and Chinese in Hong Kong through communication, promoting group identity, enhancing self-efficacy, reducing uncertainty and pursuing superordinate goals. HKU Facil Tesfaye (African Studies Program, HKU) has a PhD in History from McGill University (Montréal/Canada), also holds an MA in Political Science from the Université du Quebec à Montréal. He did his undergraduate studies in African Studies and Political Science at the Humboldt University in Berlin (Germany). His areas of expertise include: African studies, Colonial & Post-Colonial African History, German Colonial Medical History in Africa, History of Medicine/Disease in Africa, History of Colonial Statistical Practices in Africa and Post Colonialism. Guest African Artist Jason Redman, aka Dfeat The artist will be invited to give a public lecture and workshop at the University, talk and work with secondary school students in Yuen Long, and conduct a participatory project at the Carnival Viva Africa organized by the LCSD.