Virtual European-African Conference
22.-24.3.2022
About the approach
The Europe-Africa project is in the context of project developments over decades. See the following overview under „Projects 2022“: News – Herbert Arlt (arltherbert.at) And about the 30 symposia plus virtual conferences see: Symposien* 1989 to 2022 – Jura Soyfer
Proposals for leading politicians have been developed for decades. This approach had already proven itself in the past. Examples:
– EU cultural policy (development 1998-2001)
– UN Year of the Mountains (2002)
– Guarantee Fund for cultural projekts.
These examples prove that it is possible to successfully make proposals by introducing core competencies.
The aim of the project is to anchor the importance of languages, literatures, the arts, cultural studies and a new approach to digitality and quantum technology in the cooperation programmes between the EU and Africa. This follows on from the following document: The Africa-EU Strategic Partnership. A Joint Africa-EU Strategy.
The background to this is the new importance of Africa in world politics, which the EU recognised. See also the meeting between von der Leyen and Macron at the start of the French Presidency: Visit of the President and the College to France (europa.eu) (See the last paragraph there.)
In this context, there is also a new EU Commissariat headed by Jutta Urpilainen. Arlt took part in the online meeting with her on the new Africa policy in September 2021.
Culture also played a role at the EU-Africa summit on 17/18/2/2022. However, the focus was on health (pandemics, cancer, vaccine production), financing (especially Special Drawing Rights at the IMF), infrastructure, education (60% of the 1.3 billion Africans are young people), military operations.
Conference format
The transdisciplinary conference will include the following elements:
Fonts
These are abstracts, greetings, etc., which are made available in advance and are to be translated so that joint communication is possible.
Preparations:
These are to be studied before the conference. A joint viewing of performances, films, documents is not provided. But online meetings are offered before and after the conference. For inquiries please call arlt@soyfer.at
Online sections with presentations
There are examples from the past: Symposia* 1989 to 2022 – Jura Soyfer
Streaming to YouTube for a mass audience
This is already known from a large number of events. To establish the public is not only about the involvement of institutions, but also of the media, as Elwardy has exemplified for the Arab public.
Chats
This is intended to enable interactive access for masses in multiple languages (this will require a dedicated team to moderate this interactivity).
Scope of contributions
1/2 Page: Abstracts
20 minutes for speeches, presentations + discussion
Documentation: 6-10 pages, 20 minutes
Conference Structure
First day:
Preparation:
Theatre performance in Arabic: Vineta
The Jura Soyfer Society has traditionally always handled it this way: first the work of art, then contributions. See, for example, Memminger Gespräche.
Contribution Arlt
Vineta: Performances in many languages
Contribution Elwardy: the protagonist in the field of virtual conferences between Africa and Europe
Section Elwardy: Draft Program
Second day:
Preparation:
UNESCO: General History of Africa
Raoul Peck: Journey into the Heart of DarknessReise ins Herz der Finsternis (ARTE: Rights and broadcast only for Germany and France)
10-18:00 Online contribution, Streaming YouTube
Section:
Univ.Prof.in Dr.in Anette Horn (Johannesburg):
Politics and Creative Practice of Multilingualism in Africa
Section:
Dr.in Ramona Pellegrino (Genoa), Univ.Prof.Dr. David Simo (Yaoundé):
Erinnerungskulturen und Jura Soyfer | Culture of Remembrance and Jura Soyfer
Third day:
Preparations:
Parthenos: La Fine del Mondo (Documentation)
Performance of a town: Vineta – directed by Tobias Sosinka (Junges Theater, Göttingen) (asked) – one performance out of three: Memmingen (Astoria), Kempten (Der Lechner Edi)
Music film Astoria by Reinhard Fehling
Black History (World Museum: Vienna)
Quantum Ambitions – Quantum Realities
10-18:00 Online Posts, Streaming YouTube
Section:
Ass.Prof.in Dr.in Dilek Altinkaya Nergis (Izmir):
Translations, new technologies, Jura Soyfer
Section:
Univ.Prof.Dr. Knut Ove Arntzen (Bergen/ Norway):
Rituals, Performance and Decolonizing: Perspectives on African Theatre
Section:
Univ.Prof.Dr. Aoussine Seddiki (Mers El Kébir, Algerien):
Colonialism and Liberation in Africa
Frame:
So far, in the area of 8 INST world conferences, it has proven successful to involve leading politicians (Director-General of UNESCO, Commission President of the EU, EU Commissioners, Federal Chancellors, Ministers, etc.) via greetings. Since the conference will be multilingual, it will be possible for precise texts to be available in the conference languages.
Deadline: 20th February 2022
Please send suggestions for sections or conference contributions to Sc.Dir.Dr. Herbert Arlt (Vienna), President of the Jura Soyfer Society: arlt@soyfer.at
Section: Jura Soyfer and the Arab Spring
Please send abstracts to: Ass.Prof.in Dr.in Rania Elwardy (Cairo): dr.raniaelwardy@yahoo.com
Section: Politics and Creative Practice of Multilingualism in Africa
Please send abstracts to: Univ.Prof.in Dr.in Anette Horn (Johannesburg): Anette.Horn@wits.ac.za
Section: Translations, New Technologies, Jura Soyfer
Please send abstracts to: Ass.Prof.in Dr.in Dilek Altinkaya Nergis (Izmir): dilek.altinkaya.nergis@ege.edu.tr
Section: Erinnerungskulturen und Jura Soyfer | Culture of Remembrance and Jura Soyfer
Please send abstracts to: Dr.in Ramona Pellegrino (Genoa): ramona.pellegrino@lingue.unige.it, Univ.Prof.Dr. David Simo (Yaoundé): simobiegain20@yahoo.fr
Section: Rituals, performance and decolonization: Perspectives on African theatre.
Please send abstracts to Univ.Prof.Dr. Knut Ove Arntzen (Bergen/ Norway): Knut.Arntzen@uib.no
Sektion: Languages, Literatures, the arts, Colonialism and Liberation in Africa
Please send abstracts to Univ.Prof.Dr. Aoussine Seddiki (Mers El Kébir, Algerien): aouseddiki@yahoo.fr
Deadline: 20.2.2022
Documentation: Jura Soyfer Online, YouTube