African Diaspora Contributions to African Studies: Towards a Knowledge-based African Society Model 

Dr. Alain Nkoyock, Scholar and Practitioner,
Founder and President of Think Tank CABAC

             Tuesday, November 29^th, 2016, 17.00 hrs
Department of African Studies, Seminar room 1 

Abstract:

In this talk, the speaker, who belongs to a team of scholars and professionals from Africa residing abroad, outlines ways in which Africans abroad can make a difference in their home continent. Through programs, policies, and advocacy, Diaspora Africans have harnessed their talents, expertise, and resources for Africa’s development and nation building as well as to contribute to African studies. In furthering these objectives, the speaker has championed the establishment of a think tank called CABAC with the mission to promote patriotism, networking, and cooperation among Africans in the Diaspora, and he will outline the activities of this think tank. These activities include a case study research through which the think tank has explored the extent to which the African diaspora can influence national development issues as well as the plurality of modalities through which it can exercise such influence. In the information age, there can be a substantial amount of contribution of the African diaspora to a knowledge-based African society (KAS) supported by suitable high-tech tools and services that span over fundamentals of knowledge of African societies and their interactions with the rest of the world. This colloquium in the Department of African Studies, organized in collaboration with the Global African Diaspora Studies (GADS) research platform, provides a unique opportunity for CABAC and GADS to reflect on a KAS Scholarly-Practice-Networking (KAS-SPN) model that facilitates Diaspora contributions to African studies.

Chair of the talk:
Prof. Dr. Adams Bodomo,
Professor of African Studies (Chair of Languages and Literatures),
Director, Global African Diaspora Studies (GADS) Research Platform,
University of Vienna, African Studies Department

Address: Institut für Afrikawissenschaften, Spitalgasse 2, Hof 5, 1090 Wien