Kwantlen hosts international conference ,,,,,

..... to celebrate Africa's Man of the
Millennium

(METRO VANCOUVER, B.C.) In commemoration of the centenary birthday of Dr.
Kwame Nkrumah, "Africa?s Man of the Millennium", Kwantlen Polytechnic
University will host the Kwame Nkrumah International Conference from
August 19-21, 2010. This conference will bring scholars and students from
Canada and from the around the world to share research and ideas on
Africa's place in the global community, and to discuss the life,
achievements and shortcomings of Africa's foremost Pan-Africanist.

?Nkrumah is the single most important African politician of the past
century, said Molefi Kete Asante, professor at Temple University. "Almost
all ideas that are vetted by contemporary leaders have appeared in
Nkrumah?s writings or speeches. He is the seminal African political
philosopher.?

Asante?one of the most distinguished contemporary scholars, as well as the
author/co-author and editor of over 60 books and scholarly articles?will
provide the keynote address in celebration of the conference with other
scholars in the context of Pan-Africanism, post/neo-colonialism and
globalization via cross-disciplinary, multi-centric, and international
perspectives.

As the first international conference dedicated to ?Africa?s Man of the
Millennium? in Canada?in a period of intense academic debate about the
merits and demerits of the globalization and the place and role of the
tri-continents of Africa, Asia and Latin America?Dr. Charles Quist-Adade,
Kwantlen sociology faculty member and conference organizer, hopes the
conference will provide Canadian scholars in general, and Kwantlen faculty
in particular, a unique and timely opportunity to seriously engage and
scrutinize Nkrumah?s intellectual and political legacy in the areas of
international political economy and governance.

"Looking at the sheer interest in the conference from all parts of the
world and judging by the breadth and reach of proposed abstracts it is
easy to conclude that Canadian scholarship stands to gain enormously from
the conference," said Quist-Adade.

This conference will also include student presentations which will provide
an excellent opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to
showcase and discuss their research with peers and with faculty members
from across Canada. An opportunity such as this is critical for students
in developing their own interests and knowledge, in networking with
faculty and students, and in building curriculum vitae to support graduate
school applications and employment opportunities.

When asked what relevance does a conference on Nkrumah have for Canadian
students and scholars, Asante said, ?Students should know one of the
greatest African leaders of the 20th century. Nkrumah was a giant in terms
of philosophical writings, political leadership and international vision.
All students should listen to his ideas and judge for themselves about his
relevance to today's politics."

Additional topics to be discussed include the following:
Perspectives on African Decolonization and Development
African Intellectuals and Decolonization and Development
Leadership, Democracy, Citizenry, and African Development
Armed Struggle and Decolonization in Africa and the "International War" on
Terrorism
Historical and Contemporary Perspectives on Pan-Africanism
The Intellectual Traditions and the Many Stands of Pan-Africanism
The 5th Pan-African Congress and the First All-African Peoples Conference:
Continuity and Change
The Architects and Pioneers of Pan-Africanism and Global (Pan) African
Unity
Liberation Wars and Contemporary Forms of Armed Resistance and the US-led
"War on International Terrorism"
AFRICOM, Militarization and African Security
Failed Unions: The Cases of the Soviet Union, India and Pakistan
The Creation of "The Perfect Union": Lessons from Canada, Europe, and the
USA
Dafur and Other Internecine Conflicts as a Test for the African Union's
Trans-Saharan Unity
Global African Unity in the Age of Globalization: Strategies and Tactics
Fifty years of Political Independence in Africa: Independent Africa in the
Global Context
The Obama Presidency and Africa's Destiny
African Youth, African Women, and Africa's Future
The African Personality and Identity in Continental and
Trans-Continental/Diasporic Contexts
Global African Dialogues: Factionalism as a Source of Strength
Globalization: A Curse or a Nirvana- Breaking Africa's Cycle of
Underdevelopment

For more information about the conference or to register, please visit:
kwantlen.ca/knic.html

As a leader in innovative and interdisciplinary education, Kwantlen
Polytechnic University offers all learners, regardless of background and
preparation, opportunities to achieve the highest standards of academic
performance. For more information, visit: kwantlen.ca

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Backgrounder about Kwame Nkrumah:
Kwame Nkrumah led Ghana to independence on March 6, 1957 after more than a
century of British colonial rule, the first in independence in sub-Saharan
Africa. Nkrumah is regarded as one of Africa?s greatest statesmen, if not
the greatest. BBC listeners in Africa voted him ?Africa?s Man of the
Millennium? in 1999, and in 1978 the United Nations awarded Nkrumah a
posthumous gold medal during a session of the UN committee against the
racist regime in South Africa.

In the political realm, his idea on the primacy of the political sphere is
still important today in the discourse on development. He observed: "seek
ye first the political kingdom and all else shall be added unto you." This
widely quoted nearly religious invocation asserts that if the political
system is developed first, it can serve as the instrument through which
social and economic development is achieved.

In addition, Nkrumah:
? was the only world leader to attempt a peace accord with America
to end the Vietnam War
? built new schools and accelerated the education system in Ghana by
introducing free and compulsory universal elementary education
? introduced free healthcare delivery system

But Nkrumah also had his flaws. His one-party state ?democracy? stifled
different and divergent views from the other side of the political divide.
His installation as ?Life President? of the Convention People?s Party made
him a dictator in the eyes of many. He also did nothing to discourage
party cronies from turning him into a demigod. While he did not subject
his opponents to the callous, brutal repression and bloody massacres
symptomatic of other African dictators, Nkrumah did use the Preventative
Detention Act (PDA) enacted by the British Colonial Administration to
throw his political opponents into jail without trial.



For more information about the conference, contact:
Charles Quist-Adade
Faculty, Sociology
Cell: 778-240-8636
charles.quist-adade@kwantlen.ca

OR

For more information about Kwantlen, contact:
Audrey Wang
Manager, Communications
Tel: 604.599.2385
audrey.wang@kwantlen.ca



Charles Quist-Adade, PhD
, Department of Sociology
Kwantlen Polytechnic University
[t] 604.599.2254 [e] charles.quist-adade@kwantlen.ca
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