The symposium organized by Ethiopian American writer Maaza Mengiste and Ruth Ben Ghiat, Professor of Italian Studies and History at New York University, will be held at NYU on Friday, October 24th 2014.
Tadias Magazine
Events News
Press release
New York – This symposium, organized by NYU faculty Ruth Ben-Ghiat (History, Italian Studies) and Maaza Mengiste (Creative Writing) examines the legacies of the Italian occupation of Ethiopia as experienced by Ethiopians. History can only go so far to tell us about what took place during Italian rule – and its consequences. In Ethiopia, visual and storytelling cultures have been main vehicles of postcolonial expression.
The three panels look at how performance, writing and storytelling, and visual arts narrate this difficult period and its legacies for several generations.
9:30 Coffee and Welcome
Maaza Mengiste and Ruth Ben-Ghiat
9:30-11:00 Plays and Performance
Bewketu Seyoum (Independent Writer, Performer), in dialogue with Heran Sereke-Brhan (Independent Researcher), and Dagmawi Woubshet (Cornell University).
11:15-11:30 Coffee break
11:30-1:00 Literature and Storytelling
Shiferaw Bekele (Addis Ababa University), in dialogue with Dagmawi Woubshet (Cornell University) and Heran Sereke-Brhan (Independent Researcher).
1:00-2:30 Lunch Break
2:30-4:00 Visual Arts
Abiyi Ford (Addis Ababa University), in dialogue with Ruth Ben-Ghiat (New York University), Maaza Mengiste (New York University and Princeton University), and Shiferaw Bekele (Addis Ababa University).
4:00 Closing Remarks by Abiyi Ford and discussion with the audience
We are grateful to the Global Research Initiative, the Departments of History and Italian Studies, the Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò, Africa House, and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, all of New York University, for their generous support of this initiative.
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If You Go:
LEGACIES OF THE ITALIAN OCCUPATION IN ETHIOPIA
OCTOBER 24, 2014
NYU Casa Italiana Zerilli Marimò
24 West 12th Street, NYC
www.casaitaliananyu.org
(Cover images courtesy: NYU & DCStamps)
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