UIC Hosts Congo Conference and Cultural Events

WHO/WHAT:
“The Congo: Reclaiming Its Destiny.” The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s past and present politics, art, economics, civil society and law will be the focus of a conference, cultural events and banquet presented by the University of Illinois at Chicago.

DETAILS:
The conference brings together scholars, artists, and activists to highlight the Democratic Republic of Congo’s potential to become an economically and democratically strong nation and a stabilizing force for the central African region.

The two-day schedule is below:

March 30 (evening): Opening event, featuring poet Toussaint Kafarhire Murhula and playwright Pierre Mumbre Mujomba and a roundtable discussion, begins at 6:30 p.m. at Alliance Française de Chicago, 810 N. Dearborn St.

March 31 (day): Conference sessions will include distinguished Congolese scholars and activists joined by other researchers. The focus will be to define short-, mid-, and long-term solutions for reconstructing the country and highlight the prospects for development. Keynote speaker is Georges Nzongola Ntalaja, professor of African studies at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, who will discuss elections and the future of democracy in Congo. Conference begins at 8 a.m. at UIC Student Center East, 750 S. Halsted St.

March 31 (evening): Muadi Mukenge, Global Fund for Women, will talk about women, families, and the future of Congo. Banquet begins at 7 p.m. at Loyola University Chicago, Ignatius House, 6324 N. Kenmore Ave.

Admission is free to the opening event and conference. Banquet tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door. For further information, call (217) 840-6359.

The conference is sponsored by the UIC School of Literatures, Cultural Studies and Linguistics.