News Release

10/21/08
Celebrate African Heritage at Providence Public Library, November 15

African Heritage Day will feature live music and dance, discussion and an exhibit

Providence Public Library (PPL) is pleased to announce a collaboration to celebrate African culture and heritage. Free and open to the public, African Heritage Day will take place Saturday, November 15 from 2:30 - 4:00 pm in the Central Library Auditorium (3rd floor), 150 Empire Street, downtown Providence. This event is presented in partnership with Bryant University and the African Alliance of Rhode Island (AARI).

African Heritage Day at PPL will feature live music and dance by Rhode Island’s own Moremi Cultural Group, led by Adesina Omodunbi. Also, award-winning Ghanaian playwright Ama Ata Aidoo will lead a discussion on the theme: “Love, Identity and Women in West Africa.” In addition to writing plays, Aidoo is an accomplished poet, has written several children’s books, and has won many literary awards, including the 1992 Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book. She has taught and lived in America, Britain, Germany, and Zimbabwe, and is currently a Visiting Professor in the Africana Studies Department at Brown University.

On Exhibit -- November 10 – 21: Photographs and Textiles from East Africa

In conjunction with this celebration, there will be an exhibit of African Performance —photographs and textiles from East Africa, courtesy of Bryant Professor Alex Perullo, Ph.D.

This event is the 2nd Annual Bryant University African Studies Workshop presented by the Bryant University College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of English and Cultural Studies to encourage informational/cultural exchange between students and representatives from Rhode Island’s African community.

“The AARI is pleased to collaborate with Bryant University and PPL to bring students from Professor Alex Perullo’s African Cultures course, as well as African community members and mentors, to the Library for this celebration and discussion of African heritage,” said Julius Kolawole, President AARI and a PPL Trustee.

Every year, students initiate research that explores African cultural themes; part of their investigation involves participating in an active, intellectual dialogue with Africans who share firsthand knowledge. This year, students and guests are grateful to have the opportunity to welcome the larger community into the discussion, fostering communication and sharing knowledge and appreciation of world cultures in a welcoming public space downtown at the Library.

For more information, contact Lisa Miller at PPL: lmiller@provlib.org (401) 455-8057; www.provlib.org ; Anthropology Professor Alex Perullo, Ph.D. at Bryant University: aperullo@bryant.edu or (401) 401-232-6258; or the African Alliance of Rhode Island: (401) 255-6944; http://africanallianceri.org/Aboutus.aspx.

Providence Public Library is committed to providing quality programming on a variety of educational topics. The views and opinions expressed therein are those of the individual presenters and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the Library. We welcome community members to work with us to provide free, thought-provoking events of interest.

A 130-year-old private, not-for-profit institution, Providence Public Library is dedicated to providing free educational, lifelong learning and enrichment opportunities for all, regardless of background, age or income.