NOLA To Host Continental Congress In Ibadan

NIGERIAN Oral Literature Association (NOLA) is set to host the biennial congress of the International Society for the Oral Literatures of Africa (ISOLA) for the first time in Ibadan. This year’s event will mark the 12th conference of the association. The event will run for three days, beginning on July 10 - 12, 2018. It has as theme ‘Oral Literatures and African Festivals: Ancient and Modern.’

A call for papers and panels has also been made to experts in the field of oratures. The major talking point for the conference is the importance of festivals in the contemporary world, the forms by which festivals take place in the ancient and modern times, the absolute importance Africa as a continent attaches to festivities as can be seen in the celebration of the Festival of African Arts and Culture (FESTAC) in Dakar, Senegal (1996) and Lagos, Nigeria (1977).

The sub-themes are ‘Theories, Typologies and Discourses on African Festivals,’ ‘Music and Dance Traditions in African Festivals,’ ‘Poetic and Oratorical Arts in African Festivals,’ ‘Festival Drama and Theatre Events,’ ‘Festival Rites of Passage and Identity Formation,’ ‘Festivals, Orality, Orature, Films, Video, Internet, etc.,’ ‘Popular Culture, So- cial Media, Festivals and Carnivals,’ and ‘Tourism and Festivals in Africa and the Diaspora.’ Others include ‘Festivals and the Cultural Economy of Nations,’ ‘Festivals, Visual and Design Arts, Costumes an Fashions,’ ‘Gender Issues and Spaces in African Festivals,’ ‘Children and Juvenile Arts in Festivals,’ and ‘Organisation and Management of Festival Events.’

Also, the association has called on scholars and researchers of African culture and oral literatures to prepare and send in their proposed papers, which should have a clearly defined thesis, show familiarity with research trends, and address the conference theme, highlighting Africa and the African Diaspora. Participants are reminded that the official languages of ISOLA are English and French. To submit proposed papers, participants are to write abstracts of 500 words or less, with their names, institutional affiliation and brief profile, and submit to the chairman of the organising committee, Professor Ademola Dassylva through his e-mail address via dasylvaus@gmail.com and also to Professor Bola Sotunsa via bolasoyunsa@yahoo.com.

Deadline for the submission of proposals/abstracts is January 31, 2018. Notifications of acceptance will be sent from beginning to mid February 2018.