Teaching African History and African Diaspora History Workshop

Hundreds of millions of people of African descent who live in different societies across the world trace their history back to Africa. Nonetheless, there is still a profound silence in the curricula and the manuals of primary and secondary schools about the crucial historical events that shaped modern societies, especially the slavery of millions of Africans. However, new educational techniques and greater accessibility to teaching materials, in large part prompted by UNESCO initiatives, have helped to break the "chain of silence" and to prompt curricular reform that allows students access to knowledge about this past. The common goal of the initiatives that have been undertaken in different regions of the world is to contribute to a better understanding of the slavery of millions of people and the social consequences of racism. The implications affect the interactions among peoples in the present global world. Breaking the silence requires more than confronting the history of slavery; it requires teaching African history.
The purpose of the Workshop is to provide a forum where experts can share experiences in developing pedagogic materials and innovative strategies to teach about the slave trade and slavery and the heritage of Africa in the diaspora of the Americas. Visit http://tubman.apps01.yorku.ca/2010unescoworkshop/ for more information.
As part of the workshop, Dr. Kevin Franklin, Executive Director of the Institute for Computing in Humanities, Arts, and Social Science (I-CHASS), will be moderating a virtual discussion that will be streamed live on the internet. Other panelists include Monica Lima from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Karolyn Smardz Frost from York University in Canada, Rina Cáceres from the University of Costa Rica and Jhon Picard Byron from the Universite d’ Etat in Haiti. The presenters will accept questions from both the online audience. The virtual discussion will be streamed live from 5:30pm EST at the following URL:
November 5 to 7, 2010
Defining New Approaches for Teaching the Transatlantic Slave Trade and Slavery
The Harriet Tubman Institute

York University: Toronto, Canada.