Academic Conferences

2024 November CESA presentations

2024 September, Symposium on Contemporary African Migration to Canada

2024 February, Pan-African Symposium: Decolonizing the University Curriculum

2023 February, Festival of Arts & Conference

27th Biennial CESA Conference

The 27th Biennial Canadian Ethnic Studies Association (CESA) Conference, “Colonial Legacies, Contemporary Crises and Contested Futures: Canada in an Interconnected World”, provided a forum to discuss the ways new contexts and mainstays of the field interact with the legacies of settler-colonialism to shape identities, theories, coalition-building, and solidarities.

Dr. Phil Okeke-Ihejirika, Dr. Joseph Mensah, and Dr. Sophie Yohani attended the conference and provided a panel presentation. Their panel, Continental Africans in Canada: Profiles of Migration and Contemporary Concerns, examined the differential incorporation of Black continental Africans into the broader Canadian society, highlighting their struggles and the attendant strategies of resilience. Three papers grounded their panel:

1. 1. Black Continental African immigration in Canada: In Search of Cohesive Historical Phases
  2. Black Continental Africans’ Pathways to Entrepreneurship
  3. Creating Spaces for Communal Interventions to Address Intimate Partner Violence

The first paper, “Black Continental African Immigration in Canada,” uses a temporal filter to examine how, why, and when Black continental Africans came to Canada. The second paper, “Black Continental Africans’ Pathways to Entrepreneurship”, examines how migration and settlement strip these newcomers of their cultural attachments to commercial activities, highlights the barriers to entrepreneurship in Canada, and offers viable African-centered options that could expand Canada’s entrepreneurial landscape. The third paper, “Creating Spaces for Communal Interventions to Address Intimate Partner Violence”, uses gender relations to explore Africans’ experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) and demonstrates the importance of community-engaged practices for addressing the challenges of transition and integration.

For addtional details, please see the conference program.

Symposium on Contemporary African Migration to Canada: New Directions, Approaches, Theories September 2024

This national conference brought together academics, students, community organizations, and policy makers to discuss contemporary African migration to Canada. Held at the University of Winnipeg, the conference explored African migration to Canada over the past twenty years.

Three PRAN team members attended and presented at the conference.

Dr. Phil Okeke-Ihejirika gave a keynote lecture entitled “International Migration as a Social Contract–Canada’s Report Card”. Her keynote explored the experiences of recent immigrants from Sub-Saharan Africa and how the neoliberal, Eurocentric status quo sabotages Canada’s social contract with newcomers.

Dr. Sophie Yohani’s presentation, “Addressing Social Determinants of Mental Health Among African Migrants in Canada”, examined the relationship between Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) and mental health and well-being among African migrants in Canada. Her presentation explored how factors, including anti-Black racism, housing stability, and financial security, influence mental health. She also underscored the importance of interventions targeting practical needs.

Dr. Joseph Mensah gave a keynote lecture entitled “Strangers in Our Midst: Confronting Popular Stereotypes about Africa and its People”, challenging negative stereotypes and the dehumanization of Africans, especially those in Canada. His interdisciplinary keynote drew insights from history, geography, philosophy, and cultural studies.

Pan-African Symposium: Decolonizing the University Curriculum, February 2024

Hosted at the University of Alberta during Black History Month in 2024, this symposium provided a platform for diverse Black thinkers, professionals, academics, and community members. Focusing on a “Pan-African” approach, the goal was to mobilize an inclusive Black community to share their views and perspectives on the legacies of and approaches to addressing anti-Black racism.

PRAN team members Dr. Phil Okeke-Ihejirika, Dr. Sophie Yohani, and Dr. Joseph Mensah delivered a keynote roundtable at the symposium entitled, “The Partnership for Research with African Newcomers (PRAN): Putting decolonization into practice”. Their roundtable explored how PRAN is challenging and addressing prevailing gaps in theory, research, policy, and practice related to newcomers to Canada from sub-Saharan Africa through community-based, participatory research.

Festival of Arts & Conference: Black History Month Event, 2023

PRAN, in collaboration with the Centre for Ethnomusicology at the University of Alberta, proudly presented two programs to celebrate Black History Month. The first was an internationally attended conference “Leveraging our Synergies: Arts and Cultural Resilience in Diaspora” which took place on February 16th and 17th at the historic Senate Chambers of the Old Arts Building at the University of Alberta. Attendees engaged in thought-provoking discussions on topics such as migration, economic and social inequalities, gender disparities, intimate partner violence, and diaspora politics.

Continuing the celebration, the second event took place on February 18th at Norquest College’s Atrium, featuring an evening of music, dance, and culture. These events served as platforms for scholars, artists, community members, and practitioners to come together, leveraging our collective cultural synergies to address crucial aspects of life within the diaspora. As part of these events there was also a painting and photo exhibition held at the Rutherford Library Galleria for the month of February. The exhibition, titled ‘Portraits of Resilience’, featured art by two African Caribbean and Black community members– Elsa Robinson and Faith Abimbola. at the Rutherford Library Galleria for the whole month of February.

All images are from Faith Abimbola