This is a very special occasion on which we shall honor the outstanding achievements of scholars, students, and administrators who have worked with our program during this year. Our keynote speaker, Dr. Shannen Hill, is an independent scholar and curator who oversees select projects and programs for the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. She authored Biko’s Ghost: The Iconography of Black Consciousness (2015 University of Minnesota Press) and curated Shifting Views: People & Politics in Contemporary African Art (2017 Baltimore Museum of Art) and The Art of African Ivory (2018 Queens University). A Smithsonian Senior Fellowship (2016-17) lent support to her next book, Art & Ore | South African Mining History in Twenty Acts. Dr. Hill will receive the Teshome H. Gabriel Distinguished Award in African Studies.

Dr. Hill's keynote address is entitled, "Rattling Rhodes, Confronting Capitalism: Black Consciousness in the Fallist Movement." Abstract: Art and activism go hand in hand for South Africans, and Black Consciousness – a philosophy of being that first promoted culture as resistance in 1967 – is everywhere present in today’s protests for equity and inclusion. In 2015, University of Cape Town students demanded the removal of monuments that honor the heroes of violent histories. Their voices amplified through social media and #RhodesMustFall sparked global protests centered on upending colonial commemorations. Success here fueled the #FeesMustFall campaigns in subsequent years, effecting change in education and labor rights within South Africa, and the decolonization of institutions. The “Fallist Movement,” as it is called, draws directly from South Africa’s heritage of youth activism, itself nestled within the profound intellectual force of Black Consciousness. This presentation honors this heritage by analyzing public artwork, protest performance, and photographs that brought about real change.

Please join us for this very special occasion which we will all experience over Zoom. All attendees must register on the event website, where they will receive the Zoom link to attend.

Please donate to AAASRC through our Donation Portal at: https://tinyurl.com/AAASRCDonate2021. Your support allows us to bring these high quality programs to UC San Diego. Thank you in advance for your donation.

Image credit: Willie Bester, Homage to B (1992). Courtesy of the Jean Piggozzi Collection.