FUNGLODE and GFDD, will organize a High-Level Conference “The Presence of Africa in the Caribbean, the Antilles and the United States”

Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE) and its sister institution in the United States, Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD), will organize a three-day academic conference titled “The Presence of Africa in the Caribbean, the Antilles and the United States.” The international event,  to be celebrated July 18-20, 2011 at FUNGLODE headquarters in
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, will convene prominent historians and social scientists from the United States, Latin America and Africa.  
 
The high-level forum, which will feature a keynote address by Harvard Professor and renowned intellectual Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., seeks to present recent scholarship on the history of the African Diaspora in the region, in an effort to elevate discourse regarding
the historical trajectory of persons of African descent throughout continent, and to further understanding of how this trajectory continues to shape modern-day society. Among the speakers will be a distinguished panel of Dominican specialists, including Frank Moya Pons, President of the Dominican History Academy.

Central topics to be discussed include: the Middle Passage, antislavery movements, the significance of cimarronaje and palenque communities, transculturation,
civil rights, political culture, music, literature, linguistics and the arts, amongst others.

The following international professors will be amongst the many academics to present their scholarly contributions: Ramona Hernández, City College of New York (CUNY); Russel Rickford (Dartmouth University), Melina Pappademos (University of Connecticut); and Patrick Bellegard
(University of Wisconsin).
 
A special cultural performance featuring native African music and dance will be held midway through the Conference on July 19.
 
The conference will conclude with the presentation of the acclaimed film Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North, which depicts the story of the largest slave-trading family in the United States.