Diaspora Remittance Flows: Restitution, Culture and Capital – ASAUK Biennial Conference 2022

British Academy Conferences bring together scholars and specialists from around the world to consider and evaluate new research in the humanities and social sciences.

The ASAUK Biennial conference will be a two-part conference. The first part, funded by the British Academy, will take place online and involve ASAUK research colleagues based in Ibadan, Liverpool and Nairobi engaging in the conference themes.

This conference seeks to critically explore Africa’s diasporas of peoples, cultures, and extracted wealth to the West. This is undertaken within the contemporary post-colonial context where there has been a reversal of these same diasporic flows; migration, cultural and fiduciary capital from the ‘West’ back to Africa. This includes the current restitution of artefacts from Western institutions and collections to Africa.

Of equal significance is the fluid cross-flow of culture including; music, textiles, literature and film, to and from Africa. Also important is the growing Black academic presence in Western institutions, and the emergence of trans-continental collaborations between European and African institutions.

The final conference strand will focus on the ‘investment and remittances’ culture which, prior to COVID-19, provided the backbone and basis for development across much of Africa as elsewhere in the global South. What does the new post-COVID 19 African ‘diaspora-economics’ look like in 2022? How will this affect the livelihoods of Africans? Economists cultural theorists and social scientists in Africa and the diaspora will give their views as to how the expected post-COVID-19 African economic situation will unfold.

Conference Convenor:

Professor Nwola Uduku, University of Liverpool

Speakers:

Day 1, University of Ibadan, 10.30 – 15.30 UK and West African Time

Professor Saheed Aderinto, Western Carolina University

Professor Shadreck Chirikure, University of Oxford

Ore Disu, Nigeria Eko Museum of West African Art

Dr Vincent Hiribarren, Director of IFRA Ibadan

Zachary Kingdon, National Museums and Galleries of Scotland

Professor Taibat Lawanson, University of Lagos

Professor Peju Layiwola, University of Lagos

Michael Sudarkasa, Africa Business Group

Day 2, BIEA Nairobi, 08.30 – 14.00 UK time 10.30 – 16.00 East African Time

Dr Gautam Bhatia, University of Oxford

Parselelo Kantai, writer and journalist

Professor Prabha Kotiswaran, Kings College London

Professor Ambreena Maji, Director of BIEA Nairobi

Dr Lily Mburu, Strathmore University

Dr Mshaï Mwangola, The Performance Collective

Freda Nkirote, Director of BIEA Nairobi

Professor Hetan Shah, Chief Executive of The British Academy

Day 3, University of Liverpool, 10.00 – 14.00 BST

Professor Akosua Adomako Ampofo, University of Ghana

Flutterwave, Nigeria-founded ‘fintech’ organisation

Arunma Oteh, University of Oxford

Professor Nwola Uduku, University of Liverpool

Onyekachi Wambu, Chief Executive of Afford UK

Professor Tunde Zack-Williams, University of Central Lancashire

Further details, free booking and full conference schedule can be found on the ASAUK conference website

Funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)

Image: Detail from Indigo Reimagined series by Peju Layiwola, 2019. Courtesy of artist.