Sankofa Conference 2024
Sankofa
Talitha Cum!
Earth, Pandemics, Gender, and Religion Call for Papers
July 1-5, 2024, the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians (henceforth Circle) will undertake its first pilgrimage to its place of birth, Trinity Theological Seminary in Legon Ghana, for a Pan-African and African Diaspora conference on the theme of Earth, Pandemics, Gender, and Religions/Culture/Ethics/Philosophy/African Literature.
After more than a decade focusing its research on the HIV&AIDS Pandemic, Gender, and Religions, in July 2019 the Circle chose to turn its focus to the them
e of Earth, Gender, Religions and Sustainable Development Goals. The decision to focus on Mother Earth was mandated by the obvious impact of global warming and climate change, whose generation of frequent, more intense extreme weather events places African women, and numerous Earth’s citizens, at the center of the storm. Global warming adversely impacts ecological systems, the physical land, and human beings. Extreme heatwaves lead to desertification, drought, dying soils, wild firestorms, melting glaciers, rising sea levels, coastal flooding, acidification of coral reeves, extinction of species as well as failure of crops and agriculture.
Just a few months after the adoption of a new theme, focusing on Mother Earth, the whole world was engulfed by a new pandemic, Covid 19. The pandemic, which mandated worldwide lockdowns, quarantining, social distancing, sanitizing, masking, unmasking, vaccinating, boosting, flattening the curve, zooming, self-isolating and a new normal, among others, put African women and their communities under intensified poverty, increased burdens of care, rocketing GBV rates, skyrocketing inflation and collapsing economies. Covid 19 brought the Circle right back to focus on the intersection of Global Warming, Pandemics, and Gender, since Climate Change has profound impact on human health through increasing the outbreaks of infectious diseases. The destruction of ecological systems and habitat loss, often leads to migration and shifts in natural biological systems.
Scientific data indicates that global warming, its impact, and effects will continue for a long while despite efforts to contain it. Given this background, the forthcoming Pan-African Circle of Concerned African Women, which will be held in Legon, Ghana in July 1-5, 2024, has adopted a research theme that intersects troubled and troubling Mother Earth, global pandemics and their gendered impacts, under the theme: “Earth, Pandemics, Gender and Religions/Culture/Theology/Ethics/Philosophy/Literature. Papers may explore, among numerous other possibilities, how religion is part of the problem, part of the answer and how Faith-Based-Organizations are responding or should be responding to the phenomena of global warming and its gendered impact. Papers may explore how Mother Earth, pandemics and gender are imagined in various sources (scripture, cultures, ethics, philosophies, and literature) and how they may be interpreted and utilized for addressing vulnerability, impact, adaptation and mitigation, among others.
Research papers that explore theological/ethical/philosophical/cultural paradigms that redirect us from anthropocentric to Earth-centered frameworks are highly sought as well as papers that analyze the academic departments’ responsiveness to the phenomena. Papers that use hermeneutical, qualitative and quantitative methods are all welcome. The call, therefore, invites intersectional research papers, from the whole continental Circle, its diasporas, and the worldwide intellectual community, that will explore the intersection of Earth, Pandemics, Gender, and Religions/Culture/Ethics/Philosophy/ African Literature.
Papers utilizing various methods and theories; various sources, religions, disciplines, themes, and questions are invited to explore the conference theme under any of the following subsections:
Gender-based Violence, Mother Earth, Pandemics, and Religion (Mairo Anthony mairohabu@gmail.com)
Human Rights, Mother Earth, Gender, Pandemics and Religion (Dr H. Nkabala, nhnambalirwa@gmail.com
Sustainable Development Goals, Mother Earth, Pandemics Gender and Religion (Dr F.N. Sulemanu, neyare94@gmail.com)
African Indigenous Religions, Mother Earth, Pandemics, & Gender (Dr E. Chireshe, excellentchireshe@yahoo.com)
Bible, Mother Earth, Pandemics and Gender (Dr S. Berman, sidneybrmn.sb@yahoo.co.uk)
World Religions, Mother Earth, Pandemics and Gender (Dr N. Mwale, nelmwa@gmail.com)
Theology, Mother Earth, Pandemics and Gender (Dr M. Manyonganise, mollymanyonganise@yahoo.com)
Ethics/Philosophy, Mother Earth, Pandemics and Gender (Dr T. Musili, telesia.musili@gmail.com)
African Literature, Mother Earth, Pandemics, Gender & Religion (Dr E. Mavengano, esthermavengano@gmail.com)
All papers written in French on any of the above sub-themes should be submitted to (Dr Nelly Kado mfoutoukado@gmail.com
** Although there will be overlaps, abstracts/papers should be submitted to the above stated emails according to the theme or area used by the writer. This is a peer-reviewed conference. The above editors and their working teams will peer review the abstracts and first drafts and return them to the writers prior to the conference for upgrading.
Timeline: “Towards Peer-Reviewed Conference papers”
Abstracts are due May 2023- October 2023
First drafts of papers due November 2023- February 2024
Final Polished draft due March 2024- June 2024
July 1-5, 2024, Presentation of peer reviewed papers at the conference
July 30, 2024, Submission of final papers to editors after integrating conference comments ***August 2024-October 2024, submission of papers to publishers & designated Journals by the editors. A total of nine special journal issues will be published and some books.
Registration Fees and Host contacts
Student and senior citizens: $50USD
Global South $80USD
Global North $150USD
Registration fees must deposit in the account below and payment slip emailed to Joyce Boham Ecobank: Foreign Account
A/C Name: Trinity Theological Seminary A/C Number: 3441000432652
Branch: A&C Shopping Mall, East Legon -H15 Swift Code: ECOCGHAC
Branch Code: 130107
Conference host and contact person is Joyce Boham is joycebohamsankofa24@gmail.com
Hotels Booking Information
While conference participants will be hosted primary in Trinity Theological Seminary-Legon, organizers have identified the following hotels, which are closer to the conference center. Participants, wishing to make private accommodation arrangements, may directly contact some of the hotels listed below.
Budget //Costs
Each of the 22 active countries/Circle to send 5-10 members
Travel & Accommodation and Food
Budget Available
Interested sponsors, co-sponsors or collaborators, please contact the conference originator below
Conference Document Originator
Prof Musa W. Dube, the William Ragsdale Cannon Distinguished Prof of the New Testament, is a Humboldtian awardee (2011) and winner of the Gutenberg Teaching Award (2017) biblical scholar based at Candler School of Theology, Emory University. Her research interests include African literature, religion, gender, postcolonial, translation, HIV&AIDS, Botho/Ubuntu and Earth studies. She is the current continental Coordinator of Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians (2019- 2024); President of the Society Biblical Literature (2023) and Professor Extraordinaire in the Institute for Gender Studies, University of South Africa. Email contact: mudube00@gmail.com