Scroll down for a list of other events during Black History Month.
Four years, a bike and half of the countries on the continent of Africa piqued Dr. Kevin Hickey’s interest in African culture and its dispersion.
Hickey, an associate professor of Africana studies and spatial theory at ACPHS, traveled by bike around Africa and Europe for six years (four years in Africa and two in Europe) starting in 1978 after finishing his pre-med degree at the University of Vermont. He traveled a total of 38,000 miles, visiting 52 countries. His undergraduate studies didn’t leave much room for cultural enrichment beyond the books he enjoyed, so Hickey decided to take a trip to gain knowledge of cultures of the world firsthand.
The four years he spent embedded in the cultures of Africa inspired Hickey to focus his studies on spatialities in Africana literatures, visual arts and music (in other words, how African culture travels and permeates other cultures). Now, he teaches humanities courses at the College, has taken students on study abroad trips to Belize and Senegal, and oversaw the travel research rotation in the Pharm.D. program in Basel, Switzerland.
He’s also hosted the Africana Film Series on campus for the past 17 years.
“When I taught at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, Conn., there was a film series there on African film,” he said. “That was sort of the spark that got me to start the series here.”
The series is open to the public and draws in members of the community, something Hickey finds special about the event.
“When you have people who attend from Africa or who have worked in Africa, are from the Caribbean or South America, that produces a really interesting conversation,” he said. “People have different perspectives and will say, ‘Well, I noticed this in the film’ and that'll be particularly exciting for me since I’ve already watched the films four times and didn’t notice that.”
Over the years, the event has become a staple for many community members and has grown in attendance.
“I’ll send out an email in January to my 250-person email list saying, ‘Okay, here's the theme for this year.’ If I'm a bit late in sending that out, I'll usually get several emails from people who are saying, ‘Hello, I'm really looking forward to the series. Is it happening again this year? I hope so,’” he said.
Each year, Hickey chooses a theme and picks three films to show over three weeks in the Gozzo Student Center. He then seeks out deals from film distributors with the funding of the Department of Population Health Sciences (the funding has changed over the years) and has pizza and drinks provided with support from the Division of Student Affairs.
This year’s theme is African Music and Dance in Diaspora-Erased Roots, a theme that documents whitewashing of traditions and enriches understanding of music and dance with roots in Africa. Films will be screened on Feb. 7, 14 and 28 in SC 201 starting at 7 pm.
The first film in the series is Gurumbé: Afro-Andalusian Memories, which “shows the unacknowledged African roots of Spanish flamenco, one of the many erasures needed to maintain Europe’s long history of imagining itself as culturally separate from Africa,” according to Hickey. The second film, The Mali-Cuba Connections / Africa MIA, looks at musical cross-pollinations between the cultures of Mali and Cuba. Tango Negro, The African Roots of Tango, the final film to be shown, explores tango’s African beginnings and its impact in Argentina.
If you’re looking for something to do in February, check out the Africana Film Series to learn more about music and dance in diaspora, to engage in post-film discussion, and enjoy some pizza.
“It brings together everything that people know about the world and Africa,” Hickey said.
Other offerings during Black History Month
The Africana Film Series isn’t the only event focusing on African and Black history, though.
The Black History Month Committee will host events under the theme of “Cultural Explosion” to represent the cultures of the ACPHS student population. Here’s the lineup:
- On Jan. 31, the committee will decorate the Gozzo Center Atrium for the month from 6-7 pm.
- A Black History Month kickoff brunch will be hosted on Feb. 2 from 11 am-12 pm in the Rite Aid Lounge.
- The Exploring Caribbean History lecture featuring Veta Dawson, a Caribbean history educator, will happen on Feb. 7 from 6 pm-7pm in person (location to be determined) and on Zoom.
- The celebrations will continue with the Black History Month quiz in the Atrium on Feb. 9 during common hour.
- On Feb. 14 from 6 pm-8 pm, there will be a showing of Love and Basketball in the SC 202.
- Decorate cupcakes and cookies in the Panther’s Den on Feb. 16 from 5 pm-7 pm during Dessert Extravaganza.
- Cultural Games Night will be on Feb. 24 from 6:30 pm- 8:30 pm in the Rite Aid Lounge.
- The About Your Crown workshop with professional hair stylist Lavida Barkley will be on Feb. 27 from 6 pm-8 pm in the Rite Aid Lounge.