Photo from kenya-today.com
By: Kai Heslop (’19), Staff Writer
On September 13th and 14th, UNC’s Department of African, African-American and Diaspora Studies enjoyed the honor of hosting Dr. Peter Nyong’o, a Kenyan professor, current senator in the country’s parliament, and father of acclaimed actress Lupita Nyong’o.
The event on September 13th was a dialogue between students and Dr. Nyong’o on topics ranging from problems within the education system in the United States to the time Nyong’o spent under a fascist regime. One topic that he discussed was the lack of African writers and authors in the curriculums of most high schools and colleges across the United States. This is a major component surrounding already existing issues of underrepresentation and misrepresentation of Africa in education.
Texts written by African writers are most likely to be assigned within specialized units in History or English classes such as an “African literature” unit, which may only last for a short time. Providing diverse experiences from African authors, storytellers and politicians is important in shedding the stereotypical image of the continent.
Dr. Nyong’o helped in this effort by sharing personal stories from his time spent in Kenya, his experiences with imperialism and fascism, and the current economic and social climate of the country. Dr. Nyong’o’s dialogue was a testament to the fact that many higher education institutions, UNC included, are making a conscious effort to do just what Dr. Nyong’o himself discussed: to broaden the scope of what most people envision when they picture Africa.
