AFRICA TALKS
Africa Talks is a monthly community lecture series organized in collaboration with the UW African Studies Program. The goal is to provide a platform to discuss insights, perspectives, and current events related to the African continent and diaspora. We believe this series can facilitate meaningful engagement within our diverse community around issues of mutual interest and importance. Africa Talks provides a platform for sharing and celebrating the rich and diverse cultures of Africa, promoting cross-cultural understanding and appreciation of African traditions, languages, art, and music.
Media coverage: Africa Talks in the News
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us for questions or more information. Call us at +1 (608) 294-0066 or email info@africancentermadison.org.
Upcoming Lecture
Let's talk citizenship
Date: Wednesday, January 29, 2025
Time: 5pm – 6:30pm
Doors open at 5pm with Food and Networking. Lecture starts at 5:30pm.
Venue: Goodman South Library, 2222 S Park St, Madison, WI 53713 (View on Google Maps)
About our speakers
Dr. Linda Vakunta is a Deputy Mayor of the City of Madison, Wisconsin. She holds a PhD in Environmental Studies, a Master’s Degree in Rehabilitation Psychology ,and a Bachelor’s Degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Irène Tombo is a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science at UW-Madison. Her research is centered on norms and practices of citizenship (la citoyenneté) in polities in Sub-Saharan Africa. Her dissertation specifically focuses on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Topic: Everyday Citizenship from Africa to Wisconsin
Summary: In a context where the state often appears dysfunctional and remote, though not always absent, what is the nature of the relationship between rulers and those who are ruled? To shed light on this question, this talk will examine the nature of state-citizen relationship in the DRC and Wisconsin. (Source: https://africa.wisc.edu/africa-talks/)
This event is FREE and Open to the Public! No registration needed.

Past Lectures
Fall 2024 Series



Winter 2024 Series



Fall 2023 Series



Gallery
Date: Wednesday, October 30, 2024
Time: 5pm – 6:30pm
Doors open at 5pm with food and networking
Venue: 1st Floor, Urban League of Greater Madison, 2222 S Park St, Madison, WI 53713 (View on Google Maps)
Speaker & affiliation: Dorothy Lsotho, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, UW-Madison
Bio: Dorothy Lsotho is a Ph.D. student studying the persistent colonial city design of Kampala, Uganda, and air pollution inequalities using low-cost air quality sensors. She also works with research groups and policymakers to design targeted air pollution management policies in East Africa. She believes that breathing clean air is the most basic and important human right, and her goal is to see everyone achieve that human right.
Topic: Colonial-Era Air Quality Legacies in Kampala, Uganda
Summary: In Kampala, Uganda, British colonial urban planners created segregated neighborhoods for Europeans, Asians, and Africans, under the colonial public health guidance. Today neighborhoods originally designated for African residents have higher levels of air pollution than those for Europeans and Asians, even after accounting for factors like road traffic and fuel use. (Source: https://africa.wisc.edu/africa-talks/)
Our upcoming talk puts the air quality in Uganda in focus. This event is FREE and Open to the Public! No registration needed.
