Topic: Wole Soyinka International Cultural Exchange – WSICE 2020

Description: The 11th edition of the annual WOLE SOYINKA INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL EXCHANGE, WSICE holds virtually on the theme I AM because YOU ARE.

The programme begins on Sunday, July 12 and will continue on Monday, July 13 and Tuesday, July 14. It is organized on the OpenDoorSeries platform and promoted by Zmirage Multimedia Ltd, with the collaboration of GlobalNewHaven and support of the San Diego State University.

WSICE2020 also marks the 86th birthday anniversary of the first Black and African Nobel laureate in Literature, Professor Wole Soyinka.

Highlights of the 3-day programme are:

Day 1 (12th July 2020)

• Advocacy Conference: PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS AND OUR COMMON HUMANITY. Keynote by Prof. Li-Rong Lilly Cheng, Executive Director of Chinese Cultural Centre, San Diego State University, USA; supported by five other papers by speakers from China, Spain, Canada, Trinidad & Tobago and Nigeria.
• Film screening: The White Handkerchief (dir. Tunde Kelani) (NIG)
• Performances: Soyinka’s The Bacchae, (dir. Jefferey Page) (USA)

Day 2 (13th July 2020)

• Advocacy Symposium: ReIMAGINING our WORLD post-PANDEMIC.
  Keynote: Prof. (Fr.) Joseph Brown, SJ of Africana Studies, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, USA; supported by five other speakers from Uganda, Zimbabwe, France, USA and Nigeria.
• Film screenings: Wole Soyinka: Poeto Citoyen (53″; dir. Jean-Pierre Zirn/Bankole Bello).
• Performances: Letter to Corona by Crown Troupe of Africa, and Soyinka’s King Baabu by Oxzygen Koncepts.

Day 3 (14th July 2020)

• The Wole Soyinka Essay competition: Announcement of zonal and global winners.
• Film screenings: Abobaku (35″; dir. Femi Odugbemi)
• Performances: Live Storytelling by Yayra Tamakloe (Ghana/USA)

Start Time: Noon (West Central Africa – UTC/GMT +1) Daily