Conferences

-19th April 2024: Presented at the 77th annual Languages, Literatures and Cultures Conference (KLFC) in Lexington, KY, on topic "Post-indépendances et langues officielles en Afrique francophone: le temps des corrections identitaires".

-20th June 2023: Presented at the 37th International Congress of CIEF (International Council of Francophone Studies) in Hammamet, Tunisia, on topic "[Pro-]féminisme à travers le cinéma de l'Afrique post-coloniale".

-12th March 2022: Presented at the 53rd Annual Convention of Northeast Modern Language Association (NeMLA) in Baltimore, Maryland, on topic "Enjeu négo-féministe dans les films d'Ousmane Sembène".

-7th October 2020: Presented in the virtual format of the International Colloquium on Africana: Figures de femmes et formes de pouvoir, by the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, on topic "Pouvoir et paradoxe féminins à l'écran d'Ousmane Sembène: cas de Moolaade et de Faat Kiné". 

-25th April 2019: Presented at the 13th International Conference on Foreign Languages, Communication and Culture (WEFLA), at the University of Holguin, Cuba, on topic "(Dé)construction du 'réel-fiction' et formation de la ‘zone grise’ dans le roman ouest-africain et antillais".

-4th October 2018: Presented at the Mountain Interstate Foreign Language Conference (MIFLC), at the University of Tennessee, on topic "Voyage et redéfinition de l'identité noire sous la camera de Rachid Bouchared". 

-9th October 2017: Presented at the International Colloquium on Francophone Literatures at the Université de Lille-3 in France, on topic "La 'zone grise' ou le miroir intime de l'effet conjugué de l'historique et du fictionnel dans la création romanesque: cas de Maryse Condé et de Kangni Alem".

-28th June 2017: Presented at the 31st annual conference of the International Council of Francophone Studies (CIEF) in Fort-de-France in Martinique, on topic "Les identités en exil dans Moi, Tituba sorcière de Maryse Condé".

-27th May 2016: Presented at the 30th annual conference of the International Council of Francophone Studies (CIEF) in Saly-Portudal in Senegal, on topic " De l’apartheid linguistique à la dictature linguistique, socle d’une littérature africaine ‘afro-européenne’".

-14th April 2016: Presented at the annual conference of the Kentucky Foreign Language Conference (KFLC) at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, KY, on topic "L'effet de 'zone grise' dans l' écriture romanesque de Kangni Alem".

-16th October 2015: Presented at the 65th Annual Mountain Interstate Foreign Language Conference (MIFLC), at the College of Charleston SC, on topic "La littérature africaine en langue africaine, un impératif identitaire ou une distraction idéologique?"

-9th October 2015: Presented at the International Colloquium on 'History and Fiction in Francophone Literature', at the University of Dalhousie in Halifax, Canada, on topic "Fiction réaliste ou engagement avorté dans La légende de l'assassin de Kangni Alem".

-1st May 2015: Presented and participated in a roundtable panel at the 46th Annual Convention of Northeast Modern Language Association (NeMLA) in Toronto, Canada, on topic "L’Afrique au secours de l’Afrique à l’ère de l’interventionnisme néocolonial".

-31st March 2015: Guest presenter on topic "La littérature togolaise dans le collimateur de la critique universitaire aux Etats-Unis" during the Department of Modern Languages & Literatures' Study Days at the Université de Lomé, Togo, co-organized with the international festival FILBLEU, on theme "The Togolese Literature, Here and Elsewhere" .

-5th April 2014: Presented and participated in a roundtable panel at the 45th Annual Convention of Northeast Modern Language Association (NeMLA) in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on topic "La France au 'secours' de l’Afrique francophone: utopie ou nécessité? ".

-27th March 2014: Presented a paper at the  41st annual French Literature Conference at the University of South Carolina, in Columbia, SC, on the topic " Little Senegal ou le voyage solitaire vers l'imaginaire identitaire ".

-7th March 2014: Presented a paper at the 20th & 21st Century French & Francophone Studies International Colloquium (FFSC) in New York City, NY, on the topic " Pouvoir, spiritualité et paradoxe du rôle monétaire dans La grève des Battu d’Aminata Sow Fall ".

-21st March 2013: Presented a paper at the 39th African Literature Association (ALA) annual conference in Charleston, South Carolina, on topic " La langue africaine pour une littérature africaine: outil de libération ou utopie? "

-11th April 2012: Gave an invited presentation at North Carolina State University, in Raleigh, on topic "African Languages for African Literature, a Quest Born of an Identity Crisis."

-17th March 2012: Presented a paper at the 43rd Annual Convention, Northeast Modern Language Association (NeMLA) in Rochester, New York, on topic "Redéfinition et remodelage de l’Afrique francophone à travers la littérature: l’âge des mises à jour." 

-13th January 2012: Presented a paper at the 10th Annual Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities in Honolulu, Hawaii, on topic "Pitfalls and Relevance of Peuples noirs, peuples africains (Black People, African People) to the Literature of Francophone Africa."

-25th March 2011: Presented a paper at the 17th Annual Carolina Conference on Romance Literatures at UNC Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on topic "L'engagement littéraire de la diaspora francophone à travers l' œuvre journalistique: cas de Mongo Béti."

-8th October 2010: Presented a paper at the 60th Annual Mountain Interstate Foreign Language Conference (MIFLC) hosted by Radford University, Virginia, and its Department of  Foreign Languages and Literatures, on topic "Problématique du français en Afrique francophone noire : à la recherche d’une deuxième indépendance."

-7th March 2010: Presented a paper in Toronto, Canada, at the 20th & 21st Century French & Francophone Studies International Colloquium (FFSC) on the topic "Le mythe d'hégémonie du français dans l'espace linguistique francophone africain : approches innovatrices modernes contre une glottophagie conceptuelle pour une Afrique affranchie".

-9th October 2009: Presented a paper at the 59th Annual Mountain Interstate Foreign Language Conference (MIFLC) at Furman University, South Carolina, on topic: "Effets conjugués de la migritude et de la négritude de Mongo Béti à travers l’écriture diasporique dans 'Peuples noirs, peuples africains' ".

-26th March 2009: Presented a paper at the 20th and 21st-Century French and Francophone Studies International Colloquium (FFSC) at the University of Minnesota, twin-cities campus, on topic "L'anatomie des rapports majeurs de force dans 'Les Silences du Palais' de Moufida Tlatli: la cohabitation du sociable et de l'insociable".

-8th March 2008: Presented a paper at the French Studies Conference at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on topic "Tenants et aboutissants de la francophonie face à la mondialisation linguistique: le chemin de la survie de la langue française".

 

INVITED SPEECHES...

• 9^th November 2023: Speech title is "From Africa to the ‘American Dream’: Humanity Revisited" at Centenary College of Louisiana in Shreveport, LA.

• 3^rd March 2019: Speech title is "Am I a Global Citizen?" at the Ghana Project Association’s Annual Celebration at SUNY Geneseo.

• 5^th March 2016: Speech title is "Is Africa Invisible?" at the Ghana Project Association’s Annual Celebration at SUNY Geneseo.

• 21^st February 2015: Speech title is "Why Do We Exist?" at the Ghana Project Association’s Annual Celebration at SUNY Geneseo.
• 20^th March 2013: Speech title is "Pitfalls and Relevance of African Languages for African Literature" at the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at North Carolina State University.

ROUNDTABLE PANELS...

-8th April 2015:  Participated in a Global Leadership roundtable discussion panel on topic: "What Happens There, Matters Here" [Social Justice Series] initiated by the GOLD Leadership program at SUNY Geneseo.

-31st March 2015:  Participated in a roundtable discussion panel on topic: "The Togolese Literature, Here and Elsewhere " organized by the Université de Lomé in Togo, and the international festival FILBLEU.

-26th April 2014: Participated in a roundtable panel on topic: "Power to the Peoples of Color: Challenges and Triumphs in the Professional World", intiated by the Diasporas of Color Conference held at SUNY Geneseo.

-11th April 2014:  Participated in a Global Leadership roundtable discussion panel on topic: "What Happens There, Matters Here" [Social Justice Series] initiated by the GOLD Leadership program at SUNY Geneseo.

MENTORED STUDENT CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS AT NCUR, CUR...

- "Coexistence of Traditional and Biomedical Medicine in West Africa: The Case of Senegal." (by Nora Whorton, for presentation at the California State University, NCUR 2024) [Research mentor: Dr. Kodjo Adabra]

- "From Sub-Saharan Struggles to Caribbean Crisis: Tackling Child Soldiering Globally with U.S Intervention." (by Seynha Jean Coute, for presentation at the California State University, NCUR 2024) [Research mentor: Dr. Kodjo Adabra]

- "Redefining the Will of God: From Christian Polygamy in Utah to Islamic Polygamy in Senegal." (by Brianna Cohen, for presentation at the California State University, NCUR 2024) [Research mentor: Dr. Kodjo Adabra]

- "Everybody Wants to be Black, but Nobody Wants to be Black: Redefining Our Influence, Stereotype, and Perception." (by Nazari Cooke, for presentation at the California State University, NCUR 2024) [Research mentor: Dr. Kodjo Adabra]

- "How Universal Are Contemporary Human Rights Regimes? Firsthand Exploration in Senegal." (by Lia Wortsman, for presentation at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, NCUR 2023) [Research mentor: Dr. Kodjo Adabra]

- “First-Hand Encounter with Multilingualism in Senegal: The Re-Defining of a Multiplicity of Voices.” (by Gaetan Jean Louis, for presentation in the CUR's new Students Transforming Through Research [STR] program, Alexandria, Virginia, 2022) [Research mentor: Dr. Kodjo Adabra]

- "Communication Barriers Beyond Spoken Language: Unpacking Senegalese Nonverbal Codes." (by Sophia Piazza, for presentation at Montana State University, NCUR 2020) [Research mentor: Dr. Kodjo Adabra]

- "Reimaging the Public Recognitions of the History of Slavery in Dakar, Senegal" (by Megan Moran, for presentation at Montana State University, NCUR 2020) [Research mentor: Dr. Kodjo Adabra]

- "Cross-Cultural Literary Translation Through the Lens of Mariama Ba's Une Si Longue Lettre" (by Helen Warfle, for presentation at Montana State University, NCUR 2020) [Research mentor: Dr. Kodjo Adabra]

-"Redefining Traditionalist Roles: Senegalese Women and their Fight for Change" (by Cassondra Ellis, presented at Kennesaw State University, NCUR 2019) [Research mentor: Dr. Kodjo Adabra]

- "Re-visiting and Re-assessing Evolution and Language in Senegalese Educational System." (by Emily Cecala, presented at Kennesaw State University, NCUR 2019) [Research mentor: Dr. Kodjo Adabra]

- "State of Desertification and Reforestation in the Western African Region: the Great Green Wall Implications." (Emily Young, presented at Kennesaw State University, NCUR 2019) [Research mentor: Dr. Kodjo Adabra]

- “The Importance of Social Movements in Transitions of Power in Senegal” (by Madeline Flamik, presented at the University of Central Oklahoma, NCUR 2018) [Research mentor: Dr. Kodjo Adabra]

- “NGOs’ Influence Leading to Educational Strides in Senegal: A Possible Solution to Financial Success and Independence?” (by Emily Hayes, presented at the University of Central Oklahoma, NCUR 2018) [Research mentor: Dr. Kodjo Adabra]

- “The Critical Perceptions of American Transnational Corporations in Dakar, Senegal” (by Trevis Lipnicky, presented at the University of Central Oklahoma, NCUR 2018) [Research mentor: Dr. Kodjo Adabra]

- “An Analysis of Today’s Rise of Far-Right Nationalism Through the Critical Feminist Lens” (by Reba Schnyder, presented at the University of Central Oklahoma, NCUR 2018) [Research mentor: Dr. Kodjo Adabra]

- “Study of Senegalese Hospitality Through First-Hand Experience” (by Maggie Francese, presented at the University of Memphis, NCUR 2017) [Research mentor: Dr. Kodjo Adabra]

- “Sages-Femmes of Dakar, Senegal, through Firsthand Experience: An Unparalleled Profession in the United States” (by Maria Suarez, presented at the University of Memphis, NCUR 2017) [Research mentor: Dr. Kodjo Adabra]

- “More Than Just Dolls: A Cross-Cultural Study of Vodou” (by Meghan Saeli, presented at the University of North Carolina Asheville, NCUR 2016) [Research mentor: Dr. Kodjo Adabra]

 - “Redefining Tradition and Modernity in Senegalese Arts” (by Ursula Quinn, presented at the University of North Carolina Asheville, NCUR 2016) [Research mentor: Dr. Kodjo Adabra]

- “Rethinking the Internet and the May 2014 Election Outcomes for Young South Africans” (by Rebecca Miller, presented at the Eastern Washington University, NCUR 2015) [Research mentor: Dr. Kodjo Adabra]

- “In the Wake of Female Genital Mutilation: Perspectives and Proactive Approaches” (by Holly Kandel, presented at the Eastern Washington University, NCUR 2015) [Research mentor: Dr. Kodjo Adabra]

- “Neo-Colonialism in Africa or Continental Imprisonment: Who to Blame?” (by Awa Gaye, presented at the University of Kentucky, NCUR 2014) [Research mentor: Dr. Kodjo Adabra]

- “A Pen and a Stethoscope: The Healthcare Situation in Senegal as Seen through Firsthand Experience” (by Marianne Macaluso, presented at the University of Kentucky, NCUR 2014) [Research mentor: Dr. Kodjo Adabra]

- “Is Neologism still a Quest for Identity and Liberation in Black Africa and the Caribbean?”  (by Daisy Luma-Haddison, presented at the University of Wisconsin in La Crosse, NCUR 2013) [Research mentor: Dr. Kodjo Adabra]