UNC Stone Center Welcomes Senegalese Artist & Scholar Bouna Ndiaye
Chapel Hill, NC — The UNC Sonja Haynes Stone Center, in partnership with The Palace International, will feature Senegalese artist and scholar Bouna Ndiaye during a special film screening and discussion of the 50th Anniversary of the historic 1966 World Festival of Negro Arts. Ndiaye will discuss his findings and show select archival footage from his upcoming documentary about the festival on April 23rd at 5pm at The Palace International restaurant in Durham.
In 1966, musicians, writers, sculptors, painters, performers, poets and other art enthusiasts gathered in Dakar, Senegal for the first World Festival of Negro Arts (Premier Festival Mondial des arts nègres). The festival drew attendees from the African diaspora around the world. They came from 45 countries and included several heads of state from newly independent African countries. Artists from the Americas included Langston Hughes, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, The Alvin Alley Dance Group, and a steel band from Trinidad and Tobago.
Since the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of this landmark event in 2016, Ndiaye has embarked on a “collective memory” documentary film project to re-discover the spirit and history of the festival. This work has led him to rare and intriguing archival footage and documents from various sources including Russia and his native Senegal.
Bouna Ndiaye is a graduate of North Carolina Central University (NCCU), and the International University of Japan. He taught African film and music at Duke University following his tenure as the Assistant Director for Administration at NCCU. Ndiaye is the president of Bonjour Africa Projects, Inc. and producer and host of syndicated African music program Bonjour Africa — a weekly African music program that airs on 13 public radio stations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
Ndiaye will present at The Palace International restaurant (1104 Broad Street) in Durham from 5:00-8:00 P.M., Sunday, April 23. Refreshments will be served. This event is free and open to the public, however space is limited, and RSVP is encouraged. To RSVP or for more information call 919-962-9001 or visit www.stonecenter.unc.edu.