Skip to main content
Intellect

BYU symposium honors African author Cheikh Hamidou Kane March 17-18

The French Studies Program at Brigham Young University will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Cheikh Hamidou Kane’s novel “L’Aventure Ambiguë” during an Africa Colloquium Thursday and Friday, March 17-18.  All events are free, and the public is welcome.

Thursday’s events will include a lecture by Kane and Chantal Thompson, professor of French studies at BYU, at 11 a.m. in the Joseph Smith Building Auditorium. The lecture will be titled “The Clash of Culture and Faith in Colonial Africa: An Ambiguous Adventure.” Later that evening, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Gordon B. Hinckley Alumni and Visitors Center, there will be a tribute ceremony in honor of Kane, including an evening of African music and dance by Voice of Africa.

Friday’s lectures will begin at 10 a.m. in B192 Joseph F. Smith Building. Lecturers will include: Mamadou Sy Tounkara, secretary general of the committee for the 50th anniversary event; Lydie E. Moudileno, professor of romance languages and graduate chair of French at the University of Pennsylvania; Souleymane Bachir Daigne, professor of French and director of graduate studies at Columbia University; and Abdourahman Wabéri, prize-winning author and visiting professor at Claremont College.

Kane will then give the closing remarks at 3 p.m. He is considered one of the best-known African writers in the world. He was a minister in the government of Senegal and a dignitary in international affairs. He represented UNICEF in Africa, in Lagos and Abidjan.

“L’Aventure Ambiguë” is one of the great classics of African culture, addressing the choice between modern life and tradition. It received the African Prize for Expression in the French language.

This event has been organized by Chantal Thompson with support from Campus France, BYU's College of Humanities, Undergraduate Education and Honors, the Richard L. Evans Chair of Religious Understanding, the Center for the Study of Europe and the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies.

For more information, contact Chantal Thompson at (801) 422-2782 or e-mail chantal_thompson@byu.edu.

 

Writer: Mel Gardner

Related Articles

data-content-type="article"

Air traffic control for drones: BYU engineers introduce low-cost UAV detection technology

February 10, 2025
With the exponential rise in drone activity, safely managing low-flying airspace has become a major issue. Using a network of small, low-cost radars, engineering professor Cammy Peterson and her colleagues have built an air traffic control system for drones that can effectively and accurately track anything in an identified low-altitude airspace.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= overrideTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= overrideTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

Risk it or kick it? BYU research analyzes NFL coaches’ risk tolerance on fourth down

February 06, 2025
BYU study reveals how NFL coaches, including Super Bowl contenders Andy Reid and Nick Sirianni, weigh risk on fourth down.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= overrideTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= overrideTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

Forum: “The Pursuit of happiness”

January 28, 2025
Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, spoke to BYU students and employees at the Marriott Center in this week’s forum address. He emphasized the importance of self-improvement through the pursuit of virtue.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= overrideTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= overrideTextAlignment=
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= overrideTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText=