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Mark your calendars for the 2015 Sankofa54: African Youth Empowerment Conference! Registration is officially live! This year's theme is The Next Chapter: Africa in the Global Context. We are excited to come together, as scholars, professionals, and global thinkers and conduct a thoughtful appraisal of Africa’s global presence in order to better understand the unique position in which Africa stands in the world today, and how this next chapter of globalization can lead us into an age of unity and prosperity. To learn more about next year's Sankofa54, please visit our website: yaapd.org

On Oct. 30 some members of YAAPD and YASA gathered in Berkeley common room to have a stimulating video chat with Sharon Obuobi of AADAT for its African Art & Activism Campus Tour. AADAT is an art platform for African art and activism and generates conversations about the importance of the presence of African art and culture in society.

One of the topics we discussed included students’ African Identity within the context of campus and society. Dianne Lake said, “My African identity has come to encompass what it means to Black in America and Yale. . . it has made me urge to learn more about my culture and also Black American culture.” Daad Sharfi added that for her, being from Sudan, her African identity was something she always grappled with. “My friends in Sudan identify as Arab, but coming to Yale has made me own my African identity so much more.” For many, coming to terms with their cultural roots and deciding how significantly it is a part of their life is a journey every African Yalie must take. It’s also one that varies between individuals; our identities are much like branches that sprout from the same seed.

Another important issue discussed was our prospective roles in the future of Africa. We are probably too often reminded of our roles as “the future leaders of tomorrow”, but how can we also relate that to our cultural heritage? “I think because of the friendships I’ve made at Yale, I care more intensely about things I  might not have. . .  I know a lot about Nairobi and about Kenya, but because my friends are from so many other places I have become more aware of different regions and the issues they face, “ said Ivy Nyayieka on the subject. Yaa Ampofo added that for her, “Helping to instill a sense of environmental responsibility into Africa” was an obligation she felt owed to the continent. Other goals discussed were giving back to communities, helping to foster education and build schools, and provide water and shelter.

As AADAT is especially concerned with issue of African art and activism, the discussion naturally landed on African art and how it plays a role in our lives. Art is everywhere in our lives and it plays a profound role in how we can communicate our beliefs. However, what is an artist’s social responsibility and to what extent should art be used as a medium for political and social commentary? Some African artists have taken to photography as a means to raise awareness for environmental responsibility by capturing the oil spills in Nigeria while some use their craft to advocate for women’s rights. Still as integral as art may be to the African culture and the diaspora, art is still something greatly undermined in African society. Often, you’ll find parents urging their children to pursue careers in the STEM field and even condemning the idea of art as a means to live. Even then, art is something that seems to be greatly undermined in Africans’ eyes. African fashion breathes of vitality and beauty in everything from the rich patterns, fabrics, and textiles that the continent produces, yet it’s not looked upon with the same admiration as fashion is in the western world. How can we teach a continent to be more appreciative of the beauty it creates?

When the media signifies “Africa” by using stereotyped images, then you think of stereotypes when you think of African countries. You think of illiteracy, and a need for emigration and escape, and a need for aid. On the Humans of New York page, a man from Kinshasa puts it wonderfully: “We don’t like pictures like this. It is not good to deduce [sic] an entire country to the image of a person reaching out for food. It is not good for people to see us like this, and it is not good for us to see ourselves like this.” Congo has an incredible amount of farmland he points out.

Sometimes, when I complain about unfair images of Africa, students argue that Yale is different. People are educated.

“How come you know these songs,” a friend’s suitemate will ask him when he sings along to American pop music.

From the photos this boy has seen of Africa, he cannot fathom how it is possible that my friend knows these songs. How is it possible that you, from the continent of wild game and underdevelopment and disease, have had access to Coldplay?

Registration for our annual conference is officially open! Each year, The Yale Undergraduate Association for African Peace and Development hosts the SANKOFA54: African Empowerment Conference, a two-day event that aims to provide students with the necessary tools, networks, and mentor relationships needed to effect change.

We recognize that solidarity and communal efforts of students on the continent and abroad is necessary for the future success of African development and peace. But we also acknowledge a need for studying and understanding our history and past, hence the name Sankofa, which is the name of an Adinkra symbol that reminds us of the need to return to the past in order to chart a prosperous and peaceful future. The theme of this year's conference is: Pan-Africanism in the 21st Century. During the conference, we will explore strategies for us to overcome the dilemmas of divisions and how we as individuals, as communities and as nations can work together to forge partnerships that foster success across the continent and promote peace.

Last week, I attended a Dean's tea and discussion with Ruth Botsio in the Afro-American Cultural House. Ruth is a Yale alumna and current Vice President of the Yale Club of Ghana. While she had many wonderful insights and pieces of advice, what stuck with me the most was the way she compared Africa to a light. She said, "It is often said that African is a dark continent but that is a fallacy; Africa is a bright light and it is increasingly getting brighter. The opportunities that currently exist are unparalleled elsewhere." While we don't often think of this, Africa is indeed a continent bursting with intelligence, talent and drive. It is bursting with potential. But potential is nothing without opportunity. As an African living in America, it is easy for me to sit here and discuss all of the talent that is going to waste amidst the conflict and corruption that plague many African countries and yet, do absolutely nothing about it. This discussion with Ruth was a great reminder of the responsibility I have as an African living abroad.

I must think beyond myself. I have been blessed with the opportunity to attend one of the best institutions in the United States. I cannot, however, limit this experience to myself when it is possible to use it to provide opportunities for young people who live in Africa and are just as capable as I am but are just missing the right set of circumstances. As Ruth says, African rising isn't synonymous to me rising. While I admit that my first instinct is to spend the rest of my life in the West because it seems much more convenient to do so, I have to think of the motherland. And for me, the motherland is Sudan.

Save the date for next year's Sankofa54 African Empowerment Conference! It will be held at Yale University from April 4th-5th, 2014.