Two years ago, Duke University launched its Africa Initiative. The goal of the initiative was to bring Africans to Duke and for Duke students and faculty to spend time in Africa for study and research.
At the present time, there are 100 scholars from Duke in Africa. But that is just one part of the story. Charlie Piot is the Creed C. Black Associate Professor of Cultural Anthropology and African and African American Studies. He was the first co-chair of the Africa Initiative. “I want this to be a two-way exchange,” he said. “I want to Africanize Duke’s campus and bring over people for training programs.” In addition, scholars from Africa are brought to Duke as visiting professors or to participate in symposia, lectures, and workshops.
The initiative is funded in part by a grant from the provost’s office at Duke. In addition to research and study abroad programs, funds are also allocated to initiatives to promote course offerings at Duke that deal with Africa.
