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Events

The Tshepo Institute hosts a variety of events throughout the year such as annual public lectures, webinars, seminars, symposiums, and our annual AGM. Many of our events are online and some are in-person. 

One of our major annual events is the Nelson Mandela Public Lecture Series. The Tshepo Institute invites world class scholars to share their Africa-centric research with Laurier faculty, students, and the larger community. The aim of this series is to catalyze positive transformation by bringing focus to issues emerging on the continent and amongst the African diaspora. Tshepo also hold smaller events online and across all Laurier campuses.  

 


  

Future Events

 

In recognition of International Women's Month, the Tshepo Institute for the Study of Contemporary Africa at Wilfrid Laurier University (Waterloo, Ontario, Canada) is organizing a 90-minute roundtable discussion. This event will bring together women who are experienced professionals in the Nigerian video industry alongside academics who study the field. 
 
Led by Tshepo Fellow and Chair of Wilfrid Laurier’s Communication Studies Department, Dr. Jade Miller (author of Nollywood Central, published by the British Film Institute Press), this panel—hosted by the Tshepo Institute (organized by Karen Cyrus, Godwin Simon, and Jade Miller) —will provide a platform for women filmmakers to discuss how current trends in the Nigerian movie industry are shaping their projects and influencing their approach to filmmaking. 
 
Where: This event will be a virtual roundtable via Zoom
When: Tuesday, Mar. 25 at (12 pm noon, EST – Toronto) | (5:00 pm- Lagos) | (4:00 pm -London, UK)
To attend, register using this link and a Zoom link to the event will be sent to the email address you used to register.  

 


 

 

Past Events

 

 

Making Space for All: Centering Social and Cultural Representations in EDII Conversations

Tshepo Fellow, Dr. Ehaab Abdou, organized two panels and a workshop to discuss issues of representation in a variety of educational contexts. The organizers and panelists included 

Dr. Kevin Burrell (Department of Religion and Culture and Tshepo fellow) on representations with a focus on Judeo-Christian religious scriptures;
Dr. Ann Marie Beals (Department of Community Psychology) representations of anti-Black racism as a colonial construct;
Dr. Karen Cyrus (Faculty of Music and Tshepo's Director) on representations within music education and the academy;
Dr. Alexandra Boutros (Department of Communication Studies) on representations within post-secondary music education and the music industry more broadly

Dr. Ryan Neepin (Faculty of Education) on representations of Indigenous histories and cultures
Dr. Ardavan Eizadirad (Faculty of Education) on representations in teacher education; EDI in the midst of anti-Wokeism

When: March 7 from 9 am to 2 pm

Where: Senate Board Chambers, Waterloo campus

 


 

Tshepo fellows, Dr. Robert Ame and Esther Haywood, organized this gathering which featured the theme Black Joy. 

The keynote speakers were Tshepo fellows Drs. Karen Cyrus and Kwashie Kuwor.

When: March 6, 2025 at 5 pm 

Where: One Market Atrium, Brantford Campus

 


 

Lamine Diallo is the co-founder of the Tshepo Institute. The Lamine Diallo Lecture Series for FW 2024-2025, featuring a screening of the documentary film STEADFAST - The Messenger and the Message and a conversation with the Hon. Dr. Jean Augustine. This event was held by the Office of the Associate Vice-President: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

Dr. Augustine who was the first Black Canadian female Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister elected to Canada's House of Commons in 1993, and the subsequent champion of a federal motion to establish February as Black History Month in Canada.

Please hold the date and time for this special event:  

  • Friday, February 28, 2:00-4:00 pm with a reception at 1:30 pm
  • Join us in-person in the Paul Martin Center on the Waterloo campus or by Zoom webinar
  • Registration link is available here:

 


 

 

 

Tshepo Fellows Drs. Karen Cyrus and Heena Mistry partnered with Teneile Warren and Pauline Janke from the Waterloo Region District School Board's EDI office to organize and convene the second annual Black Brilliance Elementary Conference at Laurier. The conference welcomed elementary students of African descent from 45 public schools across the Waterloo Region.

There were over 350 persons in attendance, including elementary students from grades 5 to 8, their teachers, and guests. The day began with a plenary session, followed by seven concurrent workshops. Attendees then enjoyed a lunch featuring African and Afrodiasporic cuisine before participating in another round of seven workshops. The event concluded with an African dance party.

The workshops were facilitated by Laurier’s faculty and staff, including several Tshepo fellows, members of Laurier's Black Faculty and Staff Caucus, and community members. Additionally, 25 undergraduate event assistants supported the event. The conference also received support from the Faculty of Music, Lazaridis Hall, WLUFA, Office of the Dean, CSEDI, Black Faculty and Staff Caucus, Office of the President, Faculty of Arts, Office of the AVP-EDI, ICT, and the Kitchener Public Library.

When: February 20, 2025  from 10 am to 2:30 pm

 


 

 

 

Contact Us:

Karen Cyrus, Director

E: kcyrus@wlu.ca

Stacey Wilson-Forsberg, Associate Director

E: swilsonforsberg@wlu.ca