News

By Dotto Kuhenga, CMU

The University of Dar es Salaam  Creative Arts Scholar, Prof. Imani Sanga,  recently participated in the 6^th Mashariki (Eastern African) Literary and Cultural Studies International Conference held at Makerere University, Uganda and delivered a keynote address that enthused many participants.

At this conference held from 24 to 26 August 2023 and organised by the Department of Literature, Makerere University, Prof. Sanga delivered a keynote address on “Sonification of Decolonial Acts in Selected Swahili Novels by Adam Shafi: Vuta N’Kuvute and Kasri ya Mwinyi Fuad”.

This biennial conference series inaugurated in 2013 at the University of Nairobi is a drive to motivate dialogue between the region’s scholars and stakeholders across the continent and beyond who are interested in the greater Eastern African region. This year’s conference theme was “Aesthetics and Interpretative Practices across East African Literary and Cultural Imaginaries”.

Prof. Sanga specifically argued that sounds are used to represent or enact social identities such as race and class and that sounds are used as “hidden transcripts” of decolonial acts.

Meanwhile, the Principal of the College of Humanities (CoHU), Dr. Rose Upor, commended Prof. Sanga for such an honour and opportunity to present his valuable expertise to global and diverse scholars and represent UDSM at that prestigious conference.

Prof. Imani Sanga is a Professor of Music in the Department of Creative Arts, formerly called Department of Fine and Performing Arts, in the UDSM College of Humanities (CoHU). He teaches courses in Ethnomusicology, Philosophy of Music, Composition and Choral Music; and he conducts the University Choir.

He earned his Bachelor of Arts in 1999 and a Master of Arts in 2001, both from the University of Dar es Salaam. His PhD degree is from the University of KwaZulu-Natal obtained in 2006. He wrote his PhD dissertation entitled Muziki wa Injili: Temporal and Spatial Aesthetics of Popular Church Music in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (1980s–2005) under the supervision of Professor Beverly Parker.

Two other keynote speakers took the podium to address the audience: Prof. Charles Okumu, from Gulu University, Uganda who spoke about “The Life and Times of Okot p'Bitek: Structured Biography and Excursions into his Creative Writings” and Prof. Annie Gaggiano from University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, whose topic was “Valuing East African Anglophone Literature: Aesthetic Range and Narrative Powers”.