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Historical Background of PAAA
The Pan African Association of Anthropologists is the brainchild of 14 African anthropologists who met in Zagreb, former Yugoslavia in July 1989 at the 12th International Congress of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences (ICAES). After a series of brain-storming sessions at Zagreb, a decision was taken to organise a conference in Cameroon during which the association would be launched.
A Steering Committee was set up to organise the conference and prepare a draft constitution. Chaired by Prof. Paul Nchoji Nkwi (Cameroon) and composed of Prof. Adama Diop (Senegal), Dr. George Hagan (Ghana) and Dr. Ocholla Ayayo (Kenya), the Steering Committee prepared a statement and presented it to the Permanent Council of the International Union for Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences (IUAES). It reads:
“We take this opportunity to congratulate the organisers of this congress who made it possible for so many anthropologists to assemble from all over the world to interact and exchange ideas and viewpoints. We want to express our deepest gratitude to the organisations and foundations that made it possible for us to participate at this congress.
It is unfortunate that so few of us Africans could come and that African Ethnology and Anthropology did not feature as prominently as it should have. This is clear evidence that African anthropologists are confronted with serious problems. Those of us who are here feel that we need to come together and identify these problems more clearly.
For this purpose we have decided to explore possibilities of forming an association of African Anthropologists. As an initial step, a steering committee has been constituted. We seek the support of this world gathering to this endeavour.”
Dr. Sydel Silverman, president of Wenner Gren Foundation was quick to respond to our plea. Several discussions with her at Zagreb guaranteed some funds for the organisation of the first conference. The Zagreb Founding Fathers were the following:
On November 14, 1989, a letter was sent out to all Vice Chancellors and Rectors of African Universities, asking them to identify African Anthropologists in their respective Universities to attend the Yaounde Conference. On September 3, 1989, 30 anthropologists from 25 Universities met in Yaounde, Cameroon to discuss the theme “the Teaching and Practice of Anthropology”. At the end of the conference, a draft constitution was adopted and officials of the association were elected. Yaounde was then chosen as the headquarters of the association because of its strategic geographical location and its bilingualism.
The Yaounde conference was honoured by the presence of Dr. Sydel Silverman, President of WennerGren Foundation, and Eric Wit, a renown American anthropologist. Other anthropologists attending the conference were Prof. Russ Bernard of the University of Florida and Alex Leonhardt, a Ph.D student from Princeton and Kathy Higgens from the Summer School of Linguistics. They became our founding associate members.
This first period was one of path-finding. The Zagreb founding fathers and those who attended the inaugural Yaounde conference were concerned about the future. The need to spread the news and to recruit new members was uppermost in their minds. The secretariat continued to reach out to other institutions and universities. In order to create visibility and bring the association to the knowledge of many, some members of the executive committee attended a number of international professional meetings, such as the annual meeting of the European Association of Social Anthropologists (EASA) and the inter-congress in Coimbra and Lisbon respectively in 1990, The second conference held in Nairobi in 1990 attracted over 80 anthropologists and paved the way for more activities. The failure to hold the third conference in Nigeria, and the abortive attempt made by Togolese anthropologists to organise an annual conference in 1991, dampened the spirits of many members. The third conference finally took place again in Yaounde in 1992, after many host departments, unfamiliar with the organisation of such conferences, failed to mobilise the resources required. The 1992 Conference saw the revitalisation of the association with the decision to establish research networks bringing anthropologists around common research interests and reviewing the constitution. The following networks were established: the Network of African Women Anthropologists (NAWA) and the Network of African Medical Anthropologists (NAMA).
This period may be described as one of consolidation in membership and in programme development. Membership increased from 280 to 450 members. More networks were established, and systematic training programmes were developed. Although, the fourth conference failed to take place in Togo in 1993 due to political unrest in that country, its holding in Cameroon at the University of Buea in 1994 saw the participation of South African anthropologists. For the first time, they were able to meet anthropologists from other parts of Africa. By 1995, an exchange programme had been established by the association in collaboration with the Association for Anthropology in Southern Africa to permit South African anthropologists to spend one month in any university in Sub-Saharan Africa and vice versa. The fifth annual conference held in Nairobi again confirmed the total integration of the vibrant South African anthropological community into the continental body, the PAAA. When South Africa hosted the Sixth Conference in 1996 there was a record participation of over 200 anthropologists.
It must be admitted that without the sustained financial assistance of Carnegie Corporation of New York, WennerGren Foundation, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and others, the association would never have made this significant progress.
These last two years have actually placed the association on the world map. Not only has the association continued its training programmes, but it has continued to develop more programmes and projects. The sustained funding from Carnegie Corporation of New York has enhanced the participation of the association in various forums. The need to streamline and strengthen both administrative and financial management has been critical in handling the increased demand for goods and services from the secretariat.
When the association celebrates its 10th anniversary in 1999, its strategic plan and activities will be built upon the experience accumulated over the decade. It will take stock of the experiences, set priorities and define future directions. This report provides guidelines for the strategic plan for 1999-2001.
Historical Background of PAAA
Jun, 22 2005Author: Published by Fábio Pili
The Pan African Association of Anthropologists is the brainchild of 14 African anthropologists who met in Zagreb, former Yugoslavia in July 1989 at the 12th International Congress of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences (ICAES). After a series of brain-storming sessions at Zagreb, a decision was taken to organise a conference in Cameroon during which the association would be launched.
A Steering Committee was set up to organise the conference and prepare a draft constitution. Chaired by Prof. Paul Nchoji Nkwi (Cameroon) and composed of Prof. Adama Diop (Senegal), Dr. George Hagan (Ghana) and Dr. Ocholla Ayayo (Kenya), the Steering Committee prepared a statement and presented it to the Permanent Council of the International Union for Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences (IUAES). It reads:
“We take this opportunity to congratulate the organisers of this congress who made it possible for so many anthropologists to assemble from all over the world to interact and exchange ideas and viewpoints. We want to express our deepest gratitude to the organisations and foundations that made it possible for us to participate at this congress.
It is unfortunate that so few of us Africans could come and that African Ethnology and Anthropology did not feature as prominently as it should have. This is clear evidence that African anthropologists are confronted with serious problems. Those of us who are here feel that we need to come together and identify these problems more clearly.
For this purpose we have decided to explore possibilities of forming an association of African Anthropologists. As an initial step, a steering committee has been constituted. We seek the support of this world gathering to this endeavour.”
Dr. Sydel Silverman, president of Wenner Gren Foundation was quick to respond to our plea. Several discussions with her at Zagreb guaranteed some funds for the organisation of the first conference. The Zagreb Founding Fathers were the following:
On November 14, 1989, a letter was sent out to all Vice Chancellors and Rectors of African Universities, asking them to identify African Anthropologists in their respective Universities to attend the Yaounde Conference. On September 3, 1989, 30 anthropologists from 25 Universities met in Yaounde, Cameroon to discuss the theme “the Teaching and Practice of Anthropology”. At the end of the conference, a draft constitution was adopted and officials of the association were elected. Yaounde was then chosen as the headquarters of the association because of its strategic geographical location and its bilingualism.
The Yaounde conference was honoured by the presence of Dr. Sydel Silverman, President of WennerGren Foundation, and Eric Wit, a renown American anthropologist. Other anthropologists attending the conference were Prof. Russ Bernard of the University of Florida and Alex Leonhardt, a Ph.D student from Princeton and Kathy Higgens from the Summer School of Linguistics. They became our founding associate members.
PERIOD : 1989 -1992
This first period was one of path-finding. The Zagreb founding fathers and those who attended the inaugural Yaounde conference were concerned about the future. The need to spread the news and to recruit new members was uppermost in their minds. The secretariat continued to reach out to other institutions and universities. In order to create visibility and bring the association to the knowledge of many, some members of the executive committee attended a number of international professional meetings, such as the annual meeting of the European Association of Social Anthropologists (EASA) and the inter-congress in Coimbra and Lisbon respectively in 1990, The second conference held in Nairobi in 1990 attracted over 80 anthropologists and paved the way for more activities. The failure to hold the third conference in Nigeria, and the abortive attempt made by Togolese anthropologists to organise an annual conference in 1991, dampened the spirits of many members. The third conference finally took place again in Yaounde in 1992, after many host departments, unfamiliar with the organisation of such conferences, failed to mobilise the resources required. The 1992 Conference saw the revitalisation of the association with the decision to establish research networks bringing anthropologists around common research interests and reviewing the constitution. The following networks were established: the Network of African Women Anthropologists (NAWA) and the Network of African Medical Anthropologists (NAMA).
PERIOD 1993-1996
This period may be described as one of consolidation in membership and in programme development. Membership increased from 280 to 450 members. More networks were established, and systematic training programmes were developed. Although, the fourth conference failed to take place in Togo in 1993 due to political unrest in that country, its holding in Cameroon at the University of Buea in 1994 saw the participation of South African anthropologists. For the first time, they were able to meet anthropologists from other parts of Africa. By 1995, an exchange programme had been established by the association in collaboration with the Association for Anthropology in Southern Africa to permit South African anthropologists to spend one month in any university in Sub-Saharan Africa and vice versa. The fifth annual conference held in Nairobi again confirmed the total integration of the vibrant South African anthropological community into the continental body, the PAAA. When South Africa hosted the Sixth Conference in 1996 there was a record participation of over 200 anthropologists.
It must be admitted that without the sustained financial assistance of Carnegie Corporation of New York, WennerGren Foundation, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and others, the association would never have made this significant progress.
PERIOD 1997-1998
These last two years have actually placed the association on the world map. Not only has the association continued its training programmes, but it has continued to develop more programmes and projects. The sustained funding from Carnegie Corporation of New York has enhanced the participation of the association in various forums. The need to streamline and strengthen both administrative and financial management has been critical in handling the increased demand for goods and services from the secretariat.
THE FUTURE
When the association celebrates its 10th anniversary in 1999, its strategic plan and activities will be built upon the experience accumulated over the decade. It will take stock of the experiences, set priorities and define future directions. This report provides guidelines for the strategic plan for 1999-2001.
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