By Sunday Emmanuel

The African Studies Students’ Association (ASSA), Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, concluded the 2026 edition of the Sankofa Conference on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at Lady Bank Anthony Hall, Institute of African Studies.

The conference, themed “Collective Memory: Bodies and African Futures,” commenced on Monday, May 25, and featured keynote addresses, panel sessions, postgraduate presentations, and cultural engagements centred on Africa’s history, identity, and future.

Speaking during the conference, keynote speaker Dr. Adewale Owoseni explored the historical and philosophical foundations of African thought while emphasizing the importance of confronting difficult histories such as colonialism, slavery, and societal violence in understanding collective memory.

“The fundamental question that looms is: what or who determines the authenticity of collective memory?” he said.

“This question implicates the cost of objectivity in the process of collective memory within the context of the African continent. It is difficult to undermine the significant historical events of slavery and colonialism in the material and psychosocial terms that constitute the making of the African collective memory.”

The conference also featured discussions and presentations by postgraduate students and invited panelists on themes including screen culture, art and the politics of memory, gender, decoloniality, and African feminist memory.

The Day Two keynote address was delivered by Stephen Adewale of the Department of Philosophy, Obafemi Awolowo University, who explained the symbolic meaning of “Sankofa” and stressed the importance of learning from the past to shape the future.

One of the major highlights of the conference was a panel session on Body, Health and Spirituality, featuring His Royal Highness, Oba Awogbemiga Oyelese Bogunmbe, the Ọba Ìwà of Oyo State; Dr. Oluwakemi Ademola Aremu of the Department of Chemical Pathology, University of Ibadan; and Dr. Charles Obafemi Jegede, Senior Research Fellow in Traditional African Medicine at the Institute of African Studies.

The conference ended with closing remarks by Prince Tunde Odunlade of the Tunde Odunlade Art Gallery, Ibadan, who also announced plans for FESTAC Africa scheduled to hold in Dakar, Senegal, in October 2026.

Cultural performances by the Kegites Club at Susan Wenger’s Garden concluded the event, while exhibition stalls displaying traditional medicine, crafts, and indigenous utensils were positioned around the venue in reflection of the conference theme.

Image credit: ASSA UI