Dr. Irele

Austin Peay State University’s Department of Language and Literature, Center for Excellence in the Creative Arts, African American Cultural Center, Hispanic Cultural Center, and numerous other entities joined forces to present the 14^th Asanbe Memorial Symposium with guest lecturer Dr. F. Abiola Irele, Harvard University.

The Asanbe Symposium was started many years ago with a charge to the Multiculturalism Committee in the Department of Language and Literature. Over time, the Symposium has come to be an avenue to promote general diversity in the literary arts, and also our understanding of them.

As it has moved from serving the department, to the university and now to serving our community at large, Symposium speakers have presented on a variety of topics including Ghandi, Europe, the Holocaust, Feminism and many other topics. It became known as the Asanbe Symposium 14 years ago as a tribute to Joseph Asanbe, first professor of African and African American Literature at APSU.

Audience for the Asanbe Symposium

Dr.  Irele was also the keynote speaker 14 years ago at the first Symposium named for Asanbe and returned for this symposium. Also in attendance were Dr. Comfort Asanbe of CUNY and the Asanbe’s children Dr. Irele has his degrees from the University of London and The Sorbonne, Paris. His academic specialties are in African and Afro as well as Romance Literature, Francophone (French speaking) African traditions, and the African Oral Tradition. He is currently a visiting professor of African Studies, and African and Romance Literature at Harvard University. Other highlights from Dr. Irele’s career include being on the editorial staff of the widely known Norton Anthologies and Oxford Anthologies.

Dr. Irele’s lecture for this year’s Symposium was on“Orality and Literature—The African Example.” Dr. Irele’s lecture started by noting that from the perspective of our literate culture, the idea of spoken word as a form of literature is a foreign thought. However, in Africa oral tradition is extremely important. The African Continent has more than 1,000 distinct languages (yes, languages, not dialects) virtually all of which are tonal languages that are badly represented by an alphabet. However, Dr. Irele also notes that in an oral culture, the line between simple writing and the modern meaning of literature is very hard to distinguish.

Dr. Irele sets out that the identification of Oral Literature, which fails to fit the poetry/prose dichotomy and is generally multi-genre, by its form and its function. Dr. Irele’s final point for this is to say that to understand, we need to place African Literature and its Oral component in a comparative view as part of the culture and awareness that are distinctly African.

A ghastly, undead creature haunts one of APSU's bowls, demonstrating the mechanical and creative ingenuity of APSU students.

G.H.O.S.T. hosted creepy thrills and a fun night full of treats without tricks. Austin Peay State University student organizations and departments opened the campus to the community to give parents, and children the chance to have a safe time while trick or treating. Students stood in the twilight hours of the fading October sun, dressed in various costumes with spectacular organizational displays.

Some organizations such as the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), and Chi Epsilon Mu had costume themes. Those two groups chose vampires and pirates, respectively. Chi Epsilon Mu won the first place prize for their two-story pirate ship playhouse display, allowing members to man the tables, and the vessel in true ship-man teamwork.

G.H.O.S.T., a long-stranding tradition at Austin Peay State University, stands for Greater Halloween Options for Safe Trick or Treating, and is presented annually by the SGA on the last Sunday before Halloween between the hours of 4:30 pm to 7:00 pm.

Ahoy Mateys! Chi Epsilon Mu took home first place for their pirate playhouse again this year.

APSU has been offering G.H.O.S.T. since the program’s inception in 1996, and ever since participation has been growing and growing. And the twelfth annual G.H.O.S.T. this past Sunday was no exception according to APSU SGA Adviser Greg Singleton.

Student groups start setting up an hour early, but the advance preparation far exceeds that. Many groups with new members who have not done the event before may have to make candy runs, or borrow candy from another group. For the first time in five years, the GSA almost completed the candy giving until near the very end of the event even with an emergency candy run; it took just over twenty-four bags of candy.

Singleton, who has been acting adviser since 2007,  said, “This was probably one of the years that has the most attendance based upon feedback we received from student set up boxes for the children. We know for a fact almost 2,000 people were here yesterday, including 1,600 children because we distributed over 1,600 books.”

GSAers James Butler and Melinda Aceae pose for the camera. Melinda created the coffin the group used to house the Pumpkinhead body stuffed with candy.

There have been no incidents at G.H.O.S.T. as Singleton stated public safety patrols the area, which is filled with staff members and students.

When asked what G.H.O.S.T. brings to the community table in the overwhelming success of the program, Singleton said, “I think it provides children an environment to have safe trick or treating in a safe atmosphere. Our campus provides services to the community where children can go and it’s in a safe, controlled environment.”

For APSU student organizations who wish to participate, they must fill out a G.H.O.S.T. registration packet, that now appears on the website in the Fall semester. Only the second year that the forms have been provided online, the G.H.O.S.T. packets are available at the following URL: http://www.apsu.edu/sga/, and must be returned by the SGA deadline to the Office of Student Affairs.

All across America, in middle and high schools as well as colleges, students have pledged to remain silent for the entire school day. The event was spearheaded by GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network) in order to promote a better understanding and tolerance for GLBT students. The day was organized first in 1996 at the University of Virginia and grew exponentially every following year.

For those of us who are not students, let me digress for a moment. I’m reminded of when my boss joked that she would schedule a (rare) meeting on the 18th, knowing that it was the one day I might not say anything. Of course, I knew she was joking. It wouldn’t have worked, anyway. I can find a way to get my point across! Now, don’t go asking me for her email. You won’t get it. Her jest does, however, raise a good point.

The Day of Silence is for schools. This is NOT appropriate for the workplace. I know a lot of people who work in call centers. Being silent on that job would not bode well at all. So please… don’t confuse a school day protest for something that would be appropriate for work. If you’re working for an employer that does not have any protections for GLBT people, then there are other ways to address that issue. Thankfully, my employer does.

I will, however, participate by not posting on this site for the entire day. I’ll repost again on Thursday.

The message of the Day of Silence is pretty simple. Each participant will have “speaking” cards that will explain why they’re being silent. On one side, the card will read:

“Please understand my reasons for not speaking today. I am participating in the Day of Silence, a national youth movement protesting the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies in schools. My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by harassment, prejudice, and discrimination. I believe that ending the silence is the first step toward fighting these injustices. Think about the voices you are not hearing today. What are you going to do to end the silence?”

The other side of the card will provide some possibilities for GLBT students and allies to find ways to end the silence. Some common examples will be “join the GSA (or other GLBT-and-allies club,” to “support your GLBT friends,” or to “come out of the closet!”

GLBT kids and young adults everywhere feel like they have to be silent about their sexual orientation or gender identity. They have to hide; they hope no one finds out. Because when someone does find out—a bully or abusive parent—then things can go from bad to worse. According to the www.dayofsilence.org website:

GLSEN’s 2005 National School Climate Survey found that more than 64% of LGBT students report verbal, sexual or physical harassment at school and 29% report missing at least a day of school in the past month out of fear for their personal safety. The Day of Silence is one way students and their allies are making anti-LGBT bullying, harassment and name-calling unacceptable in America’s schools.

At the end of the day, most schools will host a “break the silence” rally which will feature speakers and entertainment. At Austin Peay State University here in Clarksville, the event will be hosted by that school’s Gay-Straight Alliance.

I encourage students everywhere to consider taking part in this act. The message of equality can be shouted from the rooftops by not saying a word. Let’s put an end to the harassment, abuse, and fear once and for all. It’s time for us to say—with silence—that it’s not okay to treat GLBT people as anything less than complete, moral, intelligent, passionate, and loving human beings.

For more information:

www.dayofsilence.org