What's New

The Benin Exhibit:
Iyare! Splendor and Tension in Benin's Palace Theatre

Opening on November 8th, 2008

This exhibit concentrates on the dramatic moments, past and present, that make up court life, and how objects serve the heightened environment palace ceremonies create.

Contacts
Lee Cassanelli: Director
Ali B. Ali-Dinar: Associate Director
Anastasia Shown: Assistant Director
Audrey Mbeje: Director of African Languages
Faye Patterson: Program Coordinator
Center Mission
The African Studies Center at the University of Pennsylvania brings together researchers and students, along with cultural, business and media entities, to gain knowledge of contemporary and historical Africa.

The Center coordinates a wide range of course offerings and events in a variety of disciplines ranging from history, language and culture to health, science and business. The geographic expertise of Penn Africanist faculty and staff spans the continent and extends to the African diaspora. They share a commitment to an interdisciplinary approach to the study of African people, their institutions, and the wider world where they now reside. Distinguished visiting scholars from the United States and Africa regularly contribute to the CenterÕs diversity of expertise, while benefiting from the resources available at Penn and in the region.

In recognition of the quality and richness of African Studies resources at Penn, Bryn Mawr, Haverford, and Swarthmore colleges, this four-school consortium has repeatedly received Title VI National Resource Center grants from the United States Department of Education since 1993.