Citation:
Date Published:
Oct 1, 2007Abstract:
Emmanuel K. Akyeampong, a social historian of Africa, helped to establish the African Public Broadcasting Foundation to generate television, radio, and Internet programming that would be accessible to ordinary Africans.
A partnership between academic researchers and African broadcasters and producers, the foundation plans to create programming on topics ranging from health and nutrition to democracy and economic development to the impact of African music on jazz.
"The continent most in need of knowledge has been the continent most deprived of knowledge," said Akyeampong, one of the noted innovators from the Boston area slated to speak Thursday at IDEAS Boston 2007, a conference that celebrates innovation across multiple disciplines.
The conference, first organized by the Boston Globe in 2004, resumes at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston after a one-year hiatus during which it was restructured as a nonprofit venture and broadened its roster of sponsors. This year's event will run for a single day, rather than two, and will introduce a fresh cast of innovators in fields ranging from music to physics and architecture to cell biology.
It also features the return of Deborah Henson-Conant, an internationally known musician and performance artist based in Boston. Her participation at the 2005 IDEAS conference led to a series called "Inviting Invention" in which she asked scientists, dancers, and innovators from other fields to appear with her in joint performances. In some, she played the harp while scientists conducted experiments onstage.
"I was totally inspired by the last event," Henson-Conant said. "I would say it was life-changing for me."
But the event will retain the same spirit and approach as the first two IDEAS gatherings, said conference director Kathy Plazak. Unlike industry and academic forums organized around narrow themes, IDEAS showcases emerging concepts, breakthroughs, and Boston-area researchers, performers, and entrepreneurs in a variety of fields.
"It continues the tradition of bringing together the great thinkers connected with this region," Plazak said. "The approach is to highlight cutting-edge thinking and share ideas across cultures. Innovation often happens when ideas are shared or adapted from other cultures. It's a very intellectual cross-disciplinary brainstorming."
This year's IDEAS conference, again moderated by Tom Ashbrook, host of National Public Radio's "On Point" news-talk show, will have an international flavor. Among the speakers will be Akyeampong, a Harvard University professor of history and African studies; David C. Kang, an expert on the history and politics of China and North Korea; and, Bisola Ojikutu, director of international programs at Harvard Medical School's AIDS division.
Sponsors of Thursday's conference are the Boston Foundation, Partners Healthcare, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, Longworth Venture Partners, Plymouth Rock Assurance, McDermott Ventures, Business Wire, and Conventures. Its media partners are The Boston Globe, WCVB-TV, and 90.9 WBUR.