UNIVERSITY OF THE GAMBIA
The Department of Humanities will be organizing the 3rd edition of Gambian Literature Day in March 2008. There will be a series of activities, especially a seminar which will be centered on: A Critical Analysis of Dr Lenrie Peters’ Works.
Considered by many critics as the father of Gambian Literature, Dr Lenrie Peters is one of the most accomplished African writers of our time. His works include The Second Round (novel), Satellites (poetry), Katchikali and Selected Poetry and are considered by many as new classics. He has explored different themes ranging from politics, corruption, moral decadence, depravity, religious hypocrisy, exploitation and artificiality of modern culture to effects of creeping technology. And going by Robert Frazer’s words in A Critical History, (Cambridge University Press, 1986):
National aspiration, the desire for cultural identity,
a determination to undermining now-colonialism: all of these are very
close to his heart. He is however, very weary of writing a poem which
attacks these themes directly, preferring to explore them under the
cover of metaphor or analogy. (Pages 201-202).
Peters’ thematic works go beyond the negritude school of writers as well as the other Anglophone poets.
As well as the thematic study of Peter’s works, contributors are expected to make submissions on the author’s style. Interested scholars are kindly asked to tender in their résumés on or before February 1st, 2007 and are advised to adopt the CODESRIA format. Once the contributor’s proposal is accepted, he/she will be expected to hand in his/her article latest three weeks before the seminar to the following address:
Dr Pierre Gomez
Senior Lecturer
Department of Humanities
MDI Road, Kanifing
P.O. Box 3530.
Or by email at: gomezpierre@hotmail.com