At the invitation of publisher Présence Africaine in Paris, Professor of French Joseph Mwantuali recently participated in Université de la Rentrée Présence Africaine (URPA). The main theme for this year was “Transmission” (knowledge, cultures, etc.) and featured discussions of topics relevant to Africa in the 21st century.
He presented in a roundtable on “Women’s Destiny.” Drawing from his novel Tell This to My Mother, Mwantuali discussed the very African thesis that “God Is a Woman,” as elaborated by the Cameroon and Ivory Coast writer and playwright Werewere-Liking.
This year’s URPA celebrated the 70th year of Présence Africaine. The conference included speeches by the President of Senegal Macky Sall and the general secretary of the International Francophone Organization. The event also featured prestigious African guests including Nobel Prize Wole Soyinka of Nigeria, writer Ngugi Wa Thiong’O of Kenya, philosopher Theophile Obenga of Cameroon, and historian Elikya Mbokolo of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
