PASALA - Project for the Advanced Study of Art and Life in Africa and The University of Iowa

This first issue of Baobab is dedicated to Eugene Nsonde, the other artists of the Poto-Poto School, and the residents of Brazzaville, Congo. Recent events remind us how tenuous peace, prosperity, and life can be. The following essays are the proceedings from The University of Iowa Graduate Student Symposium, March 16, 1997. We chose to open the journal with Joanna Grabski Ochsner's paper on the Poto-Poto school. Due to the changing circumstances in Congo, and the near destruction of Brazzaville, she has changed her dissertation research to Dakar, Senegal. It seemed fitting then, that we close with Kinsey Katchka's presentation on art production at the Ecopole in Dakar, Senegal. As researchers living in a privileged culture, we have the option to modify the focus and destination of our work as circumstances change. The people who create the arts we study, and who generously open their lives and culture to our naive questions, do not have the same options. By this small gesture of tribute to the Poto-Poto artists, we mean to affirm the powers of resourcefulness and creativity of all artists that prevail in the midst of violence and destruction.

The 1997 Graduate Student Symposium was held in conjunction with the Stanley Conference on The Western African Diaspora. We are indebted to Professors Allen F. Roberts and William Dewey for organizing a truly exciting experience. We are grateful to the senior scholar presenters: Linda Beresnevicius, Dr. Judith Bettleheim, Dr. Fu Kiau Bunseki, Dr. Donald Cosentino, C. Daniel Dawson, Dr. Thomas Fernandez, Dr. William Fagaly, Dr. Babatunde Lawal, John Mason, Valdina Oliveira Pinto, Dana Rush, and Dr. Robert Farris Thompson. We deeply appreciate their generous sharing of knowledge and experience, as well as their participation in the Gradute Student Symposium. Bringing the first volume of Baobab to fruition was the work of many dedicated individuals. Funding was generously provided by the University of Iowa Student Government through the Art History Society. Gwen Roberts, Art History Society treasurer, recommended our funding source and helped in the application process. We are grateful to Dr. Christopher Roy, for continuing to raise the funds needed for the Graduate Student Symposium. His efforts allow the graduate students to open the Symposium to students all over the country, thus giving us the opportunity to share our research, and get critical feedback. Dr. Roy has acted as faculty advisor on this project since the beginning, and generously offered technical support and supplemental funding from PASALA as well. Our thanks to Allen F. Roberts, Ph.D., along with William Dewey, Ph.D., who also provided invaluable suggestions for presenting this collection of student papers.

Among the students who have donated their time and expertise, Erin-Moira West deserves the most gratitude for her innumerable hours spent editing, designing, laying out text, and countless other tasks that are necessary for a publication of this caliber. She has indeed been the major driving force behind this publication. María Beatriz Rodríguez-Feo, who organized the graduate student symposium, also helped to launch this work by contacting presenters and organizing materials. Karen Milbourne, whose paper is included in this volume, has contributed many valuable suggestions about production, editing and scholarly issues. Barbara Thompson, now doing fieldwork in Tanzania, and Brigitte Hecker, whose paper is contained herein, and who entered the program the University of Iowa this year, have both offered their enthusiastic support and constructive criticism for this project.

Undoubtedly, there are many others who we have inadvertently left off this list, and we offer our thanks for your efforts, and our apologies for our omissions.