'Brown Bag' Lecture series to focus on African issues

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MSU assistant professor Mara Leichtman and her research on Islam in Senegal kicked off the African Studies Center’s annual Brown Bag lecture series Thursday afternoon at the International Center.

The Brown Bag Series has been enlightening MSU staff and students on issues in Africa since it started in the mid-1970s, said Yacob Fisseha, the series’ organizer and assistant director of the MSU African Studies Center.

The events usually are held in the middle of the day, Fisseha said, which is why the series became known as the Brown Bag series. Since lectures took place during standard lunch times, people associated the seminars with their brown lunch bags, he said.

Each meeting — which is half lecture and half discussion with the audience — is designed to educate the people of MSU about the many issues Africa faces, Fisseha said.

“Not too many people know about Africa,” he said. “This is one way of making people aware of Africa.”

Leichtman, an assistant professor of anthropology and Muslim studies, commenced this season’s lecture series with an examination of multiple sects of Islam within the West African nation of Senegal.

“It’s an honor to kick it off and have a good turnout and a good discussion,” she said.

Leichtman spent nine years researching religion in Senegal, which spans back to when she was still in college. Although she said her seminar was better suited to those with a good understanding of African culture, there still were relevant issues the average American MSU student could learn about.

“What we hear about in the news all the time about Senegalese Islam and Islam in general being equal to terrorism isn’t always the case,” she said.

Although the public is encouraged to come listen to each speaker, the Brown Bag series tries to bring audience members into the discussion by opening the floor to questions after each lecture, Fisseha said.

“It’s a good critical engagement opportunity at the end,” said Matthew Harris, a comparative cultures and politics senior who is considering interning in Senegal.

“You hear all the different faculty members and people that are interested giving their take, asking questions from their particular context, their different perception, and then contributing to the research of the presenter.”

The Brown Bag Series will continue Sept. 17 with an examination of the violence in Sudan entitled “Unclear Silhouettes: Can South Sudan Charter a Peaceful Path to Independence?” presented by Loro Lo-Laja Kujjo, a professor in the Department of Physiology.

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