狐狸视频

Go back
ApplyRequest InfoVisitCalendar
Home&苍产蝉辫;禄&苍产蝉辫;News&苍产蝉辫;禄&苍产蝉辫;Austin Peay professor Dr. Christophe Konkobo awarded Fulbright Scholar grant

Austin Peay professor Dr. Christophe Konkobo awarded Fulbright Scholar grant

For the second time in four years, the U.S. Department of State has picked an Austin Peay professor for its Fulbright Scholar Program.

For the second time in four years, the U.S. Department of State has picked an Austin Peay professor for its Fulbright Scholar Program.
Konkobo鈥檚 goal is to write a book on the topic, following up on his book about theater in Burkina Faso 

By winning the award, French and Francophone studies associate professor Dr. Christophe Konkobo will spend the 2019-20 academic year teaching and conducting research in the West African country . Music professor and spent nearly a year in China studying that country鈥檚 musical past.

鈥淚 am extremely proud of Dr. Konkobo,鈥 Barry Jones, dean of the College of Arts and Letters, said. 鈥淲inning a Fulbright is an amazing compliment, and it validates what we already knew in the College of Arts and Letters, that Dr. Konkobo is a high-level scholar who has made and will continue to make important contributions to the study of Francophone literature and cinema.鈥

Konkobo will teach African American pop culture, film and theater, and he鈥檒l research African acting and filmmaking. He has taught in APSU鈥檚 Department of Languages and Literature for six years.

鈥淚 think Austin Peay made this story possible because, for instance, my chair, Dr. David Guest, has been supportive,鈥 he said. 鈥淥nce I decided I wanted to do this, I knew that I would have the backing of the institution. That makes a difference.鈥

TEACHING 鈥楢MERICAN CIVILIZATION鈥

Konkobo will return to the , where he earned his first two degrees (he also has master鈥檚 and doctorate degrees from the University of Iowa).

鈥淚鈥檒l teach what is known as American culture, they call it more specifically 鈥楢merican Civilization,鈥 and my niche in that particular field is African American pop culture, film and theater,鈥 he said.

The title of the class will be 鈥淒o the Right Thing,鈥 a name he borrowed from the celebrated 1989 Spike Lee movie.

鈥淭he bulk of the films and the work that students will be examining is about African Americans, about how they portray the lives and the struggles and the culture of the African American community,鈥 Konkobo said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 one part of it, I have a theater part too.鈥

He also thinks developing curriculum for the University of Ouagadougou will benefit students at Austin Peay.

鈥淲hile I am glad to be able to fulfill the pedagogical needs of the host university, I am also looking forward eventually to revising the same course syllabi and teaching them to benefit our students minoring in African American studies at Austin Peay,鈥 Konkobo wrote in his Fulbright application.

RESEARCHING AFRICAN ACTING, FILMS

Konkobo鈥檚 research during the Fulbright will focus on acting and filmmaking in French-speaking (Francophone) Sub-Saharan countries. His goal is to write a book on the topic, following up on his book about theater in Burkina Faso titled 鈥溾 (鈥淭he Practice of Modern Theatre in Burkina Faso鈥).

鈥淲hile examining theatre, I found interest in studying acting and actors in cinema,鈥 Konkobo wrote in his Fulbright application. 鈥淢y research project examines and analyzes acting and the use of actors in Sub-Saharan Francophone films from the colonial era to contemporary times.鈥

In a recent interview, he added: 鈥淚鈥檒l be looking at that period and examining how Africans were portrayed 鈥 not as actors, not as subjects, but as objects 鈥 and then fast-forwarding to post-colonial times when we have both actors and filmmakers getting together to create their own stories and portraying their own realities.鈥

Living in Burkina Faso as a Fulbright Scholar will give Konkobo ample resources for his research. The capital city, Ouagadougou, hosts one of the world鈥檚 largest and oldest film festivals, the , and has established itself as the home of African cinema.

Konkobo plans to interview several film producers, actors and directors, and visit during his research.

WHAT IS THE FULBRIGHT?

The Fulbright Program, the flagship international educational program of the U.S. government, provides participants the 鈥渙pportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns,鈥 according to the Department of State website.

The Fulbright Program awards about 1,200 U.S. scholar and 1,900 U.S. student grants each year. The program also brings international scholars and students to the United States. Congress and other participating countries provide funding and support for the program.

鈥淚 think for my personal development, as a scholar, as a researcher, as a teacher, it really gives me a lot more confidence that I鈥檓 doing the right thing,鈥 Konkobo said. 鈥淭hat colleagues from different backgrounds and different subject matters decided my topic was worthwhile, and the government decided they would fund me to research and teach on behalf of the United States.

鈥淭his is really something important.鈥

SEE KONKOBO'S WORK

Konkobo is one of the collaborators of "Papalagui Exposed," performed 8 p.m. Friday, May 10, and Saturday, May 11, at OZ Arts Nashville. "Papalagui Exposed" is an immersive theatrical experience that explores Western culture鈥檚 obsession with nature, money, and time," according to the show's website. Tickets are $25, and you can find more information about the performance exhibit at .

TO LEARN MORE