On 25-26 April, Dr Louise Hardwick gave a guest seminar paper at Cardiff University on her current research into Joseph Zobel.
The talk was part of a larger event which included a research paper on Mozambique, and a book launch for a cultural Foundation based in Angola. Louise was invited by Dr Rhian Atkin, Lecturer in Portuguese, who organised the stimulating event.
These activities were an invaluable opportunity to consider postcolonialism and the black consciousness movement of Negritude across Francophone and Lusophone contexts. Although the presentations spanned different languages and continents, the similarity of the themes discussed was striking.
After the papers, the book launch celebrated a generous donation of books about the life and works of the Angolan poet and politician Agostinho Neto. The donation was made by the Agostinho Nego Foundation, which is based in Angola. For more about the foundation, see the @zobelproject twitter feed. The TV station Televisão Pública de Angola also ran stories on the launch.
The following day, to celebrate 26 April, which would have been Joseph Zobel’s 101st birthday, Louise led a workshop where she discussed her public engagement and Impact activities in Martinique, metropolitan France and the UK.