The Oxford Africa Conference 2019

18 May 2019

Istanbul Africa Trade Company at the Oxford Africa Conference

Burak Unal, Director of African Markets, participated in the Oxford Africa Conference 18 May 2019 at the University of Oxford Blavatnik School of Government. The conferences and networking events were at the main theatre of the Blavatnik School of Government.

About the Conference

The Oxford Africa Conference is the leading interdisciplinary conference on Africa, hosted by the University of Oxford Africa Society. The Conference brings together heads of state, policymakers, business leaders, academics, artists, students, and professionals of African descent to critically expand the discourse and action on Africa. The conference is also the society’s annual call to action: the opportunity for coalescing ideas and initiatives that can augment and create opportunities for African individuals, companies and organisations.

This year’s conference convenes around the theme Africa’s Relevance: Locally, Continentally and Globally.

Africa’s Relevance: Locally, Continentally and Globally

The theme of this year’s conference is Africa’s Relevance: Locally, Continentally and Globally” . In its 9 th year running, this year’s conference will convene around the theme Asserting Africa’s Relevance: Locally, Continentally and Globally. Through a series of interactive panels, keynote addresses and debates, we will explore pathways to asserting Africa’s relevance by:

• The first track will take stock of the diverse indigenous assets that exist across the continent, whether in terms of artistic tradition or governance models, whilst casting a critical eye on the concept of indigeneity.
• The second track will address the question of Africa’s relevance as a continental unit and take a deep dive into the multiple aspects of integration ranging from the tangible, such as institutions and roads, to the intangible such as Pan African identity and political ideologies.
• The third track will explore Africa’s place in the world. Building on our indigenous assets and our conception of what constitutes a coherent geographical and political unit, where does, and where should, Africa fit in broader multilateralism? How can Africa be a resilient and influential global player and partner?

This year is a particularly exciting year for the conference as it marks several monumental milestones such as the 100th year anniversary of the 1919 Pan- African Conference, the 400th year anniversary of the 1619 arrival of enslaved African Americans, and the declaration of the United Nations Decade of People of African Descent. The Conference is held at a crucial moment in time, in the midst of a critical global discourse on Africa and Africans in the diaspora.

Students, academics, innovators and trailblazers are invited to explore the challenges of Africa’s 21st century realities and chart ways forward for the prosperity of Africa. We value the strengths of Pan-African knowledge and highly encourage attendees to use this conference as an opportunity to learn, participate and share their knowledge.