Ataya: The HUMA Interdisciplinary Seminar Series

Speaker: Abena Kyere (Postdoctoral Research Fellow: Africa AI Ethics, HUMA Institute for Humanities in Africa, University of Cape Town)

> Paper. TBC

Topic:  The evolution of digital religious and spiritual engagements has captured academic interest, giving rise to different theoretical approaches to understanding the ways through which adherents construe these spaces and their experiences. Alpha Hour of Ghana and New Season Prophetic Prayers and Declarations (NSPPD) of Nigeria are two such digital prayer platforms that are garnering a community of global magnitude, and where group identities are constantly created and negotiated. This study is a qualitative exploration. It draws on intersectional frameworks to understand how these prayer platforms are becoming spaces for the creation and sustenance of meaningful spiritual connections and the cultivation of vibrant communities that deepen spiritual bonds both online and offline. It further argues that these platforms nurture an intricate web of engagement and belonging, steeped in African ideas of togetherness, which extend beyond the conventional walls of the church.

About the speaker: Abena Kyere is CCNY Postdoctoral Research Fellow at HUMA. She holds a PhD and an Mphil in African Studies from the University of Ghana, and Post Graduate Diploma from the University of Education, Ghana.  Abena’s research interest is broadly in Gender and religion, Gender and Popular Culture in Africa, African Oral literature and Indigenous knowledge systems.Abena Kyere is a Queen Elizabeth Scholar. She is on the editorial team for Feminist Africa and a co-editor for the Critical Investigation into Humanitarianism in Africa blog. She is also a member of the CIRCLE.  Abena is an activist scholar and a firm believer in the enduring and boundless synergies between research and advocacy in unearthing and impacting human realities and experiences. She is also a research Fellow at the Centre for Gender Studies and Advocacy, University of Ghana.

 

How Ataya works: One presenter and their work – in exchange with the audience. Each Ataya session engages with selected work by the presenter (a text, artwork, performance, even food). The presenter introduces their work and grounds the subsequent discussion with the participants. For best engagement, we recommend participants to view the work (made available in advance on our website) before the session. More on the Ataya Series


For any questions: huma@uct.ac.za