Thiat

Sengalese activist and artists Thiat will speak about the power of words during a special presentation on Friday, March 7, at California State University Northridge.

Thiat’s presentation will take place from 2 to 5 p.m. in the University Student Union Grand Salon, located on the east side of the campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge, as part of CSUN’s Department Pan-African Studies’ 2014 Distinguished Speaker Series.

Thiat, an emcee with the Sénégalese hip hop group Keur Gui, helped form the group Y’en a Marre (We’re Fed Up), which mobilized youth to the streets in an 2011 uprising to protest of the attempts of former President Abdoulaye Wade to remain in office for a third term.

Thiat is gaining new international attention after appearing on television with the Senegalese president and telling him on what the youth require of his administration. It was a historic moment that forced the president to pay attention to the concerns of the youth.

“Thiat‘s sacrifices have been an inspiration to many,” said CSUN Pan-African studies professor Sheba Lo. “We are excited to have the honor of hosting him here.”

For more information on the event please contact professor Lo at 818-677-5759 or by email at sheba.lo@csun.edu.

CSUN’s Department of Pan-African Studies is engaged in teaching students about the African world experience, organizing programs that demonstrate to the campus and the community the richness, vibrancy, diversity, and vitality of African, African-American, and Caribbean cultures. Presenting students and the community with an Afrocentric analysis of the economic, political, social, and cultural oppression under which people of African descent suffer, from Cape Town, South Africa to Juneau, Alaska, and making efforts to transform society by applying these analytical skills and knowledge of some of the most critical social problems that exist today.

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Pan African Studies