FULL
NAME: Chinyere
Grace OKAFOR.
ADDRESSES:
E-mail
<Chinyere.okafor@wichita.edu
Ph:
(316) 978-6264 (w), (316) 630-0036 (h)
1992
Postdoctoral
Research Fellow,
1989
Ph.D. English,
1979
M.A. African Studies,
1977
Pg.D. Theatre Studies,
1975
B.A. English (Second Class
Honors, Upper Div.),
2009 -
Full Professor
2003 -
2009
Associate Professor,
2001
- 2002
Associate Professor,
2001
(Spring)
Adjunct Professor,
1999
– 2001
Researcher/Writer
- Women’s Writing, fiction and Non-fiction.
1996
– 1999:
Visiting Lecturer
and Coordinator of Literature, Univ. of
1994
– 1996
Associate
Professor,
1991
– 1992
Research Fellow,
1980
– 1991
Lecturer II ‑
Senior
Lecturer,
1976
– 1980
Graduate Assistant ‑
Lecturer II,
Selected
Courses Taught
African
and Diaspora Women’s Writing.
Theories
of Feminism.
Multicultural
Perspectives on Women and Gender.
Writing
and Drama Workshop.
Introduction
to Women’s Studies.
Survey
of African American Lit.
Women
in Literature.
Postcolonial
African Literature.
Women
In
Folk
Literature and Theater.
Composition.
Comparative
Literature (Southern African and African American).
2009 Phenomenal Woman Award
2008 University Research/Creative
Projects Award
(URPC)
2004 Global Learning Most Outstanding
Department
Award
1999 International Visitor,
Colloque International, Ministere de la Culture, Paris.
1998 Rockefeller Writer in Residence,
1997
International Visitor, 40th
Annual Meeting Of the African Studies Association (ASA);
1996
Outstanding Finalist, The Bertram’s V. O.
Literature of Africa Awards; South Africa.
1994
Special Discovery of the
Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) 1994, for proficiency as a Writer
in the
three genres of literature - poetry, prose and drama.
1994 Honors, Association of Nigerian
Authors'
(ANA) National Competition for Poetry.
1992 3rd Prize, Short Story Competition. Women's
Research and
1991
Rockefeller Fellowship,
1991 Rockefeller Fellow,
1989 Ist Prize, Songs Competition
(Solo),
1988 Ist Prize, Songs Competition
(Solo),
1975 International Scholarship of
Merit,
2008. B. D. Tharp. “Making A Difference in the
Community.” Women’s Focus Magazine,
Feb. Half page. http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/focuson/womensfocus_200802/
2007.
Awodiya, Muyiwa P. “Uncelebrated Heroes and Heroines of Nigerian
Drama.” In African Literature at the Millennium Vol. 13, Ed. African Literature
Association, U of
2007. Dean, Jenny. “Poet shows that
scholasticism,
art, and fiery wrath prove happy companions.” The Colby Echo,
April 13. 2
pages.
http://www.colbyecho.com/
2007.
Hoffman,
Marsha. “Magdalen Family Focus.” Magdalen
Messenger (Newsletter of the Church of the Magdalen,
2005. Opara,
Chioma. ”Echoes of the Whip in Chinyere Okafor’s He Wants To Marry Me Again and Zaynab Alkali’s Cobwebs and other Stories.”
In Opara, C. Her Mother’s
Daughter: the African Writer As Woman.
2002.
“USM plans to keep current with a multicultural world.”
2001.
Cormellini, Carla. (2001). Postcolonial Motifs and Themes in Chinyere
Grace Okafor’s
Poetry and Ogini’s Choice Englishes:
Literature Inglesi Contemporane (
2001. Schenck, Celeste and Susan Perry,
“EPILOGUE:
Resisting Development.” In
Eye to Eye: Women Practicing Development
Across Cultures.
2000. Cormellini, Carla. “A
Bio-Bibliographical
Profile of Chinyere Grace Okafor.” Englishes:
Literature
Inglesi Contemporanee (
1999.
Nnaemeka, Obi. “OKAFOR, Chinyere Grace.” Encyclopedia
of world Literature in the 20th Century. Vol. 3: L-R. 2
pages.
1999. “Review of The New Toyi Toyi by Chinyere
Okafor.” Observer Magazine (
1999. Ngcobo, Johnson. “The Play with
emotions.” The Swazi News (
1998. Dunton, Chris. “Okafor, Chinyere
Grace,” In Nigerian Theater in English: A Critical
Bibliography.
1996. “The Lion and the mighty iroko tree -
Review
of Okafor’s The Lion and the Iroko.” Nigerian Tribune.
September 4, Living
and Development page.
1996.
“Drama and state of the nation.” Nigerian
Tribune. June 19, Living and
Development page.
1995.
Abiola, A. “Theatre at UNIBEN main auditorium.” The
Observer (
1995. “Chinyere Okafor Gets Award.” UNIBENEWS (
1994. “Graceful Writer From the Fringe.”
PMNews(
1994.
Ige, Taye. “Unrepentant Feminist.”
TheWeek
(
1993.
Ojo, Godwin. “The Destiny of this
nation is in our hands” Review of Okafor’s Play
Performance.” Kampuswatch (
1993. Omatseye, Sam, “For A Just
Society,” Arts Magazine(
1991. “Chinyere Okafor.” Crown
Prince (Nigaria). January.
p. 44.
2010 "The
Discrepancy of Black Women and Body Image," Wichita State University,
Wichita, KS.
2010 "Racial Profiling of a
Good Student." Panel Discussant,Wichita State University, Wichita KS.
2009 Poetry
Reading, Abuja, Nigeria, August 4.
2009 Directed a play, “Scramble for Africa
2” by
C. Okafor, performed by students of
Wichita State University, October 30.
2009 Class visit and talk, Friend’s
University, Wichita,
KS, October 22.
2009 “Introduction to Nigeria” Power
Point
presentation at the annual Cultural Event organized by the Nigerian
Association
of Wichita, October 10.
2009 Faculty Facilitator, “Miss Africa”
presentation by students of Wichita State University, April 10.
2009.
“Feminisms
in
2009. “Omumu Concept: A Pro-Feminist Lesson from Achebe’s Things Fall Apart.” Women In Africa and the African Diaspora (WAAD) conference, August 2-8.
2008 Supervised students’ rehearsals of
excerpts from,
The New Toyi Toyi, and presentation
at WSU, March 28.
2008.
“Making the Poet Making Poetry: The
Process of Poetic
Writing.” The
2008 “Heroes from the Margins: Stories of
Athletes
who challenged Racism at the 1936 Berlin
Olympics.”
2008 Poetry
2008 Poetry Reading, African American Museum,
Wichita, KS May 15 and May 21
2007 “Instructor Positionality
and Classroom dynamics” Tilford conference,
2007 “Engaging Race in Women’s
Studies’ Classes.”
Conference on Teaching Gender in 21st Century. The
2007 “What is Global? What is
Vernacular? English
Education in African and African Diaspora Women’s Writing.”
2007 “From Prairies of
2007 “On love, war, and place - from
the poet’s
diary.”
2007 “Wole
Soyinka: The
Energy Behind Influences” Featured Speech at the Symposium
on Soyinka: the Man, the Playwright, the Novelist, the
2006
“Global Perspective, African Views: Perceptions of
2006 “Female Power:
Corner Stone or Central Subject in Igbo Mask Performance.” Paper
presented at
the African Literature Conference.
2006 Women In
Higher Education conference.
2006.
"Terrible Beauty of Masks From Around the World.” Review
of MASKS from Around the World by Garth
Darl.
2006
Supervised
“Africana Presents the World” – a variety of dance,
drama, poetry, fashion and
musical shows from different cultures of Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
2006 Talk: “New Ambassadors of WSU” Graduation Celebration. May 11.
2005
“Global Encounters: The
Case of Agbogho-mmonwu Mask and Barbie Doll.” Paper
presented at the Africa-Europe Group for Interdisciplinary Studies
conference,
2005 “Femininity and Globalization.”
Power Point
Presentation at
the
Anthropology Colloquium,
2005 Empire
or Interdependence - A
multidisciplinary, international conference on the Post-Cold War world.
2004 Talk titled, “International and
Cross-Cultural Dialogue Across the Atlantic” and facilitation of
a conversation
between students of “Women In Africa” class (WSU) and Dr.
Chioma Opara and her
students in Portharcourt (
2004 “Popular Culture Cross-Culturally:
A
Comparative Study of Igbo Agbogho-mmonwu and American Barbie.”
Paper presented
at the African Literature Conference.
2004
Guest
Speaker at the Annual Charitable Event by Nigerian Women Association.
Olive
Tree Banquet Hall.
2004 Panel
Discussant, “Dances with Hip Hop:
Debate about female identity.”
2004 Lecture,
“Multi-Nation, Multi-culture, and One
Country –
2004
My Scholarship – one-act play by
Chinyere Okafor, performed by WSU students. Olive Tree, Wichita:
October 2.
2003 “Gender Voices in African Mask
Communication.” Paper presented at the Anthropology Colloquium,
2003 “Transgressions: Stories of an
African Woman In America,” Story read at the Southern California
Writers’
conference.
2003 Panel
Speaker. International Women’s Day
Celebration,
2003 Facilitated
Dr. Opara’s visit from University
of Science and Technology, Portharcourt, Nigeria to talk at WSU on
“Bellowing
In Silence: African Women and the Struggle for Identity.” June 3.
2003 Three
Women – one-act play by Chinyere Okafor performed by WSU
students. November
16.
2003.
“Contors of Ani - Poetry
and Story Reading. Hubbard Hall.
2002 Keynote
Speaker: International Women’s Day Banquet. Talk title: “If
I Narrate What they Are Doing To Me: How national and global political
economic
policies play out in the lives of African women and children.”
2002 “The Voice of Silence in African
Women’s
Writing and Gender Action.” Paper presented at Women’s
Studies’ Retreat, Spruce
Point, May 16-17.
2002
“An African Woman in A Women’s Studies Class.” Story
read at Maine Women’s
Consortium Retreat, May 24-25.
2002
Keynote Speaker,
2002
Designed
and facilitated Faculty Seminar Series on Gender, Race, and Pedagogy
for
University of Southern Maine faculty and staff. Sept. 27, Oct. 18, Nov.
15, and
Dec. 13.
2002
Designed and facilitated a seminar and workshop on “Cultural
Perspectives in
the Classroom,” for the College of Nursing, University of
Southern Maine,
November 7.
2002
Panel Discussant, “The Role of Higher Education in Globalization:
A Cooperative
Knowledge or Resistance?”
2002
Talk: “Ritual Authority, Communication, and Empowerment of Women
in African Masking.”
2002
Interview on WMPG’s “big
Talk” by Wendy
Hazzard and Michael Hillard about my poetry and plays. February 21.
2002
Initiated and facilitated the opening of
a branch of Women In Need (WINI) in
2002
Moderated a conversation between students, the university and greater
Portland communities on students' perspectives on education
at the
2002
Organized African women dancers that
performed
at the Annual Women’s History Month Celebration.
2002
“Poetry Reading on the Eve of St. Valentine’s Day: Poems of
Love and Life”
Luther Bonney Auditorium,
2002
The Lion and The Iroko produced by A.
Kent, Theater Department, University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME.
March 6.
2001
Co-Facilitated the Riverton Branch community conversation on the
subject of
Sept. 11. Organized by
2001 Oral Poetry Performance and Introduction
of the
Convocation Scholar, Nobel Prize Laureate, Wole Soyinka, at his talk
and opening
of the University of Maine Convocation. September 25.
2000
“Break the Silence: Women Writers
of
1999
“Contemporary African Literature
and Beauvoirism.” Colloque International, Cinqauntenaire Du
Deuxieme Sexe,
Ministere de la Culture,
1999
The New Toyi Toyi. Play performance
by students. New Science Theater,
1998
"Post‑Colonial Literature in
English: A View from The Inside,”
1998 Poems - Earth’s Bed
Chamber. Instituto Emilia-Romangna,
Women’s
Writing, Folk Literature and Performance. Postcolonial African
Literature,
“African
Ikeji Mask Festivals: Theater, Gender and Communication” -
Final revision.
“Women, mask, and Achebe’s
Literature” - Essays in the merging
of written and oral
literature.
“American
Dream …”
- Nonfiction on women, immigration, and development.
“The
African
Blonde …” Poems on issues across the globe
“Scramble
for
Africa 2” Play
1998
– Present:
Vice-President, Association of
African Women Scholars (AAWS)
2008
– 2009
Board
Chair, Women In Need Inc. (WINI).
2001
– 2009
Board
Member, Women In Need Inc. (WINI).
2003
– 2006
Member, Global
| Page
title: Curriculum Vitae Last update: april 2, 2010 |
Copyrights Web page by C. G. Okafor |
Copywright
©
Chinyere G. Okafor Contact: chinyere.okafor@wichita.edu |