"Maroons and the African Diaspora: Learning from the Past, Looking to the Future" (Ninth Annual Charles Town Maroon Conference")

“Maroons and the African Diaspora: Learning from the Past, Looking to the Future.”

June 22-25, 2017, Asafu Yard, Charles Town, Portland, Jamaica

The Charles Town International Maroon Conference seeks papers and performances from scholars, artists, and activists interested in examining Maroon traditions in a contemporary global context. This year’s conference theme explores connections between Maroons or marronage and the African Diaspora around the world, emphasizing the productivity and persistence of indigenous knowledge, its origin, transformation, and its potential to sustain future generations. Presentations from all fields and genres are welcome, including history, anthropology, ethnomusicology, geography, education, literature, film, and the arts. Participants will work closely with each other and the Maroons of Charles Town to explore the relevance of indigenous knowledge to contemporary life.  

The Charles Town International Maroon Conference aims to build a global indigenous community without borders as a tribute to Colonel Frank Lumsden, recently deceased leader of the Charles Town Maroons. It takes place in the town’s Asafu Yard, sacred space of Maroon dancing and drumming, surrounded by Jamaica’s beautiful Blue Mountains.  Offering a unique combination of scholarly panels and cultural events, the conference brings Maroons and Indigenous Peoples together with interested scholars interested, examining the ways their legacies have endured, creolized, and resonated in the Caribbean, Canada, Australia, South America, Europe, the United States, and Africa.