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On the 3rd of July 2007, at the commencement of the one day colloquium entitled Rhetoric Protests and the Economy, I was asked to introduce the Association to the audience, I simply said, ‘we do not have so much that we can yet talk about, but we have a future.’ From then on, the future began. The papers presented at the colloquium were well received and discussions were lively. The papers have been collected into a volume which is due for release by the end of the year. Now the Association can confidently say, ‘We have a history, and we have a future.’ The African Association for Rhetoric is poised to make a difference in our social, political, legal and cultural spheres. The practice of rhetoric is as old as humankind. Although the study of rhetoric is nothing new, conscious ethical rhetorical application is a major driver of democracy: a form of government that is highly recommended in order to achieve good political governance. Scholarship has not however been fair to African rhetoric. It has been cast as subordinate. This characterization undermines the pre-colonial rhetorical acts in Africa and renders it as only a western import. While this is not a nationalist project, the African Association for Rhetoric seeks to understand African Rhetoric from not only historical and cultural perspectives but also contemporary definitions and application of rhetoric in different aspects of society. The bastardization and misconception of the word in popular parlance has not made it easy for a specialist to propose meaningful projects around rhetoric. The insistence to retain the word has made the journey longer. But here we are. The 2009 conference (Rhetoric in the Time of AIDS: African Perspectives) holds when the world is loosing its steam on the fight against AIDS, particularly when the normalization process is already on the way. We intend to examine the interface between Rhetoric and Public health especially concerning HIV/AIDS during the 2009 Rhetoric and AIDS Conference. This kind of conference is unprecedented in Africa. Publications such as Blake Scott’s Risky Rhetoric (2003) and Preda’s AIDS, Rhetoric and Medical Knowledge (2005) opened up possibility for debates around, inter alia, issues of power in HIV testing, the production of medical knowledge and rhetoric as social practice. These works have been useful particularly in formulating research designs in contexts other than the ones explored by the authors. An ongoing project at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban brings to light the application of rhetoric in Africa’s political systems. It is against this backdrop that we are planning to hold the 2009 conference. The Association has enjoyed support from different organizations and individuals, particularly from the University of KwaZulu-Natal Durban. We are glad that some of those who partnered with us in organising the first event are still willing to support the second conference. We are grateful for all the support received so far and we hope that the relationships we have developed will endure. I hope that we will see you at the conference, and if the current theme is not in your area of interest, I hope that future conference themes will accommodate your interest.
Steering Committee
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Prof. Sihawu Ngubane Adv. Adrian Bellengere Dr Busayo Ige, Secretary
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