The Toyin Falola Annual Conference on Africa and the African Diaspora (TOFAC) 2025 will feature three prominent intellectual figures as keynote speakers when it convenes at Osun State University from July 1-3, 2025.
The conference, themed “African Cultural Creativity and Innovations,” will open with addresses from Professor Nemata Blyden of the University of Virginia, Dr Wale Okediran, and Dr Lasisi Olagunju, each bringing unique perspectives on African scholarship, literature, and media.
Leading Voices in African Scholarship
Professor Nemata Blyden, the Armstead L. Robinson Professor of Nineteenth-Century African American History at the University of Virginia, will deliver the opening keynote address. Born and raised in Sierra Leone, Professor Blyden earned her B.A. from Mount Holyoke College before completing her M.Phil. and Ph.D. at Yale University.
Her groundbreaking work, “African Americans and Africa: A New History,” has redefined the understanding of connections between African Americans and their ancestral homeland. Currently serving as both professor and departmental leader in African American and African Studies at UVA, her research focuses on West African and West Indian relations, diasporic identities, and historic interactions between African Americans and the African continent.
Dr Wale Okediran brings a unique multidisciplinary perspective as a medical doctor, former politician, and acclaimed novelist. A graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University’s medical program, Dr. Okediran served in Nigeria’s House of Representatives from 2003 to 2007 while maintaining his literary career.
His political novel “Tenants of the House” won the prestigious Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa in 2011 and was later adapted into a Netflix original film. As former Secretary-General of the Pan-African Writers Association (PAWA) and founder of the Ebedi International Writers Residency in Iseyin, Oyo State, Dr. Okediran has supported emerging writers from over fifteen countries across Africa.
Dr Lasisi Olagunju completes the keynote trio with his distinguished career in journalism and political communication. After earning a first-class degree in English from Obafemi Awolowo University, he obtained both a PhD in Political Communication and a Law degree from the University of Ibadan.
As a senior journalist and former editor of Saturday Tribune, Dr. Olagunju has written influential commentaries on Nigerian politics, culture, and society. His work has earned him multiple accolades, including Columnist of the Year by the Nigerian Media Merit Awards and the Diamond Awards for Media Excellence (DAME). He currently serves as Secretary of the Board of Trustees at the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding (CBCIU).
Conference Significance
The three-day conference is expected to draw scholars, cultural practitioners, and intellectuals from across Africa and the diaspora to examine African cultural creativity and innovation. Each keynote speaker will address different aspects of the conference theme, from diasporic connections and literary contributions to the media’s role in cultural transformation.
Professor Blyden’s address will explore how diasporic memory drives innovation and cultural restoration. Dr. Okediran will examine the intersection of cultural creativity with governance and transnational issues. Dr Olagunju is expected to discuss the media’s impact on culture and its potential as both a tool for liberation and a space of cultural struggle.
The conference continues TOFAC’s tradition of fostering dialogue on African intellectual and cultural achievements while promoting global understanding of African contributions to world civilisation.
Registration details and the full conference programme are available through Osun State University and TOFAC organisers.
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