Description:

From Pan-African independence movements to contemporary tech innovation, Ghana has long been a crucible for imagining African futures. Today, many of Ghana's software engineers and members of Ghana's digital diaspora are rethinking technology not only as an engine of economic growth but also as a tool for political autonomy and social transformation. 

Join us for a Buffett Book Talk with Reginold A. Royston, Associate Professor of African Cultural Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and author of Pan-African Futurism: Ghana and the Paradox of Technology for Development, an ethnographic account of an emerging ethos among technologists working on development projects on the ground in Africa today. Drawing on observation and interviews with software engineers in Ghana and media producers across Ghana's digital diaspora, Royston argues that these actors challenge long-standing NGO-led development paradigms,  using technology as a means of reclaiming autonomy and reimagining African political futures in a global digital age. 

After Royston's talk, Sean Hanretta, Associate Professor of History at Northwestern University, will join the conversation to offer historical context and reflections on the book’s themes as well as questions for further investigation. The event will conclude with audience Q&A.

Lunch will begin at 12:15 p.m. Please note that 720 University Place is not an ADA-accessible space. Increasing physical access to buildings and facilities is a goal of the University, but not all buildings and venues have been updated.