An International Conference and Festival

Countries, universities, corporations, publishers, writers, scholars, artists, students, and children will converge for a weeklong conference and festival at a crossroads of centuries and a crossroads of cultures to make a historic intervention in Africa and the world. Against All Odds will embrace people everywhere who use languages and literatures to embody their dreams for a better world.

Premised on the belief that the African verbal arts are a vital source of traditional and future social change, economic development and individual self-realization, Against All Odds will be a call for action by national, international, academic, and corporate institutions and foundations to promote the continued growth and development of African languages and literatures into the 21st century.

Presented in African languages and including Europhone languages, with on-site translations offered through handouts, earphones, and interpreters, Against All Odds will be cerebral, emphasizing scholarship and the highest critical standards, yet simultaneously celebratory, creating an environment in which African languages, performances—music, film, drama, readings, and dance—and visual arts will be a constant presence.

In a new spirit of Afro-optimism that upholds the values of democracy, gender equity, hard work, honesty, independence, sacrifice, tolerance, self-reliance, children’s rights, safety, and environmental awareness, Against All Odds will offer a powerful yet festive demonstration that the creation of a socially just and humane society in the future need not be “against all odds,” as it has been in Africa and throughout the developing world.

Conference Topics

Engaging the issue of how to maintain culture(s) and to move forward at the same time, Against All Odds focuses primarily on African languages. Aiming to benefit all of Africa—including its Diaspora—the four-fold conference and festival goal is:

• The recognition and consolidation of the renaissance and rich legacy of African languages and literatures in the twentieth century;

• The presentation of how African languages and literatures contribute to economic, political, and cultural empowerment; the strengthening of civil society and current, emerging democratic traditions; and governance through reforming the language of political discourse and through conceiving the African cultural response to globalization;

• The establishment of network and capacity building throughout Africa and the world to ensure continued and greater development for African languages and literatures in the future;

• The creation and dissemination of new knowledge derived from Against All Odds through the various media, including book publication, broadcast, CD, film, video, the World Wide Web, and distance education.

• Languages of the State and the State of Languages
• Culture, Politics, and Performance
• Scholarship and African Languages
• African Women’s Writing
• The Child: Language, Writing, and Education
• Languages, Literature, and Orature of War and Peace in Africa
• Books, Publishing, Telecommunications: African Languages, New Technologies, Broadcast Systems, and the Future

Against All Odds will provide an unprecedented opportunity for established and emerging African and international writers, artists, scholars, critics, publishers, students, educational and political leaders to meet and mingle in one of Africa’s safest, cleanest, most modern and affordable capital cities.

African shores have been ravaged by the battering waves of colonial and neocolonial history, but as these waves have receded, they have left behind a powerful current of the multilingual and multicultural African word that has spread across every ocean and throughout every continent.

Against All Odds will surge with such a current from its source into the 21st century.

Call for Papers, Proposals, Panels

Proposals, papers, and panels on any Against All Odds related topic are invited (500 words or less). Artists and performers are also encouraged to submit proposals to be considered for participation. Submissions in any language by post, through the Internet, via fax or e-mail are welcome. Please include name, title, institution or organization, address (including country and postal or zip code), telephone, fax, and e-mail on all submissions.

Submissions and inquiries about the Against All Odds program content should be sent to:

All submissions will be acknowledged. The absolute deadline for submissions is October 15, 1999.

Submissions as early as possible before this date are most welcome. Decisions will be sent shortly after the submission is received.

A full list of accommodations and suggestions for travel, including discounts, will be sent with registration acknowledgments.

Sponsored by The Pennsylvania State University and Africa World Press, Inc. & The Red Sea Press Inc., Against All Odds receives major funding from The Ford Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, The World Bank, Alliance Francaise of Asmara, The British Council, and New York University, an academic co-sponsor. Academic co-sponsors also include The University of Asmara and The University of Iowa. Additional support is provided by The British Centre for Literary Translation, The Federal Republic of Germany, The International Federation of Translators, and EWAN Technology Solutions, Inc. Against All Odds is endorsed by ABANTU for Development, The African Literature Association, African Publishers Network, Rotary Club of Asmara, and the Zimbabwe International Book Fair. Against All Odds is an outreach program of Penn State’s College of the Liberal Arts.

Fees and Registration

Fees and registration for Against All Odds are to be arranged through The Pennsylvania State University. The registration fee, $75 US for participants from African nations and $125 US for others except students, covers all Against All Odds program materials. Registrants are responsible for all meals and lodging. The fee may be paid by check, money order, purchase order (made payable to The Pennsylvania State University), letter of authorization to bill employer or organization, American Express, Discover, MasterCard, or VISA. Students from Africa may register for $25 US. The registration fee is $60 US for all other students. (Proof of student status is required.)

To register, complete the printable registration form and return with fee to The Pennsylvania State University by November 1, 1999. Fax registrations must be accompanied by credit card payment information. Credit card registration may also be done by calling 1-814-865-8387 or (in the United States) 1-800-PSU-TODAY (778-8632). Names of unpaid registrants cannot appear in the Against All Odds program.

All registrants will receive prompt notification of any cancellations, schedule, or program changes. The Pennsylvania State University will confirm enrollment in Against All Odds and provide information on travel to Eritrea, accommodations and final conference registration. Refunds will be made for cancellations received in writing by December 1, 1999. After that, the participant or organization will be held responsible for the fee. Anyone who is registered but cannot attend may send a substitute.

The sponsors of Against All Odds may cancel or postpone due to unforeseen circumstances. Cancellation or postponement will result in the refunding of registration fees. The sponsors cannot be held responsible for any other related costs, charges, or expenses, including cancellation/change charges assessed by airlines or travel agencies.

The sponsors of Against All Odds are committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of their workforces.

Location

The conference will be held at the Hotel Intercontinental Asmara in Asmara, Eritrea. A full list of accommodations and suggestions will be sent with registration acknowledgements.

Travel and Accommodations

In this section: Travel and Accommodations Bookings | Airlines | Hotels | Travel within Eritrea


Against All Odds travel and accommodations should be booked directly through:

Mr. Solomon Abraha
Ms. Feben Solomon
TRAVEL HOUSE INTERNATIONAL
Menghesha Yohannes Street #21
P.O. Box 5579
Asmara, Eritrea
Phone: +291 1 120208 or +291 1 201386
Fax: +291 1 120064
E-mail: thi@eol.com.er

Please book flights now or as soon as possible since tickets are limited and this is a busy time of the year for travel!

TRAVEL NOTICES: Airline reservations with Lufthansa, roundtrip leaving Newark for Asmara via Frankfurt January 9–19, must be booked immediately since seats are extremely limited. Additional seats with another carrier (TBA) from the USA to Rome, with a direct connection via Yemenia Airlines to Asmara, should also be booked as soon as possible since they, too, are limited. Dates and East Coast American cities of departure will differ slightly from the Lufthansa arrangements. Urgent message for all travelers interested in the Yemen Airways package for Asmara. Roundtrip flights via Yemenia Airlines to Asmara from New York or Washington must be booked NOW. Please make direct contact with Mr. Asefaw Sultan, Yemen Airways IMMEDIATELY since seat availability is very limited at this late date at this time of the year. Roundtrip to Asmara is $1050, departing January 7 or 8. (The connecting flight from Rome to Asmara departs Rome on January 9). The return is January 19. All payments should be made directly through Mr. Sultan by check, money order, or credit card. Please call 1-703-486-1600, fax 1-703-486-1560, or E-mail gtsc@early.com. Important Information on Immigration and Customs Requirements and Arrival in Asmara. To enter Eritrea, a visa is required. Please apply for an entry visa at the nearest Eritrean Embassy in your area. Guests coming from countries who do not have an Eritrean Embassy presence will be issued visas upon their arrival at Asmara Airport. For this alternative, however, please send us as soon as possible by e-mail or fax the following passport details (NB: only those who have no Eritrean Embassy in their respective countries may be issued visas upon arrival). Full name as in passport Date of birth Passport number Nationality Passport issue date Passport expiry date Send information to: Against All Odds Secretariat E-mail: aao2000@eol.com.er Fax: +291-1-18 30 42 Just before your flight’s arrival in Asmara, please facilitate the entry process by filling in the entry card, which will be handed out on board the flight, before landing. Guests who have computers, video cameras, cameras, and other electronic equipment will be required to fill in a customs declaration form upon arrival at Asmara Airport. Last but not least: Please advise our office of your arrival date, time, and flight number as soon as you have confirmed your travel plans. If you have booked a hotel, please include that information, too. We look forward to greeting you upon your arrival.

Lufthansa: $1327.00 U.S.—Newark/JFK via Frankfurt—Asmara

A typical itinerary:

	Flight	Date	Cities	Depart	Arrive
1.	LH 403	09JAN	EWR/FRA	1800	0720	Sunday
2.	LH 592	10JAN	FRA/ASM	1300	2245	Monday
3.	LH 593	18JAN	ASM/FRA	0015	0630	Tuesday
4.	LH 402	19JAN	FRA/EWR	1320	1605	Wednesday

United Arab Emirates Airlines: to be announced.

Yemenia Airlines (Yemen Airways): $1113—JFK via Rome—Asmara

Red Sea Air: to be announced.

Additional airline combinations from additional origins are possible and will soon be announced. Please contact Travel House International for more information.

All prices are in U.S. Dollars and include taxes. All rooms include hot water showers.

Hotel	Number of Rooms	Rating	Price
Inter-Continental Asmara	160	5-star	$99
(brand new, fully equipped, best hotel of Asmara, short trip from downtown)
Savanna Hotel	58	1st class	$30–$90
(new hotel equipped with TV, phone, marble bathrooms, short taxi ride to downtown)
Sunshine Hotel	26	1st class	$40–$80
(one of the newest, with TV, phone, modern bathrooms, close to the Savanna)
Ambasoira Hotel	50	2nd class	$30–$45
(within walking distance of downtown, rooms with TV and phone)
Ambassador Hotel	35	1st class	$30–$60
(in the middle of downtown, rooms with TV and phone)
Expo Hotel	43	1st class	$30–$60
(fully equipped hotel, has a Turkish bath, billiard tables, short taxi ride from downtown)
Nyala Hotel	71	2nd class	$20–$60
(within walking distance of downtown, rooms with TV and phone)
Hamasien Hotel	29	2nd class	$30–$60
(next door to the Ambasoira Hotel, rooms with TV and phone)
Selam Hotel	47	2nd class	$25–$45
(within walking distance of downtown, rooms with TV and phone)
Top Five Hotel	15	2nd class	$20–$40
(within walking distance of downtown, rooms with TV and phone)
Miranda Hotel	7	3rd class	$15
(suitable for family or group, kitchen facilities, walking distance from downtown)

Shuttles and excursions are possible by bus, mini bus, Land Cruisers, or small cars.

Possible Destinations are:

Asmara-Keren:	north 90 km
Asmara-Massawa:	east 120 km
Asmara-De Gra Plain:	south 66 km

Bus: All prices are in U.S. Dollars

-Asmara-Keren-Asmara additional overnight	$5.00 $35.00	p/person, p/day p/bus, p/day
-Asmara-Massawa-Asmara additional overnight	$5.00 $55.00	p/person, p/day p/bus, p/day
-Asmara-De Gra-Asmara	$5.00	morning or afternoon Sycamore tree

Car Hire Service: All prices in Nakfa. Current rate of exchange is 9 Nakfa to $1 U.S.

Type of Car	1–15 Days	16–30 Days	>30 Days	Free km	Extra km	Driver’s Allowance
L.Cruiser	600	570	550	90	2.00	---
Corolla ’92	180	160	150	50	1.50	75
Corolla ’94	200	190	180	50	1.50	75
T. Cressida	300	285	275	60	1.50	75
Mini bus 11 seats	750	700	650	90	3.00	---
Mini bus 24 seats	950	850	800	90	3.00	---

• Eritrea: A Tourist Guide by Robert Papstein (Red Sea Press, April 1996, ISBN 1569020116)
• Guide to Eritrea by Edward Paice (Bradt Publications, May 1996, ISBN 1564409511)

For More Information

U.Ed.OCE 98-1638/EB/SGK