American Society of African Culture
American Society of African Culture
Location: New York, New York, United States
Duration: 1957 - 1969
The American Society of African Culture (AMSAC) was composed of some four hundred Americans of African ancestry who primarily were teachers, scholars, and artists. It came into existence in 1957 as a result of the First World Congress of Negro Writers and Artists called by the editors of the journal, Presence Africaine, in Paris in 1956. The purpose...
The American Society of African Culture (AMSAC) was composed of some four hundred Americans of African ancestry who primarily were teachers, scholars, and artists. It came into existence in 1957 as a result of the First World Congress of Negro Writers and Artists called by the editors of the journal, Presence Africaine, in Paris in 1956. The purpose of AMSAC was to promote African culture as a way of educating Americans about the cultural contributions by Africans and people of African heritage throughout the world. In particular, AMSAC attempted to expose African Americans to their cultural heritage and give it pride of place along side the cultural contributions of other groups. To this end, AMSAC sponsored exhibits by artists of African descent, scholarly lectures on contemporary issues relevant to Africans and African Americans, such as nationalism and Pan-Africanism, as well as musical performances by African and African-American artists. AMSAC also organized international forums for the exchange of political and cultural ideas between Africans and African Americans and held numerous conferences that drew the attention of prominent people from around the world. In 1964, AMSAC began the publication of the journal, African Forum, with John A. Davis as editor. The organization ceased to operate in 1969.
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