1st African Electronic Literature Alliance International Workshop Conference

The Centre for Digital Humanities University of Lagos (CEDHUL), Nigeria, in conjunction with University Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah, Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences Fez/Sais, Morocco Organises the 1st African Electronic Literature Alliance International Workshop Conference (AELAIWC- 2021).

Theme: Digital Tools & Hypertext Praxis in African Digital Literature 
Conference Date: 22nd –25th November, 2021. 
Venue: University of Lagos, Nigeria/University Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah, Morocco (Hybrid: Virtual/in person). 
Conference Languages: French, Arabic & English. 

In recent times, increased attention is being paid to digital technologies, especially how they impact research and innovation in the fields of natural and human sciences, and more recently how these tools enhance affect the mechanics and dynamics of our day-to-day activities. Scholars across diverse fields have equally tapped into the potential of digital tools in their research as well as teaching and learning. In furtherance of this, human science researchers from the domain of literature have been engaging the available tools and have also been fashioning out diverse means whereby scholarship in electronic literature can be advanced. It is within this framework that the Centre for Digital Humanities University of Lagos (CEDHUL), Nigeria & University Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah, Morocco, are organising the first of its kind academic gathering of like- minds and interested individuals or groups through the First African Electronic Literature Alliance International Workshop Conference (AELAIWC 2021). 

African Electronic Literature Alliance International Workshop Conference (AELAIWC 2021) is an online/in person workshop and lectures designed to train and form all African scholars, electronic literature artists, digital poets and students in the field of African Electronic Literature(AEL), African Diasporic Electronic literature (ADELI) by providing them with opportunities to learn digital creative writing, connect with peers around the world and established electronic literature experts, and explore computational creativity in literature. The workshop will be divided into four-day intensive classes. An hour lecture, 30 minutes break, self-practice for an hour. Then, lecturer comments on 2-3 participants ' works in 30 minutes. It means, lecturer 's time is 1hr 30 minutes. All lectures will be presented on the first and second days of the conference except workshops anchor by Prof. Nick Monfort and Prof. Andrew Demirjian which will be held on the 22nd and 23rd respectively. The training workshop will be on the third and fourth days 24th-25th, in the mornin whereas the African Electronic Literature Festival will be in the evening of the 25th. 

The African Electronic Literature Festival (AELF) showcases for free the best works of all the participants created during the conference on the Multilingual African Electronic Literature Database and African Diasporic Electronic Literature Database (MAELD & ADELD)s website: https://africanelit.org . 

Registration is free but membership is mandatory. Please register here: https://africanelit.org/membership.php

Programme:

1. Le récit interactif (Interactive digital narrative) by Prof. Serge Bouchardon, University of Technology of Compiègne, France, 22/11/2021 (Lecture in French)
2. The African Electronic Literature Festival (AELF) by Yohanna Joseph Waliya, MA student in Twitterbot Poetry & French Twitterature, Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria 25/11/2021
3. Twine for interactive creative writing by Alexander Boyd, University of Central Florida, USA (Workshop)
4. Generative literature by Prof. Michael Hurtado, Universidad de Ciencias Aplicadas in Perú (Workshop)
5. Arabic African e-lit by Dr. Reham Hosny, University of Leeds, UK (Lecture in Arabic)
6. Creating African e-lit using Web Tools by Associate Prof. Mariusz Pisarski, Poland (Workshop)
7. Mapping African Electronic Literature, Guest speaker Kwabena Opoku-Agyemang, moderated by Prof. Mourad El Fahli (Webinar)
8. Teaching Electronic Literature in an African Context, animated by Profs. Mimoune Daoudi, Yohanna Joseph Waliya and Moural El Fahli (Webinar)
9. Mapping Moroccan Electronic Literature, Guest speakers Profs. FAtima Geuddou and Brahim Amri, moderated by Prof. Mimoune Daoudi (Webinar)
10. Histoire et lecture de la littérature numérique by Prof. Alexandra Saemmer, University Paris 8, France (Lecture in French)
11. Computer generation of poetry by Prof. Nick Montfort, MIT Director, the Trope Tank USA, 22/11/2021 (Workshop)
12. Creating generative poetry and audiovisual poetry using P5.js by Andrew Demirjian, Specialist Professory, Monmouth University, New York 23/11/2021 (Workshop)
13. Game Logic and Models by Prof. Erik H. Zepka, DeTao Masters Academy, Shanghai, China (Lecture)
14. The history of electronic literature by Dr Giovanna di Rosario, Polytechnic of Milan, Italy (Lecture)
15. Comparative study of the genres in Cartografia Digital and MAELD & ADELD by Carolina Gainza, Diego Portales University, Chile & Nohelia Meza (Lecture)