The weeklong celebration is hosted by CSUN's African Studies Interdisciplinary Program, Pan-African Studies Department, and African Student Organization.

"This event is to call attention to the benefits of an interdependent world in which people learn from each other and treat each culture with respect and fairness," said Tom Spencer-Walters, chair of CSUN's Pan-African Studies Department.

Featured speakers include Daphne Ntiri Quenum, a professor at Wayne State University and expert on adult literacy in Africa. And King Kigeli V, the last reigning monarch of a royal family that spanned more than 800 years in Rwanda.

"King Kigeli V was exiled after a Hutu uprising in the early sixties. The King is a Tutsi. Currently in exile in the United States he tours the world to speak about the Rwandan situation," said Spencer-Walters.

This week's highlights include:

• Tuesday, Oct. 25 -- A presentation by the Dedon of the All African Peoples Revolutionary Party about "Pan Africanism and Raising Consciousness" in the university's Grand Salon at 2:00 p.m., followed by a student discussion forum on current challenges facing Africa at 7:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, Oct. 26 - A guest lecture by Bishop Edward McKenzie about "Post Apartheid South Africa" at 11:00 a.m. in the university's Flintridge room.
• Thursday, Oct. 27 - King Kigeli V will address the campus in a presentation titled "My Life, My People, and the Future of Rwanda," at 2:30 p.m. in the university's Oviatt Library.
• Friday, Oct. 28 - Quenum will lecture on "Changing Mindsets: Ending Female Circumcision through Literacy Education" in the university's Grand Salon at 11:00 a.m., followed by a spectacular African show and banquet featuring food from different regions in Africa. Kigeli V will also be speaking during the banquet.

"This event is to heighten awareness about the great diversity that characterizes the campus, to educate on the contributions of Africa to world development and to broaden discussions about the continent's history, culture and potential for stability and peace, to draw attention to some of the destructive and tragic regional conflicts facing the continent, and to motivate students to consider a minor in African studies," said Spencer-Walters.