Crafted from Clay

The Body, (Dis)Ability, and Wellness in Africana Religions

Friday, April 21, 2023

9 am – 6 pm EST

University of North Carolina, Charlotte
and via livestream

Opening Plenary

Dr. Yolanda Covington-Ward
Professor and Chair of Afro-American Studies
Universeity of Massachusetts, Amherst

 Keynote Address

Awise Dr. Wande Abimbola
President, Ifa Heritage Institute

Featured Artist

Nneka Gigi

Sacred stories across the African continent and the world conceptualize the human body as a sculpture crafted from the substance of the earth and animated by the “breath of life” sourced from the Almighty Creator. Simultaneously envisaged as a work of art, a house for the soul, and a source of pleasure and pain, the body animates every human being’s journey through life and its condition and appearance are heavy determinants of how an individual is able to move through the world. This conference will center the body, examining how African and Diasporic religions conceive of the body-spirit connection, and the concepts of ability, disability, and wellness often applied to the body.