Humanities Ph.D. student Bamba Ndiaye, wins prize for research
Bamba Ndiaye and professors
Bamba Ndiaye, a doctoral candidate in the Humanities Ph.D. Program, won the 2018 Barbara Harlow Prize for Excellence in Graduate Research at the University of Texas at Austin's 18th Annual Africa Conference with a paper entitled "African American Evangelic Missions and Social Reforms in The Congo: The Activism of Reverend William Henry Sheppard."
His paper analyzes the impact of African American missionaries on the African continent following the Second Great Awakening of the late 19th century. Bamba's essay demonstrates how Sheppard (who settled in Louisville at the end of his life) became an entrusted ally of the Congolese peoples during his time in the region (1890-1910). Additionally, the paper highlights Sheppard's use of photographic images and attention from the press to publicize Belgian atrocities in the Congo. These actions galvanized Pan-Africanists throughout the African Diaspora, who began denouncing the Belgian empire and advocating for justice on behalf of the Congolese peoples.
