The Mona Academic Conference 2007 takes place from Friday, August 31 to Sunday, September 2 under the theme “Freedom: Retrospective and Prospective.” The Conference officially begins with an Opening Ceremony on Friday, August 31 at 6:00 pm at the Undercroft, UWI Mona. The keynote address will be delivered by Professor Ruth Simmons, President and Professor of Comparative Literature and of African Studies, Brown University. Honourable Maxine Henry-Wilson, Minister of Education and Youth will bring greetings on this occasion. There will also be book presentations on Writing Life: Reflections of West Indian Writers

Over the two days of the Conference there will be several presentations followed by discussions at the Social Sciences Lecture Theatre, UWI, Mona beginning at 8:30 am daily. Conference presenters include Dr. Maureen Warner-Lewis, Professor Emeritus of African-Caribbean Language and Orature, University of the West Indies, Dr. Silvia Kouwenberg, Senior Lecturer, Department of Language, Linguistics and Philosophy, UWI Mona, Paul E. Lovejoy FRSC, Distinguished Research Professor, Department of History, York University, Dr. Nick Shepherd, Senior lecturer in the Centre for African Studies at the University of Cape Town, Dr. Jenny Jemmott, Lecturer, Department of History, UWI, Mona and Professor Verene Shepherd, Professor of Social History, UWI, Mona and Chair, Jamaica National Bicentenary Committee.

For further information on the Conference interested individuals are invited to visit the website at: http://www.mona.uwi.edu/conferences/2007/monaconf/ or contact Jennifer Clarke by telephone at: 702-4241or e-mail: jennifer.clarke@uwimona.edu.jm. Registration fee is J$500 per day, and students with identification cards J$250 per day.