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When Stories Turn Into Survival: CELEBRATION OF ROOTS, DIASPORA, AND CULTURE
March 25 @ 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
CSAAD Africa~Diaspora Forum Series
~50th Anniversary of the Movie: Roots~
Bill Haley Jr.
Malick L. Manga
Co-Founders of The Inherited Roots Project
Wednesday, March 25, 2026
5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
VIRTUAL EVENT
Zoom link: https://nyu.zoom.us/j/95002089030
Please join CSAAD for this exciting event in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the Book, Roots. This event has been organized by our CSAAD 2025-2026 PostDoctoral Fellow, Dr. Michael Conteh. The 50th anniversary of Roots provides an important opportunity to reflect on the long-lasting power of storytelling, memory, and spoken language in shaping African and global diasporic identities. Roots has been translated into 37 languages since its publication, demonstrating its universal appeal and confirming language’s role as a powerful vessel for history, culture, and collective memory. Roots is more than just a literary work; it’s a living archive that connects ancestry, migration, survival, and resistance across generations and geography. The event honours Roots’ legacy while also activating its relevance for contemporary diasporic experiences by bringing together grandson of Alex Haley, Bill Haley, and son of Ebou Manga, Malick Leo Manga, in conversation with Dr. Michael Linso Conteh.
For accommodations, please contact the Assistant Director for the Center for the Study of Africa and the African Diaspora at ac8829@nyu.edu.
Watch Recording Here
Alex Haley, Roots, and the Rosetta Stone — lyrics by Joel Freeman
Bill Haley Jr.
Malick Leo Manga
Moderated by:
Dr. Michael Conteh is an interdisciplinary and publicly engaged scholar and holds a Ph.D. in Global Affairs from Rutgers University’s Graduate School. His extensive research focuses on Sub-Saharan Africa, where he has been a driving force in advancing gender equity initiatives. Before and during his graduate studies, Dr. Conteh oversaw key programs to institutionalize gender studies at the University of Namibia and a national research project on gender-based violence and understanding the nature and scope of human trafficking in Namibia, demonstrating his multifaceted and interdisciplinary expertise. His doctoral dissertation investigated the role of universities as anchor institutions in their host cities, analyzing global financial capital flows and their impact on universities’ community engagement strategies through a comparative lens of the United States and the Global South.