Open to Public: Yes Event Type: Multifaith Observance Event Sponsor: University Chaplaincy Begins at sundown on the first day listed. Approximate date (moon dependent). The Holy Month of Ramadan is the month of fasting during which Muslims who are physically able do not eat or drink from the first sign of dawn until sunset in honor of the first revelations to the Prophet Muhammad. The evening meal is celebrated with family. Observance(s) during this time may include fasting. 

Open to Public: Yes Event Type: Multifaith Observance Event Sponsor: University Chaplaincy In Orthodox churches, the first day of Lent marks the beginning of the Great Fast, the final six weeks of a 10-week period leading up to Holy Week and Easter (Pascha). In the churches that follow the Gregorian calendar, Lent is a six-week observance (40 days excluding Sundays) beginning with Ash Wednesday and culminating in Holy Week. It is a time of repentance and sacrifice in preparation for Easter. Observance(s) during this time may include fasting.

Building: Perry and Marty Granoff Music Center Campus Location: Medford/Somerville campus City: Medford, MA 02155 Campus: Medford/Somerville campus Location Details: Distler Performance Hall Open to Public: Yes Primary Audience(s): Faculty,Postdoctoral Fellows,Staff,Students (Graduate),Students (Postdoctoral) Event Type: Conference/Panel Event/Symposium Subject: Arts,Diversity/Identity/Inclusive Excellence,Global Engagement,Humanities,Music,Social Justice/Human Rights Event Sponsor: School of Arts and Sciences Event Sponsor Details: Center for Humanities at Tufts, Department of Music Event Contact Name: Amanda Pepper Event Contact Email: amanada.pepper@tufts.edu Event Contact Phone: 2037639353 RSVP Information: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdF91ogr6RejKaMuUfkJaVwpNO_qa3x6Rz8SfQCmnjfvBY2Qw/viewform Event Admission: Free Link: https://humanities.tufts.edu/international-symposium-musical-arts-africa-coit-phelps-lecture-2025 Join us March 28 and 29 for a dialogue between communities of practice and communities of learning—an interface between orality and literacy—in the context of African music and its research. African musical arts on the continent are as vibrant and diverse as the societies and communities whose creativity and performances enliven life in both temporal and non-temporal domains. As a form of communication, African musical arts operate within a larger framework of orality where musical sounds and expressions constitute symbolic and living curricula, which consistently generate knowledge systems about the African worldview. Orality, however, does not imply lack of literacy, as songs, instrumental accompaniment, storytelling, epic poems, instrumental music, and the physical body of musical instruments indexes literacy in subtle and intricate ways. Ultimately, the International Symposium on the Musical Arts of Africa (ISMAA) will foster crucial dialogues on critical issues, including the imbalanced power dynamics between researchers and African communities, the persistent challenge for African societies to access scholarship produced in the West, and “research fatigue” among African communities, which occurs when Africans become uncomfortable and less receptive toward Western academics.