West African Research Center

'West African Research Center, or WARC, is the overseas research center for The West African Research Association (WARA). It is located in Dakar, Senegal. WARC is a center for academic exchange between American and West African scholars that encourages research on the region of West Africa. The idea for the overseas center came about in May 1992 and was implemented in the fall of 1993. Since its inception, WARC has grown both in terms of staff and influence as it continues to connect researchers in the USA with researchers in the region of West Africa interested in common issues. Currently, WARC is headed by Dr. Ousmane Sene. It is located in the Fann Residence neighborhood of Dakar. [1] The center is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers. The Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) is a private not-for-profit association of centers that research, conserve and record cultural heritage and modern societies.[1] CAORC, founded in 1981, helps arrange research projects that span national boundaries, in which member centers collaborate.Funding Scholarships The CAORC supports a multi-country research fellowship program for scholars who have obtained a Ph.D. in the humanities or social sciences and who want to conduct regional or trans-regional research.[3] Under the National Security Language Initiative, the United States Department of State funds scholarships in the "Critical Language Scholarships Program" that were originally organized by CAORC. These scholarships are now administered by the American Councils for International Education. Objective

WARC promotes scholarly research on West Africa and the Diaspora and works to foster cooperation between American and West African researchers, students and artists. In its development from initial conception to project planning, the Center seeks the active participation and cooperation of both West African and American scholars in order to identify and meet the needs of both communities. WARC specifically aims to: -Encourage collaborative research between American and West African researchers, universities, and relevant institutions through a program of research fellowships and the organization of colloquia, seminars, and workshops on topics of both general and scholarly interest. -Make available to West African and visiting researchers a research library, computer facilities, and a computer network capable of sustaining significant research efforts by providing up-to-date data and information on West Africa and the Diaspora. -Provide a forum in which both local and foreign researchers may conduct and share their work, and create a transnational community of scholars and researchers. -Promote interdisciplinary approaches and considerations of gender in the study of West Africa and the African Diaspora. -Gather, catalogue, and disseminate the results of research on West Africa. [edit]Facilities The West African Research Center has a conference, seminar and round-table room. The Center also makes available for the west African Research Association members and other researchers, computer rooms with printers and access to Internet, a Restaurant, a Library and a research room.