Ofosuwa Abiola

Ofosuwa Abiola

Ofosuwa Abiola Dean Graduate School The Graduate School

Phone 301-860-3406 oabiola@bowiestate.edu

Main Campus Center for Business and Grad Studies, Room 1312

Education

  • Howard University Ph.D., History with concentrations in African Cultural History, African Dance History

  • Virginia State University, Bachelor of Individualized Study. Major: Cultural Studies, Minor: Dance

Areas of Expertise

History of traditional dance in Africa, Research paradigms in African and African diaspora dance, the African dance aesthetic, collective memory, & the significance of dance in society. 

Biography

Dr. Ofosuwa Abiola is an Africanist historian specializing in the history of the dances and cultures of Africa and the Diaspora. Dr. Abiola has received numerous grants and fellowships from national and international institutions. She was awarded an NEH grant to establish an Africana Theatre and Dance Collection in Howard University's historic Founder's Library. During her tenure as Archivist for the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, Dr. Abiola established their first archival system. Dr. Abiola was invited to Recife, Brazil, by the U.S. State Department to mount her African dance ballet, RITES, and to be a speaker in the International Cultural Summit in Brazil, hosted by a joint venture of the U.S. Consulate in Brazil and the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC, to facilitate the launch of the Smithsonian's first International Engagement Program. Dr. Abiola has been featured on broadcast networks and in newspapers including ABC's Good Morning Washington, and the Afro-American Newspaper. Dr. Abiola founded and served as Director of the international conference, The Nankama African Dance Conference, where participants and presenters from Africa, Europe, the African Diaspora, and the U.S. attended. Dr. Abiola was an invited panelist alongside the presidents of Ghana, Senegal, South Africa, and other officials at the Atlantic Council's High Level International Summit on the African Creative and Cultural Industries. Prior to her academic career, Abiola choreographed and performed. She founded the traditional African dance company, Suwabi African Ballet, and served as Artistic Director for 15 years. During her tenure as Artistic Director, in addition to over a thousand performances, presentations, and choreographic works, Dr. Abiola researched, wrote, directed, choreographed, and produced historical African dance ballets. Abiola was regularly invited to appear on radio and TV broadcast stations including PBS, NBC, CBS, and WHRO. 

Awards & Honors

Select Awards

  1. Outstanding Dance Researcher Award, National Education Organization, Washington, DC.
  2. Dean's Cabinet Award, Howard University, Washington, DC
  3. Ruth Lovell Murray Honorable Mention Book Award, National Education Organization, Washington, DC.
  4. Mary Ellen Lane Multi-Country Travel Grant Award, Top-Ranked research proposal, Counl of Overseas Research Centers.
  5. Outstanding Student Advisement, Office on Research Development, Howard University
  6. Master Folk Artist, Virginia Foundation for the Humanities
  7. Special Commendation, Office of the Mayor, Washington, DC.
  8. Special Commendation, Public History Lectures, Washington, DC Archives
  9. Excellence in the Arts Award, Southeast Virginia Arts Association
  10. Main Stay Award, for a performance above and beyond, Department of the Navy, Pentagon, Arlington, VA (Newport News, VA branch).
  11. Outstanding Contribution to Music in the Commonwealth, The Virginia Music Educators' Association, Norfolk, VA.
  12. Unity Award, Hampton City Council, Hampton, VA (for innovatively using African dance to facilitate conversation between diverse groups)

Select Grants & Fellowships

  1. National Trust for Historic Preservation, $150,000, Grant
  2. National Endowment for the Humanities, $99,948, Grant
  3. Howard University Program Prioritization, $2,200,000, Grant (for the Department of Theatre Arts)
  4. National Endowment for the Humanities, $15,000, Fellowship
  5. Council of American Overseas Research Centers, $12,000, Fellowship
  6. US Department of Education, $3,000, Grant
  7. Howard University Summer Faculty Research Grant, $10,000, Grant
  8. Crispus Attacks Cultural Center, $101,200 Rehearsal Space Grant
  9. Friends of the Arts, INC., $2,700, Grant
  10. Hampton Arts Council, $4,700, Grant
  11. The Links, $500, Grant
  12. J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship, Morocco, North Africa
  13. US Department of State Critical Language Scholarship, Arabic
  14. Virginia foundation for the Humanities, $3,000, Grant

Memberships & Affiliations

  • American College Dance Association (ACDA)

  • National Dance Education Organization (NDEO)

  • The American Folklore Society (AFS)

  • African Studies Association (ASA)

  • Association for the Study of the Worldwide African Diaspora (ASWAD)

  • Council of Historically Black Graduate Schools (CHBGS)

  • Council of Graduate Schools (CGS)

Other Resources

View Publications