The Connecticut Writing Project & the Quick Center for the Arts at Fairfield University present:

Hoops Africa | Ubuntu Matters

Sports Literacy and the Power of Community — a Saugatuck Storyfest Event

Documentary Screening and Q&A Panel Discussion
Thursday, October 11, 2018 at 7 p.m.

Kelley Theater at the Quick Center for the Arts
Free and open to the public, but seating is limited so registration is requested

The Connecticut Writing Project and Quick Center for the Arts at Fairfield University present a free screening of Hoops Africa: Ubuntu Matters on October 11, 2018 at the Kelley Theatre in the Quick Center for the Arts. The film is a collection of stories that celebrates the past, present, and future of basketball in Africa, spotlighting the sport’s impact on African society and its development on the continent. It is scheduled as a kick-off event for the Saugatuck Story Fest, a two-day literary festival to be held in Westport, Connecticut.

Following the screening there will be a Q&A panel discussion with: Fairfield University’s Bryan Ripley Crandall, PhD, director of the Connecticut Writing Project and associate professor in the Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions (GSEAP); Men’s Basketball Head Coach Sydney Johnson; the film’s producer Taylor Sharp; and the founder and executive director of Hoops 4 Hope, Mark Crandall.

“When I learned of the Saugatuck Story Fest,” said Dr. Crandall, “I thought it might be wonderful to tell the story of sports, literacy and community engagement between the men’s basketball team and the Connecticut Writing Project at Fairfield University. The film’s message of togetherness is also what brought [Coach] Sydney Johnson and I together.”

The Hoops Africa: Ubuntu Matters film documents the dreams of a young Zimbabwean player and while honoring African NBA legends who paved the way before him. Centering on basketball nonprofit Hoops 4 Hope in South Africa and Zimbabwe, the documentary uncovers the role the African philosophy of Ubuntu played in the Boston Celtics’ 2008 NBA Championship season and also documents the historic 2015 NBA Africa Game. Featuring Hakeem Olajuwon, Dikembe Mutombo, Adam Silver, Luol Deng, Luc Mbah a Moute, Chris Paul, Doc Rivers, Paul Pierce, and many more NBA greats, this documentary shows us all why #UbuntuMatters.

“Ubuntu is central to the work of the Connecticut Writing Project,” continued Dr. Crandall.

The screening and Q&A panel are free and open to the public, but registration is requested. For more information and to register, please visit Fairfield.edu/hoopsafrica.