Chike Nwoffiah, a Nigerian filmmaker and founder of the Silicon Valley African Film Festival, will be the featured speaker April 8 at Wartburg College’s annual Michaelson, Briner & Kildahl Literary Symposium.
“Beyond Diplomas: Ubuntu and Transformational Leadership” will begin at 6:30 p.m. in McCaskey Lyceum in the Saemann Student Center. The evening is free and open to the public. In “Beyond Diplomas,” Nwoffiah will challenge guests to help equip the next generation of leaders with the courage to lead with authenticity, dignity and service to others.
Drawing from African philosophy, indigenous knowledge systems and his own lived experience in global innovation spaces, Nwoffiah positions the African philosophy of ubuntu — the idea that a person is fully human through others — as a pathway to transformational leadership. Ubuntu, according to Nwoffiah, is an ethical framework that stands in sharp contrast to dominant leadership models shaped by extraction, speed and accumulation. He believes a leader guided by ubuntu cannot remain untouched by the suffering of the community, dismiss inequality as collateral damage or celebrate growth that leaves people behind.
Through his film festival, Nwoffiah has shared over 100 films from more than 40 African countries. He also helps amplify African voices as the president of Rhesus Media Group and a founding partner in the African Film Fund, both of which invest in African filmmakers to drive cultural and economic impact.
He has been inducted into the Silicon Valley Black Legends Hall of Fame and received the President’s Gold Volunteer Service Award from President Joe Biden.
“We are excited to welcome Chike Nwoffiah to Wartburg and to learn from his vast experiences in filmmaking, tech and community engagement,” said Zak Montgomery, Wartburg’s Harry and Polly Slife Professor in Humanities.
The Michaelson, Briner & Kildahl Literary Symposium is presented by the Slife Professorship in Humanities with generous support from Steve and Jane Noah and other donors to the MBK Endowment.
The symposium was created through a leadership gift commitment from the Noahs and Dale and Judy Goeke in support of an annual event that would bring an author, poet or other literary figure to campus to engage students, faculty, staff and the broader community in activities to stimulate critical thought. It celebrates the legacy of former Wartburg English professors Sam Michaelson (1966-92), K.D. Briner (1966-76) and Phillip Kildahl (1961-77 and 1980-82).
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