She has published eight books in French or English,
including The Afrocentric Paradigm (2003),
L’Impératif Afrocentrique(2003),The Encyclopedia
of Black Studies(2005) (coedited with Molefi Kete
Asante), andAfrica in the 21st Century:Toward a
New Future(2007), as well as more than 60 articles
in French and English in national and international
journals. Dr. Mazama’s early work was on the
African roots of Caribbean creole languages.
Dr. Mazama is the associate editor of the
Journal of Black Studies, the top scholarly journal
in Black Studies. In 2007, the National Council of
Black Studies presented her with the Ana Julia
Cooper and CLR James Award for her contribu-
tions to the advancement of the discipline of Black
Studies.
Dr. Mazama has lectured nationally, through-
out the United States and internationally, in Paris,
Vienna, London, Birmingham, South America,
Benin, West Africa, Canada, and, of course, in the
Caribbean, her place of origin. She is a highly
sought after lecturer and workshop leader in the
field of African and African American infusion in
school curricula. An expert in linguistics and cul-
tural theory, Dr. Mazama has been cited by
numerous school districts for her work in Pan
African culture.
In 2002, she was initiated in Haiti to
become a Mambo, that is, a Vodu priestess.
Thus, Ama Mazama’s knowledge of African
religion is not only academic but also, and
most important, stems from a lived experi-
ence. The mother of three, Dr. Mazama is
committed to recording and transmitting
knowledge of the African cultural traditions
to present and future generations.xvi About the Editors