What is the Research Rumble?
The Research Rumble is a roundtable discussion that happens twice every year during the months of February and October. It is streamed live to our Facebook page and restreamed to our YouTube channel.
The primary objective is to educate participants and viewers on the weight of supporting evidence behind diverging paths and philosophies associated with African history and culture.
Viewers are able to watch the livestream free of charge. However, there was a $5 fee to join the Zoom meeting. Proceeds went towards supporting the research efforts of the participants.
There are two sides to the debates/discussions. Any number of persons are able to team up, but is an equal number of persons on each side. There is no winner declared at the end. It is left to the viewers to make up their minds about which side or participant(s) presented the most convincing research argument.
The debate/discussion are divided into three parts or ’rounds’ in which participants deliberate on three aspects of the subject.
This is the standard agenda for each round…
6:30 pm EST: The room opens. The audience and participants join and get settled in.
7:00 pm EST: The contestants and the fact-checkers are introduced.
7:10 pm EST: Each side gets a 10 minute segment to deliver their responses to the question.
7:30 pm EST: The floor is open for 30 minutes so that each side can respond to each other.
8:00 pm EST: Everyone gets a 5 minute commercial break. Then highlights are replayed.
8:10 pm EST: Everyone returns. The “points” from the audience are tallied and viewer questions are taken at random for each contestant.
8:45 pm EST: Fact-checker discussion.
8:55 pm EST: The wrap-up.
If you are interested in participating in the Research Rumble as a presenter or as a fact-checker, please send us an email at bru@afrologia.org or researchrumble@afrologia.org with your name and a brief description about your familiarity with the subject of this debate/discussion. We would also like for you to include a sample of the references that you will be using.
Below, you will find details on past, present, and future Rumbles, including livestreams and recordings of the events.
October 2023
Our official third biannual Research Rumble is scheduled for the four Sundays in the month of October 2023, which is observed as Black History Month in the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland.
The subject of this Rumble will be “Women’s Rights: Feminism and Womanism, Agency and Duty.”
The first part of our Rumble on 10-01 will consist of a friendly sparring match during which the participants will introduce themselves and share their general thoughts on the subject at hand.
Host: Omri Coke of Black Researchers United (BRU)
Guests: Isabella, Portia, Madonna, Denyssa, Terrance, Gamma, and Corey
The questions for each subsequent round will be as follows…
Round 1 (10-08): What was the pre-colonial African approach to gender roles?
Host: Omri Coke of Black Researchers United (BRU)
Guest(s): TBA
Round 2 (10-15): Can patriarchal systems be transformed?
Host: Omri Coke of Black Researchers United (BRU)
Guest(s): TBA
Round 3 (10-22): What does intersectionality look like?
Host: Omri Coke of Black Researchers United (BRU)
Guest(s): TBA
The final round on 10-29 will be an open question and answer session during which the participants will answer questions that were submitted by our audience members during the course of the previous discussions in the streaming chats, through private messaging, and by email. We will also address additional questions raised by the participants themselves.
Host: Omri Coke of Black Researchers United (BRU)
Guest(s): TBA
This is a very important subject for research. We believe that engaging with members of our community on subjects of our history is one way that we can be better informed as a people on matters of our past so that we can make better decisions in the present which can lead to greater progress in the future.
– BRU Staff
Research Rumble 3 – Round 1
Research Rumble 3 – Round 2
February 2023
Our official second biannual Research Rumble was held on Sunday, February 12th at 7 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST).
The subject of this discussion was “African Religions: Continental and Diasporic.” The month of February is recognized as African American History Month in the United States and as Black History Month in Canada – an excellent opportunity to broach yet another subject of great complexity, which is scarcely understood in its proper historical, cultural, and practical contexts.
Host: Omri Coke of Black Researchers United (BRU)
Guest: Asante Massawa of Nubiamancy and Mofarafina
The discussion was divided into three parts or ’rounds’ in which participants deliberated on three aspects of the subject.
The questions for each round were as follows…
Round 1: Does your practice constitute a religion?
Round 2: How do African religions compare to each other?
Round 3: Why are African religions stigmatized and how can we change that?
Final Round: Open Q & A Session
This is a very crucial subject of study. We believe that exploring the total essence of our ancestral heritage will empower us with a deeper appreciation of who we are.
– BRU Staff
October 2022
Due to technical difficulties and scheduling conflicts, our second biannual Research Rumble was scheduled to resume two full cycles into the future to the same time the following year (October 2023).
We hope to see you there!
– BRU Staff
February 2022
Our official first biannual Research Rumble took place on four Sundays in the month of February 2022, which is observed as African American History Month in the United States.
The subject of this first debate/discussion was “The Maafa: African Resistance and African Participation, Agitators and Collaborators.”
The questions for each round were as follows…
Round 1 (02-06): Did Africans sell other Africans into slavery?
Host: Omri Coke of Black Researchers United (BRU)
Guest: Adam Myrie of the Historical African Martial Arts Association (HAMAA)
Round 2 (02-13): Did African people do enough to resist enslavement?
Host: Omri Coke of Black Researchers United (BRU)
Guest 1: Adam Myrie of the Historical African Martial Arts Association (HAMAA)
Guest 2: Abba Saba of indigens.org
Round 3 (02-20): How did traditional systems of servitude in Africa compare with other forms practiced by other people?
Host: Omri Coke of Black Researchers United (BRU)
Guest: Dwayne Akio Wong-Omowale of the Owowale Pan-African Digital Library
Final Round (02-27): Open Q & A Session
Host: Omri Coke of Black Researchers United (BRU)
Guest: Adam Myrie of the Historical African Martial Arts Association (HAMAA)
This is a very important subject for research. We believe that engaging with members of our community on subjects of our history is one way that we can be better informed as a people on matters of our past so that we can make better decisions in the present which can lead to greater progress in the future.
– BRU Staff
Thank you for choosing to be a part of this landmark event!
We look forward to seeing you at our next Research Rumble.