Congress of Black Writers and Artists

The Congress of Black Writers and Artists (French: Congrès des écrivains et artistes noirs; originally called the Congress of Negro Writers and Artists) was a meeting of leading black intellectuals for the purpose of addressing the issues of colonialism, slavery, and Négritude. The First Congress of Black Writers and Artists was organized by the Pan-African quarterly cultural, political, and literary review Présence Africaine. It was held in Paris, France, in September 1956. Ahmed Sékou Touré spoke at the Second Congress of Black Writers and Artists, which was held in Rome, Italy, in 1959. One of the most influential Congress was held in Montreal, Canada, at McGill University, October 11–14, 1968; it was organized primarily by the Caribbean Conference Committee and was described as the "largest Black Power conference ever held outside the United States"