The Society of Research on African Cultures (SORAC) was founded in 1997 by Dr. Daniel Mengara and Dr. Mutombo Nkulu N’Sengha (who was a visiting instructor at Montclair State University and a Temple University Ph.D. candidate at the time). SORAC is an organization with an academic/scholarly focus whose purpose is to evolve into a major center for the diffusion and promotion of African cultures and related research, not only in the State of New Jersey and North America, but also worldwide.

As such, SORAC’s mission is to:

• promote scholarly research on all aspects of African civilization (history, societies, cultures, economy, etc.), as well as a fruitful exchange of ideas among Africanist scholars worldwide;
• promote an understanding of Africa that is beyond the usual stereotypes, and in a way that highlights Africa’s often ignored contributions to world civilization;
• promote a bridging of the historical, cultural and ideological gap between Africans and people of African descent worldwide, as well as new forms of dialogue between Africa and its diasporas;
• promote initiatives aimed at improving the intellectual, cultural, political, social and economic conditions of Africans and people of African descent, not only on the continent, but also worldwide;
• promote new forms of dialogue between Africa and the West, especially the United States;
• promote new forms of dialogue between Africa and the emerging powers of Asia and South America;
• promote new forms of dialogue between Africa and the Arab world;
• promote interest in, and discussion of, Africa-related issues at Montclair State University;
• promote the study of Africa as a subject of instruction, not only at Montclair State University, but also in the United States;

To these ends, SORAC frequently organizes various africa-reated activities and events, including international conferences, panels, roundtables and guest speeches, film festivals and cultural events, among others. SORAC also publishes scholarly research on Africa in the form of books and an academic journal of African studies.