I gave my paper titled, “Can’t Kant Count: Ifa Divines for African Art History

I gave my paper titled, “Can’t Kant Count: Ifa Divines for African Art History,” at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, over the weekend.

Many people gave me warm responses.

Here I was, doodling on my coffee cup while listening to another talk at the conference.

I concentrate better when I doodle. But many people think that doodling is a sign of disrespect to them.

The head of the curators of a museum where I used to work some ten years got so mad at me for doodling during meetings that he recommended that I should be denied tenure at the university where I was also working at that time.

But I was so productive in terms of my writing that his recommendation was ignored–but his hate cost me one year of delay, while they sought a way to sidetrack his uninformed attacks.

Doodling does not mean you are being ignored. It’s just some people’s way f focusing on the moment.