MSU Tuesday Bulletin, 01/18/05

THE TUESDAY BULLETIN

Issue No. 2, Spring 2005 January 18, 2005

Weekly News from the AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY 100 INTERNATIONAL CENTER

EAST LANSING MI 48824-1035

For back issues, see archive <http://africa.msu.edu>

BULLETIN CONTENTS

EVENTS

MSU ANNOUNCEMENTS
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
CONFERENCES
FELLOWSHIPS

EVENTS

January 20, Thursday

"MLK and MSU: A Shared International Vision?," ISP presentation to commemorate the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, with David Wiley, Director of the African Studies Center and professor Sociology (MSU), and Robert Green, worked with Dr. King in the 1960's as education director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Dr. Green was also the first African-American to receive tenure in MSU's College of Education. Presentations will begin at 12:00 noon on the 3rd floor of the International Center. There will be a light luncheon beginning at 11:45 a.m.

January 21, Friday

The following two award-winning documentaries post 1994 South Africa will be shown at 7:00 p.m., Room 108 Bessey Hall.

"Long Night's Journey into Day,"

and

"A Red Ribbon Around My House."

(See MSU announcement for details about the documentaries).

January 27, Thursday

"The Introduction of Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potatoes to Reduce Vitamin A Deficiency in Mozambique: A Case Study in Gaza," African Studies Center Brown Bag talk with Richard Bernsten, Professor, Agricultural Economics (MSU), 12:00 noon, Room 201, International Center.

MSU ANNOUNCEMENTS

African Studies Center Application for Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) 2005-06

The African Studies Center at MSU is now accepting on-line applications for FLAS fellowships for academic year 2005-06 and for the 2005 Summer Cooperative African Language Institute (SCALI). The FLAS fellowship is funded by the U.S. Department of Education Title VI program for the study of African languages and non-language courses on Africa.

Detailed information on the fellowship, and on-line application guidelines and forms are available on the Center's website: http://africa.msu.edu/. Applicants who can not access the on-line forms can either use the printable PDF files available at the bottom of the application form webpage or contact the African Studies Center at (517) 353-1700; or e-mail: africa@msu.edu.

The deadline for submitting applications to the Center is February 18, 2005. In accordance with the Title VI centers' agreement of rotating summer course offerings under SCALI, African languages study in summer 2005 will be hosted by Indiana University-Bloomington. For more information visit the following website: http://www.indiana.edu/afrist/scali1.html.

Course Announcement, Spring 2005

New African Course Seminar in African History

HST 484

Land, Labor, and Lives: Themes in South African History. Themes include: the land and environment; socio-economic livelihoods and forms of labor (slavery, migrant labor); segregation/apartheid and resistance to it; gender; youth politics; anti-apartheid movements (including at MSU); the transition from apartheid to democracy; and contemporary problems and culture (including music). Films and special guest lectures by leading MSU professors are included. Extra credits available. Contact the instructor: Dr. Peter Limb at limb@msu.edu, or call 432-6123, ext. 239 for further details on the course.

Two-week Course for Planners and Policy Makers

The Women and International Development Program (WID) at MSU is offering a two-week, on-campus short course entitled "Gender, Sustainable Agriculture, and Natural Resource Management," from May 15-27, 2005.

This course is designed to provide those working for NGOs, government departments and ministries, universities, and the private sector with gender-sensitive tools and skills necessary to carry out successful program development, policy making, and research in the areas of natural resource management and sustainable agricultural development. The application deadline is April 1, 2005.

For additional information regarding the course and registration fees contact the WID office at Women and International Development, 206 International Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824- 1035, USA; Phone: (517) 353-5040; Fax: (517) 432- 4845; e-mail: wid@msu.edu; web: http://www.isp.msu.edu/wid/

Celebrating South Africa at Ten

Please join MSU in celebrating South Africa's ten years of freedom by participating in an evening of South African film.

Friday, January 21, 2005
Room 108 Bessey Hall
7:00 p.m.

Two documentaries on post 1994 South Africa:

1) Long Night's Journey into Day South Africa, 2000, 94 min.
Producer/Director: Frances Reid, Director: Deborah Hoffmann

For over forty years, South Africa was governed by the most notorious form of racial domination since Nazi Germany. When it finally collapsed, those who had enforced apartheid's rule wanted amnesty for their crimes; their victims wanted justice. As a compromise, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was formed. As it investigated the crimes of apartheid, the Commission brought together victims and perpetrators to relive South Africa's brutal history. By revealing the past instead of burying it, the TRC hoped to pave the way to a peaceful future.

2) A Red Ribbon Around My House South Africa, 2001, 26 min.
Filmmaker: Portia Rankoane
Volume 13 of Steps for the Future

A mother and daughter are in crisis because of their different responses to AIDS. Pinky, flamboyant and loud lets everyone know she is HIV-positive. But her daughter, Ntombi, is battling to just like everyone else. Her mother's courageous and touching refusal to be quiet or passive in the face of AIDS, sets them apart. Pinky acknowledges the difficulties her openness poses for her daughter, but makes no apology. Throughout it all, her sense of humor about life are apparent. We leave the film with Pinky doing what she does best living.

Soweto Gospel Choir - MSU Wharton Center

The 32-member Soweto Gospel choir will share their vibrant and colorful culture of South Africa on Sunday, February 20, 2005 at 4:00 p.m.

The choir along with thrilling drummers and dancers offer a musical cornucopia of traditional African gospel and modern western spirituals sung in six of Soweto's 11 languages. Please visit the Soweto Gospel Choir's web-site at: http://www.sowetogospelchoir.com/

The African Studies Center will have a limited number of tickets available soon. Ticket cost is $16.50. Tickets are also available through the Wharton Center Box Office. Call 1-800-WHARTON or (517) 432-2000.

Lincoln Center Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra

The Lincoln Center Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra will perform at the MSU Wharton Center for Performing Arts (The Great Hall) on Friday, March 25, 2005 at 8:00 p.m.

Led by pianist Arturo O'Farrill, the acclaimed Afro- Latin Jazz Orchestra is comprised of 18 prominent soloists from the Latin Jazz scene. Wynton Marsalis, artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, urged O'Farrill to create the ALJO to continue the innovations of musicians like Mario Bauza, Machito, and O'Farrill's father, the late Chico O'Farrill.

Tickets are available from Clyde Hanna at the Wharton Center. Please call (517) 353-1982, ext. 122. Ticket cost is $5.00.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

Commercial Service to Reduce Foreign Accents in English -East Lansing, Michigan

Visit http://www.leslie2k.com to learn more about accent reduction tutoring. The information page on Accent Reduction has a free translation service link on the page for those with limited English.

There will be 20 sessions. Clients will receive 1 hour of 1 on 1 tutoring and ½ hour of Conversational English. Additionally, they will have exclusive use to audio files for at-home practice. For cost and other information contact Katie or Bill Eubank at (517) 337-5004 or e- mail: tutor4internationals@yahoo.com.

NEH Summer Institute - African Cinema Dakar, Senegal - June 8 - July 6, 2005

The Department of African Studies, Howard University, in conjunction with the Institute of African American Affairs at New York University and the West African Research Center, announces an NEH Summer Institute to be held in Dakar, Senegal, June 8 to July 6, 2005. The focus of the institute is AFRICAN CINEMA, and it is open to US College and University faculty in the humanities and social sciences currently teaching or planning to teach courses with significant African humanities content and focus. The Institute is designed to reinforce and expand a humanistic approach to African Studies by providing College and University faculty with a site-based program on the context and significance of African Cinema and its applications to college and university curricula. The Institute will be organized and conducted primarily on the basis of seminars, film screenings and discussions. Attendance and participation at all sessions is mandatory.

NEH provides a stipend of $3000.00 to each selected participant to help cover travel and living expenses in Dakar. Travel to and from New York, meals, insurance and incidentals will be the responsibility of the selected participants. For more information on the Institute and application procedures and materials, visit http://www.coas.howard.edu/neh/. E-mail inquiries may be sent to africancinema@howard.edu or call (202) 238- 2355 or (212) 998-2139. The deadline for submitting complete applications is March 1, 2005.

CONFERENCES

International Conference and Workshop on Ethics and Development - April 8-15, 2005

Michigan State University will host this three-part International Conference and Workshop entitled: "The Capabilities Approach in Practice." Speakers include Onora O'Neill, Des Gasper, Nigel Dower, Sakiko Fukuda-Parr, David Crocker, Asun St. Clair, Dan Little, Paul Thompson, renowned filmmaker Mandy Jacobson, and others.

The purpose of this conference is to explore the practical value of the Capability Approach, first initiated by Nobel laureate Amartya K. Sen. In addition, participants will be discussing how best to move forward with a new interdisciplinary doctoral specialization in ethics and development at Michigan State University.

For registration and conference information, go to: http://www.msu.edu/unit/phl/devconference/EthDev.htm or contact Drew Pierce at phone:(517) 353-8860/ 355- 4490; fax: (517-432-1320; e-mail: piercea2@msu.edu.

FELLOWSHIPS

Postdoctoral Fellowship - Art of Sub-Saharan Africa and/or Art of the African Diaspora- Williams College

Williams College invites applications for a two-year Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship for new Ph.D.'s to begin in the fall of 2005 in the art of sub-Saharan Africa and/or the art of the African Diaspora.

The successful candidate will have an appointment in the Department of Art and will teach one course per semester, including a survey of the art of sub-Saharan Africa or the art of the African Diaspora and an upper- level course from his or her area of specialization. The successful candidate will also need to be available to advise students doing individual research in projects in the area of African studies.
The Mellon Fellows at Williams are included in Department activities as regular junior faculty members and they will work closely with a faculty mentor.

The fellowship includes a salary of $35,000 plus benefits and funds to support research and travel. Applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States, or expect to pursue a teaching career in the United States.

Please submit a letter of application, c.v., a graduate school transcript, three letters of recommendation, and a brief description of teaching interests. Review of applications will begin on January 31, 2005 and continue until the search is completed. Send application materials to: Michael A. Glier, Department of Art, Lawrence Hall, Williams College, Williamstown, MA 01267.

Page Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar, Ph.D.