MSU Tuesday Bulletin, 03/16/04
Issue No. 9 Spring 2004
March 16, 2004
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
March 16, Thursday
"Isotope Analysis in Ecosystem Research," Center for Global Change and Earth
Observations Brown Bag with Peggy Ostrom, Professor (Geological Sciences, MSU), 12:00
noon, Room 105, Manley Miles Bldg.
March 18, Thursday
"Heritage, History and Change in South Africa," African Studies Center Brown Bag with
Andre Odendaal, Honorary Professor (History and Heritage Studies, Univ. of the Western
Cape, South Africa), 12:00 noon, Room 201, International Center. The visit is
Co-sponsored by the MSU Department of History.
April 2, Friday
"Urban Systems and Global Institutions in an Era of Environmental Change," Urban and
Metropolitan Studies Forum Series with Rodney R. White, Professor of Geography and
Director of the Institute for Environmental Studies (Univ. of Toronto), 12:00 noon, Moot
Court Room, Room 428, Law Building.
MSU ANNOUNCEMENTS
MSU Museum Expedition - South Africa
June 8 - June 20, 2004 (optional extensions)
This 2004 Summer Adventure in South Africa, an MSU
Museum Expedition, Coordinated by Classic Travel will
include visits to Cape Town, the Winelands region, the
Cape of Good Hope Peninsula, Johannesburg, Durban,
and game tours at the Kruger National Park. In addition,
the trip will include some unique cultural experiences
linked to the South African National Cultural Heritage
Project (SANCH), a multi-year partnership project of
the MSU Museum, MATRIX, and African Studies with
a consortium of South African cultural heritage
organizations.
Accompanying the group will be Dr. C. Kurt Dewhurst,
director of the MSU Museum and professor of English,
and Dr. Marsha MacDowell, curator of folk arts, and
professor of Art and Art History. To find out more
and/or to register, visit the web site at:
http://www.classictravelusa.com/group_SAfrica.htm.
Les Ballets Africains
Special Student Rate $10
Les Ballets Africains, the national ensemble of the
Republic of Guinea, has thrilled audiences worldwide
since it was formed by the distinguished Guinean
choreographer Keita Fodeba in 1952/53. It is
universally recognized as Africa's most accomplished
touring company.
In a compelling program celebrating the company's half
century, Les Ballets Africains performs traditional
dance, music, acrobatics and storytelling. Pulsing
rhythms from ancient tribal instruments build the
excitement as the company bursts onto the stage in an
explosion of dance and song. Fascination legends filled
with humans, animals and spirits unfold in a fast-paced,
joyous celebration that will leave audiences breathless.
Les Ballets Africains captures the elemental energy of
its native land in a performance that is pure sensation.
The Wharton Center has provided an opportunity for K-
12 and college students in the mid-Michigan area to
experience the world-renowned Les Ballets Africains at
the low cost of $10. The performance is 3:00 p.m.,
Sunday, March 28, 2004 at the MSU Wharton Center.
Prior to the performance at 1:30 p.m., Dr. Dorothy
Harper-Jones, MSU professor emeritus, expert on
African dance, and founder and director of the Pashami
Dancers, (Mid-Michigan's premier African dance
troupe) will provide a brief introduction to West African
dance traditions. Dr. Jones' presentation will take place
on the Grand Tier of the Wharton Center.
Deadline for purchasing tickets is Monday, March 22,
2004. Please contact John Metzler, African Studies
Center, (517) 353-1700; metzler@msu.edu to reserve
your tickets. Please note: Teachers and chaperones who
accompany students will also receive the $10 ticket rate.
Explore Africa at MSU - July 11-18, 2004
Explore Africa at MSU is an eight-day residential
program designed for academically-talented high school
students who would like to become immersed in
learning about the tremendous diversity found within the
continent of Africa. This program is a cooperative
venture by the African Studies Center and the Office of
Gifted and Talented Education.
Participants will attend daily language classes in
Swahili, hear from professors and others who have spent
years living in and studying Africa; participate in
discussions on a key topic each day, interwoven with
African literature; work individually or in teams to
develop projects on African topics; participate in
African arts and cultural activities such as music, dance,
cinema, and cooking; and participate in social activities
in the evening and weekend, while staying on campus.
Eligible students must be entering grade 10 or 11 in
2004/05 with a high GPA in college prep courses; have
strong test scores on nationally standardized tests or the
MEAP; have a desire to work in an academically
challenging environment and; be an enthusiastic,
creative learner.
For further information or to request a brochure and
application please contact Jenny McCampbell, Director,
The Office of Gifted and Talented Education, MSU;
Tel: (517) 432-2129 or e-mail: mccampbe@msu.edu; or
visit the web site at: www.msu.edu/user/gifted.
Explore Africa - Learning Opportunity for Teachers
Teachers are invited to a unique learning experience this
summer. Explore Africa at MSU, the residential
program for gifted and talented students, is offering
teachers the opportunity to join the daily academic and
cultural portions of the program. Teachers will join the
students on July 12-16, 2004 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
(See previous paragraph for more program details).
Teachers may take the course in one of three ways:
For no credit or for 3 SB-CEUs Cost: $300.00
For 2 MSU Lifelong Education credits for TE 890
(independent study); cost: $873.00
Non-credit
For those earning credits, additional independent study
work outside of class will be expected, commensurate
with the number of credits.
For additional information, contact John Metzler,
Assistant Professor of African Studies and Teacher
Education and Outreach Coordinator, African Studies
Center; (517) 353-1700; e-mail: metzler@msu.edu; or
Jenny McCampbell, Office of Gifted and Talented
Education, (517) 432-2129; e-mail:
mccampbe@msu.edu.
East Lansing Film Festival
Films on Africa March 2004
(see complete schedule at: http://www.elff.com/index.html)
Co-sponsored by MSU African Studies Center and
International Studies and Programs.
Friday, March 19,
MSU Wells Hall - Bresson Theatre 7 pm
Si-Gueriki (Queen Mother)
Directed by Idrissou Mora Kpai
Benin (2003) 63 min
In Bariba and French with English subtitles
After ten years of living in Europe, Kpai returns to his
village to make a documentary about his family,
members of the royal Wassengaris of Benin. In the
process, he comes to the self-realization that he does not
know his mother and sister. It is the tradition of his tribe
to separate the boys from their mothers at a very young
age to be raised by the men. His mother is the si-gueriki,
the Queen-mother, a position once of great power but
now reduced to a mere title. This film is the story of
young a man's confrontation with his culture and
traditions, an intimate, personal film with an insider's
view of an ancient culture and a reconnection with a lost
mother.
See website below for further details:
http://www.newsreel.org/nav/title.asp?tc=CN0154
Saturday, March 20,
Wells Hall - Bresson Theatre, 4 pm
A Great Wonder
Director: Kim Shelton
United States (2003) 65 min
This remarkable documentary traces the extraordinary
journey of three young Sudanese orphans- two men and
a woman- who traveled from Sudan to Ethiopia, and
then Kenya, by foot, before ending up in the Northwest.
They have spent the majority of their lives either in
flight from war or in a refugee camp, and now must
struggle with foster care and their new world. Each has
a different but compelling story of hardship and
unflappable optimism. Truly inspiring.
Winner, Audience Award for Best Documentary,
Seattle International Film Festival.
Details: see website at: http://www.agreatwonder.com
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
WARA Summer Institute for College and University
Faculty - Summer 2004, June 14-June 26
(Deadline extended to March 30, 2004)
This is an intensive two-week summer institute on
African literary forms and their contexts, with a focus on
Senegal. Participants will examine a number of specific
texts, meet prominent writers, and explore the interest in
local language literacy and publications. Importantly,
participants will also consider literary production in its
relationship to other contemporary art forms such as rap
and contemporary visual arts. The institute will be based
at the West African Research Center in Dakar, Senegal,
and is intended for faculty who wish to develop and
expand teaching or research related to African literature.
Institute director and the staff of WARC will help
participants pursue individual interests in making
research contacts or developing teaching materials. The
institute will be conducted primarily in English. In order
to provide as broad a perspective as possible on
contemporary literature and its contexts, participants
will be offered a series of lectures, seminars and
discussion sessions at WARC, with academics, writers
and artists from the region. Participants will also have
the opportunity to travel to the historical city of St.
Louis and to "ordinary" non-urban centers outside of
Dakar.
Participation in the seminar will be limited to 12. For
more information or an application form please contact
WARA at wara@bu.edu. A $500 deposit is required to
reserve a space upon notification of acceptance to the
institute. The deadline has been extended to March 30,
2004.
CONFERENCES
African Studies Conference - Grand Valley State U.
Call for Papers
Deadline extended to March 22, 2004
African/African American Studies at Grand Valley State
University (Allendale campus) and the Department of
African Studies at University of Cape Coast (Ghana) are
organizing a conference on the theme: African Studies:
Paradigms, Pedagogy and Partnerships, October 7-9,
2004.
All academic disciplines are encouraged to submit
abstracts of 250 words describing individual
presentations and performances, and/or proposals of 500
words for panels, along with 50 word biography of each
presenter. The primary goal of the conference is to link
academic concerns to concrete material conditions,
scholarship, and teaching about Africa and the African
Diaspora. Presentations focusing on the following areas
and/or related topics are welcomed:
challenges facing current political regimes in Africa;
retaining civil society, instilling civic responsibility and
community building; confronting multiple identities,
ethnicities and nationalities; rethinking the effects of
colonialism and post-colonialism; interventions in
struggles for human (including gender) rights; African
and Diasporan histories, literatures, and the arts;
strengthening health care and social welfare systems;
rebuilding economic infrastructures and resources;
preserving and using indigenous knowledge and value
systems; honoring cultural rituals, religions and
celebrations; and charting the impact of international
terrorism and geo-political alliances on African peoples.
Send two copies of proposals via US Mail to: Dr. Veta
Tucker, Department of English and African/African
American Studies Program, Grand Valley State
University, One Campus Drive, Allendale, Michigan
49401; Tel: (616) 331-3692; Fax: (616) 331-3430.
Submissions may also be electronically transmitted to
Dr. Ronald J. Stephens, Coordinator of African/African
American Studies at: stephron@gvsu.edu Submission
deadline extended to March 22, 2004.
FELLOWSHIPS
South African National Science and Technology
Forum - Awards for Black Researchers
~
Additional New Awards for Black Researchers and their
mentors for the National Science and Technology
Forum (NSTF) for 2004.
The NSTF is pleased to announce a package of
additional awards sponsored by ESKOM and the NRF.
These exciting new awards are specifically designed to
encourage black researchers and those who mentor them
and provide special research grants for the winners to
this end.
For entry forms on the awards, visit the web
http://www.nstf.org.za/Activities/Projects/NSTF_Scie
nce_and_Technology_Awards/NSTF_entry_form_2.pdf
The closing date is March 19, 2004. For contact
details, e-mail: nstf@csir.co.za.
Page Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar, Ph.D.