MSU Tuesday Bulletin, 10/27/09

"Local Economic Development, Poverty Reduction and sustainable Livelihoods within Townships in South Africa. Myth or Reality?" African Studies Center Brown Bag talk with Cecil Madell, Visiting Scholar, Univ. of Michigan-UMAPS program (Univ. of Cape Town, South Africa), 12:00 noon - 1:30 p.m., Room 201 International Center. Thursday, October 29, 2009

"African Audiences from Hollywood to Nollywood," Inaugural Annual ASA Presidential lecture with African Studies Association (ASA) President, Dr. Charles Ambler, Faculty, History Department, University of Texas at El Paso, 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m., Room 115 International Center. Reception to follow in Spartan Rooms B & C, Crossroads Food Court. (See MSU Announcements below). Wednesday, November 4, 2009

"Afrobarometer Symposium on Public Opinion in Africa: Results from Afrobarometer Round 4," with presentations by Michael Bratton, Univ. Distinguished Professor, (Political Science MSU), Carolyn Logan, Deputy Director, (Afrobarometer and Assistant Professor, Political Science, MSU), and Boniface Dulani, Lecturer, (Univ. of Malawi and Ph.D. candidate, Political Science, MSU), 3:00 - 5:00 p.m., Room 303 International Center. Refreshments will be served. (See MSU Announcements below). Thursday, November 5, 2009

Brown Bag -TBA
Announcements
2009 Inaugural Annual ASA Presidential Lecture

The Michigan State University African Studies Center in collaboration with the Departments of History and English will host the 2009 Inaugural ASA Presidential Lecture on Thursday, October 29, 2009, 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Room 115 of the International Studies and Programs building.

The guest lecturer is Professor Charles Ambler, current president of the African Studies Association (ASA), the premier professional association of Africanists in North America. Former Dean of Research and the Graduate School at the University of Texas, El-Paso, Ambler has a long and distinguished career as a historian. He has published extensively on a range of topics, from pre-colonial African communities and their resourceful methods of coping with colonialism (Kenyan Communities in the Age of Imperialism Yale, 1988), to the place of alcohol in the struggles between workers and mine managers in the Zambian Copperbelt (Liquor and Labor in Southern Africa Ohio:1992), to numerous path-breaking articles on leisure in Africa. He will lecture on his current project, a broad-ranging study of media in colonial and post-colonial Africa.

A reception will follow the lecture in Spartan Rooms B and C. Please contact the African Studies Center at (517) 353-1700 for further information.

Conversations with Charles Ambler on the topic: ASA and Graduate Student Training will also take place on Friday, October 30, 2009; 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; Room 305 International Center. Afrobarometer Symposium - Wed., Nov. 4, 2009

The Afrobarometer Symposium on "Public Opinion in Africa: Results from Afrobarometer Round 4," will feature presentations by Michael Bratton, University Distinguished Professor, Political Science and African Studies (MSU) speaking on, "Neither Consolidating Nor Fully Democratic: The Evolution of African Political Regimes"; Carolyn Logan, Deputy Director, Afrobarometer and Assistant Professor, Political Science (MSU) speaking on, "Poverty Reduction, Economic Growth and Democratization in Sub-Saharan Africa"; and Boniface Dulani, Lecturer, University of Malawi and Ph.D. candidate, Political Science (MSU) speaking on, "The African President: A View from Below."

The Afrobarometer Symposium will take place on Wednesday, November 4, 2009, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., Third Floor of the International Center. Additional information on the Afrobarometer may be found at: http://www.afrobarometer.org. African Culture Week - 2009, begins Sat. November 14, 2009

The African Student Union extends an invitation for all to attend their annual African Culture week activities beginning on Saturday, November 14, 2009, with the Gala Night "From Sunrise to Sunset: The Harvest is Ripe!" The Gala is a theater production in celebration of African culture, featuring dances, skits, fashion show, poetry, music, and food. The show is from 5:00-7:30 p.m., with dinner afterwards. The venue is MacDonald Middle School. MSU students with ID may attend the show free, but dinner is $8.00. All others, general admission is: Show $10/pp, Dinner $10/pp or Show + Dinner $17/pp. Their will be shuttle service for MSU students. For further details visit the African Student website at: https://www.msu.edu/~asu/cultureweek.html. Study Abroad Programs in Africa - Info Meetings

MADAGASCAR

Paradise in Peril? Exploring Madagascar's Biodiversity Crisis

Summer 2010

Wednesday, October 28

5:30 pm - 338 Natural Resources

MADAGASCAR

Paradise in Peril? Exploring Madagascar's Biodiversity Crisis

Summer 2010

Wednesday, November 4

5:30 pm - 555 Baker

KENYA

Behavioral Ecology of African Mammals (BEAM)

Summer 2010

Tuesday, November 10

5:30 pm - 203 Natural Science

MADAGASCAR

Paradise in Peril? Exploring Madagascar's Biodiversity Crisis

Summer 2010

Wednesday, November 11

5:30 pm - 338 Natural Resources

Direct inquiries to Chris Barden, Office of Study Abroad, 109 International Center, (517) 432-8785; or e-mail: barden@msu.edu. NEPAD-MSU Awarded $10.4 million Grant

A $10.4 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will help MSU and NEPAD train African regulators on biotechnology to help small farmers, improve agricultural practices and grow healthier, more sustainable food.http://www.oid.msu.edu/capabilities/biotechnology.htm

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) and Michigan State University (MSU) will use a five-year, $10.4 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to connect African biosafety regulators with advances in technology – an initiative aimed at reducing poverty through improved agricultural practices.The foundation announced the grant in conjunction with Bill Gates' keynote address at the World Food Prize Symposium in Des Moines, Iowa. It is part of a package of nine agricultural development projects totaling $120 million to address long-term food security. See full story at: http://news.msu.edu/story/6965/. Julie Mehretu- to be Featured on National Public TV

East Lansing High School (ca. 1988) and Kalamazoo College graduate Julie Mehretu is being featured on national Public TV's "Art in the 21st Century" Wednesday, October 28, 2009. Ms. Mehretu has had major art exhibits around the U.S., including the opening exhibit of the remodeled Detroit Institute of the Arts last year. She also has a commission for a major mural in the New York building going up at the site of the World Trade Towers disaster on 9/11/2001. Ms. Mehretu is the daughter of MSU Geographer and Africanist Professor Assefa Mehretu and Doree Mehretu.

Episode 4: "Systems" - Artists who tackle projects that are complex and/or vast in scope are featured, including Ethiopian-America painter Julie Mehretu. Premiers on Wednesday, October 28, 2009, at 10:00 p.m. (ET).

Showings East Lansing, WKAR-TV

Wednesday, October 28 - 10:00pm WKAR-TV 23.1 HD & 23.2, 19.4 - Q-TV HD, 14.2

Friday, October 30 - 5:00am 23.1 - WKAR-HD and on 19.4 - Q-TV HD

Sunday, November 1 - 8:00pm 23.4 - WKAR World

Monday, November 2 5:00am 23.1 - WKAR-HD and 19.4 - Q-TV HD. Other Announcements
Children's Africana Book Awards Ceremony

The Africana Book Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday, November 7, 2009 at the National Museum of African Art Smithsonian Institution, 950 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20560. Meet the authors of this year's award-winning books. Student Press Conference begins at 10:30 a.m., Lecture Hall, Sub-level 2, and the Awards Ceremony begins at 11:00 a.m., Sub-level 1.

Best Book for Young Children:

One Hen: How One Loan Made a Big Difference by Katie Smith Milway, illus. By Egenie Fernandes, Kids Can Press, 2008;

Honor Books for Young Children:

Planting the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari Maathai by Claire A. Nivola, Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2008 and; The Butter Man by Elizabeth and Ali Alalou, illus. By Julie Klear Essakalli, Charlesbridge Publishing, 2008.

For further information, e-mail: AfricaAccess@aol.com or call (301) 585-9316 or (703) 549-8208. Conferences
eLearning Africa 2010 in Zambia & CFP

eLearning Africa is delighted to announce that next year's conference will take place in Zambia.. The 5th event in the series of pan-African conferences and exhibitions will convene from May 26 – 28, 2010 in the Zambian capital, Lusaka and will bring together eLearning and education professionals from Africa and beyond. For more information visit: http://www.elearning-africa.com/.

Moving to Zambia in 2010, eLearning Africa continues to build and expand a worldwide network for people involved in all aspects of technology-enhanced education and training in Africa, including management and policymaking. As with the previous conferences, eLearning Africa 2010 will be conducted in both English and French. Zambia is looking forward to welcoming the eLearning Africa community.

The Call for Papers for the eLearning Africa 2010 conference programme is now open. Participants are cordially invited to submit a proposal for a session, presentation, workshop or discussion. Please send your proposal by December 14, 2009, using the online submission form at http://www.elearning-africa.com/proposals.php. SCALI 2010 Announcement

The Summer Cooperative African Language Institute (SCALI) 2010 program will be hosted by Michigan State University from June 14, 2010 to August 6, 2010. A student who attends SCALI, can possibly finish his/her language requirement for Specialization in African Studies, in a year. To view requirements from last year's SCALI program, visit http://africa.msu.edu/scali/. Updated information for 2010 will be available after December 15, 2009. Jobs
Political Science Dept. - U. of Florida (Ref. #025359)

The Department of Political Science at the University of Florida invites applications for a tenure track position in political economy with a focus on Africa at the level of Assistant Professor. The search is open to candidates focusing on comparative or international political economy. Seeking candidates with superior promise who combine original and rigorous scholarship with excellence in teaching and potential for graduate student training. The Ph.D. degree is required. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Interested applicants should submit the following: (a) a cover letter; (b) a curriculum vitae; © a graduate transcript; (d) a statement of teaching philosophy along with syllabi and teaching evaluations, if available; (e) a sample of current work; and (f) three letters of recommendation to: Political Economy- Africa Search Committee to: Department of Political Science, University of Florida, 234 Anderson Hall, P.O. Box 117325, Gainesville, Florida 32611-7325. Please reference #025359. The application deadline is November 10. 2009 with a start date of August 2010. African American Studies - Eastern Michigan U. #FA1019E

The Department of African American Studies at Eastern Michigan University invites applications for a tenure-track assistant professorship in African American Studies. They are looking for a generalist whose areas of interest include specialization in the study of gender in the African American experience, the African American family, and research methods in African American Studies. The department offers a bachelor's degree and a minor in African American Studies, a graduate certificate in African American Studies and an undergraduate certificate in African Studies. Minimum qualifications include a PhD. in African American Studies or a cognate discipline at the time of appointment, plus evidence of a good record of research and teaching.

Review of applications will begin November 30, 2009 and will continue until a suitable candidate is found. If contacted, you will be asked to present official transcripts of your highest degree earned at the time of interview.

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