In Maryse Condé’s 1997 novel, Les derniers rois mages, Spero, the fictional great-grandson of Béhanzin, the last king of Dahomey, reflects on his failures and feelings of inadequacy. Béhanzin was deposed from his throne by the French in 1894 and deported to Martinique. He brought with him into exile an enormous retinue, among them five of the “Leopard wives,” his daughter the princess Kpotasse, his son Ouanilo, and his honton, the prince Adandejan. Spero’s grandfather was left behind when the king was sent on to exile in Algeria, where he died in 1906. Several generations drown themselves in Caribbean rum as they wait interminably for the recognition they crave. And Spero, narrated by what literature scholar Chiji Akoma calls Condé’s “African griot aesthetic,” experiences a double exile: an exile from his ancestral home, and the total separation from his royal family.
Deportation and exile have long, complex, and intertwined legacies in colonial Africa. From the forced removal of kings, queens, chiefs, and commoners, to the displacement of entire clans from their homelands, or the coerced expatriation of political dissidents and their families, deportation and exile operated as two edges of a single imperial weapon. British, French, German, Portuguese, Belgian, Spanish, Italian, and South African colonial regimes all employed exile and deportation—often coupled with threatened or real forced labor—to end dynasties, to silence rival chieftaincies, to forestall millennial religious movements, and to facilitate the wholesale seizure of agricultural and pastoral lands for industrial enterprises or white settler farmers.
Exile and deportation were often accompanied by forced labor. Colonial powers employed deportation and a life in exile as a threat, but many deportees and exiles first experienced incarceration and forced labor. Others still were imprisoned in exile and forced to labor for the colonial state. Forced labor was routinely employed as a group punishment against rioting women’s groups in West Africa during the economic upheaval of the 1930s, against imagined political opponents by the Vichy-led French West Africa Federation, and as a tool to suppress and exhaust the heroes of the anti-apartheid struggle.
Béhanzin’s experience was paralleled by that of Amadou Bamba, Bai Bureh, Prempeh, Ranavalona, Moshoeshoe, Haile Salassie, and numerous others, as Europeans attempted to cement colonial rule and displace existing orders. And as the calls for self-government and independence spread across Africa in the 1940s and 50s, the wholesale imprisonment and criminalization of political resistance forced many to flee internally or abroad. Self-imposed exiles included numerous future political and religious leaders, including Kwame Nkrumah, Simon Kimbangu, Oliver Tambo, Robert Resha, Kenneth Kaunda, and countless others. They sought the solace of likeminded individuals, pursued education, or simply strived for anonymity.
Deportation, exile, and forced labor were remarkably effective. They zeroed in on deeply held African communal values and powerful ethnic loyalties, and exacerbated existing rivalries, often producing instantaneous gratification for colonial allies, intermediaries, and collaborators. Exile, deportation, and forced labor did not, however, always have the desired effect. Colonized people were brought together from diverse imperial lands, and created new networks of ideas and mobile communities of defiance. Exiles disrupted colonial authorities, via large and small acts, as they struggled to return, resist, and rebuild.
As part of the fourth Conable Conference in International Studies [see http://rit.edu/conable], the 2015 Conable African Studies Symposium at the Rochester Institute of Technology, will examine the role of deportation, exile, and forced labor in colonial African in interdisciplinary comparative perspective. We seek to understand the uses and implications of exile, deportation, and forced labor as political and legal tools throughout the African continent, ranging from their roles in the incipient nineteenth-century “colonial encounter” to the expansion of mature colonialism in the twentieth century, to their employment to forestall nationalist, pan-Africanist, and independence movements. We welcome papers employing disciplinary, interdisciplinary, or cross-disciplinary perspectives from historians, geographers, anthropologists, literature scholars, sociologists, linguists, criminologists, legal scholars, psychologists, and others.
The conference encourages scholarly papers on any aspect of the colonial history of exile, deportation, and forced labor including (but not limited to):
– The political, ideological, and philosophical underpinnings of colonial policy.
– Exile as punishment.
– Narratives, biographies, and fictions of exile, deportation, and forced labor.
– Legal genealogies of deportation and exile.
– Gender and punishment.
– Communities of exile.
– Individual and group forced labor.
– Effects of exile on those left behind.
– Exile and colonialism.
– Deportation and communication
– Sustaining life and community in exile.
– Returns of exiles/deportees.
– Deportation, exile and death.
Abstracts for the Symposium up to 500 words clearly identifying the argument, method of delivery, evidentiary basis, disciplinary/interdisciplinary nexus, or analytical framework, and site of research, study, or project, accompanied by a two-page CV identifying the proposer(s) by name, affiliation, address, and email, should be submitted online by December 15, 2014, via the Conable Conference portal [see https://www.rit.edu/cla/conable/abstract-submission]. Abstracts should indicate clearly that they are for the Conable African Studies Symposium.
Informal inquiries may be submitted by email to Nathan Carpenter, Andreas Eckert, Babacar Fall, or Benjamin Lawrance.
Accepted proposals will be announced by email and on the Conable Conference website in early 2015. Draft symposium papers of 5000-7000 words will be pre-circulated among symposium participants exclusively. All participants must commit to have read all papers prior to arrival. All participants are required to register online and pay the registration fee as confirmation prior to the publication of the final program. Participants are responsible for their own travel and accommodation to RIT. Limited financial travel support may be available for symposium participants in need.
DEADLINE: December 15, 2014
_______________________________________
Job: M4D Utilities Africa Programme Manager, GSMA, Nairobi
From urban to rural areas, mobile networks have become the predominant infrastructure in emerging markets and 905M more people are now covered by mobile networks than have access to energy and water. The GSMA’s Mobile for Development – Utilities Programme explores how the mobile industry can support commercially viable energy, water and sanitation services in underserved communities.
Launched in January of 2013 the programme includes a £6M Innovation Grant Fund, run on competitive terms, to support innovation in mobile technology for energy and WASH services. The grants from the fund seek to address the following questions: What types of mobile technologies can support community services? For a solution to be adopted at scale what building blocks would be needed? What is the social and commercial impact of delivering community services to rural mobile subscribers?
The M4D Utilities team is currently seeking 2 Programme Managers to support the programme’s on-going work and future grantees in Sub-Saharan Africa and Developing Asia. We are seeking highly motivated self-starters that believe in the catalytic role that technology can play in access to basic infrastructure in emerging markets.
The M4D – Utilities Africa Programme Manager will be based in Nairobi and spend a significant proportion of their time in the field (at least 30%). The time spent in the field is likely to be for periods of between 1-3 weeks.
The Programme Manager will be involved with the following:
- · Build and maintain relationships with Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), Tower Companies, energy access, water and sanitation organisations and stay abreast of developments in these sectors. Identify potential opportunities to support proposals to the M4D – Utilities Grant Fund.· Support Grant applications by MNOs, Tower Cos, ESCOs, Water Service Providers, Academics and NGOs. The Programme Manager will be the point of reference for the applicant during the Grant writing and submission stages to assist with queries and provide guidance.· Manage ~£1M portfolio of grants and provide on-going advisory support to the Grantees during the trial implementation including advice on technology options, structuring market and customer research, supplier selection, pricing, etc.
· Ensure that learnings and progress of trials are shared with the programme team, our donors and then ultimately shared more broadly with the wider industry through publications and events
· Assist in organizing and facilitating events including the programme’s annual regional Working Groups
· Support Feasibility Studies with MNOs to inform senior management of the business case and specific opportunities for deploying Mobile Enabled Utility trials.
· Participate in the programme’s research agenda by conducting desk-based and field-based research including time in rural villages with potential overnight stays
· Contribute towards shaping the overall strategic direction / course correction of M4D Utilities, to ensure that the programme delivers value to the industry and achieves its goal of creating more scalable and sustainable business models for energy, water and sanitation service provision.
Criteria
Background
– Strong technical background in at least one of: mobile networks, mobile devices, M2M communications, renewable energy, water or sanitation
– Strong commercial background with experience in at least one of: impact investing, rural distribution, marketing, raising capital for startups
– Project Management, New Product Introduction and/or Management Consulting experience is attractive
Qualifications
– An MBA, International Development, Engineering or Business post-graduate degree is preferred
Skills
– Comfortable managing relationships with various internal and external stakeholders, including C-level executives and dedicated entrepreneurs
– Strong analytical skills: Able to manipulate large quantities of data, and be able to present the results of analysis in a succinct manner to key stakeholders
– Excellent communicator: able to express complex technical, commercial or regulatory issues in plain language, without losing the important points
– A team player, being able to effectively connect together a wide group of internal GSMA interests and resources, to support their work
– Fluent and compelling written and oral communications skills, particularly in English
– Additional Language skills are an advantage, particularly French, Swahili, Portuguese, Spanish, South Asian languages, South East Asian languages.
Personal
– Genuinely interested in both the commercial and social benefits that are presented by the programme
– Excellent cultural awareness and a desire to work with teams around the world. Enjoys international travel (approximately 30% of the time) and learning about new markets
– Able to quickly grasp new concepts and ideas (given the level of innovation in our sector and the wider industry)
– Naturally curious, able to think beyond business-as-usual scenarios
– Process-oriented individual
_______________________________________
The world is marked by major challenges to the future of people and the planet. We are faced with persisting inequality, an unsustainable economic system, climate change and threats to freedom and dignity. Straightforward solutions are no longer enough to solve these problems. That is why Hivos is continuously looking for new ways, new practices and new alliances to contribute to systemic change in societies in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
This year Hivos launches the first Hivos Social Innovation Award competition. The award and its competition is meant to encourage new solutions for social change by supporting innovative ideas and practices that expand and defend freedom or create productive ecosystems that sustain human progress.
Hivos invites persons, organisations and companies from Asia, Africa or Latin America to share their most innovative ideas and best practices that contribute to more open, democratic and green societies.
The Hivos Social Innovation Award has two categories. An award for a promising innovative idea that needs support to develop into a prototype, and an award for a proven innovative approach that needs support to scale up and increase impact. Both awards entail a €15,000 prize which must be invested in further developing the concept.
The competition kicks off on 15 October 2014. The semi-finalists will be selected online by the public all over the world together with Hivos. They are then offered an interactive learning trajectory that will enable them to elaborate their proposal. After a jury determines who the top 3 finalists per category are, they will get the opportunity to pitch their proposals in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The deadline for the first round of submissions is 9 November 2014. The Award Ceremony will be on 5 February 2015.
DEADLINE: November 9, 2014
_______________________________________
Call for Entries, PhotoPhilanthropy Activist Award
Since the Activist Award’s inception in 2009, PhotoPhilanthropy has received work from more than 600 photographers in 90 different countries in collaboration with more than 450 nonprofit organizations.
This year, PhotoPhilanthropy will award photographers in two categories:
- Professional: $15,000 Grand Prize
- Emerging: $5,000 Grand Prize
Deadline for submissions is December 3, 2014, 23:59 PST.
Before submitting, please read our Submission Guidelines and FAQs.
Overview
PhotoPhilanthropy believes in the power of photography to inspire hope and understanding and to connect people around the world. The Activist Awards have been established to emphasize the important role of high quality documentary photography and visual storytelling as a vehicle to create meaningful impact and social change.
Entry Period
The submission period for the 2014 Activist Awards begins October 13, 2014 at 9:00 a.m. US Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) and ends December 3, 2014 at 11:59 p.m. US Pacific Standard Time (PST).
Sign up to our mailing list to receive updates about the Awards.
Eligibility
The contest is open to all professional and emerging photographers. Entrants must be at least 18 years of age as of the date of entry.
Categories and Prizes
Photo essays must be entered into one of two categories.
- Professional Photographer – $15,000 Grand Prize: Any individual who earns the majority of their living from photography.
- Emerging Photographer – $5,000 Grand Prize: Any individual who does not earn the majority of their income from photography.
Submission Guidelines
In order to reflect current issues, photographs in the essay must have been taken within the last three years. Long-term projects will be accepted as long as the majority of the photographs were taken within the last three years.
Each photographer may enter up to two essays, and although they can be completed in collaboration with the same nonprofit, the subject matter must be different. Essays entered in previous years may not be resubmitted.
Collaboration with a Nonprofit Organization
For all submissions, collaboration with a nonprofit organization will need verification. For this reason it is mandatory to submit the contact name and email address of the person you worked with at the organization. You will also need to provide a letter in English from the organization on their letterhead verifying your collaboration.
DEADLINE: December 3, 2014
_______________________________________
Job: PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT ADVISOR, UNDP, Kenya
Background |
|
| Kenya possesses a robust national infrastructure for peace, with a variety of mechanisms and institutions at national, sub-national, and local levels contributing to efforts to resolve conflicts, build peace, and transform the underlying dynamics which may threaten stability and sustainable development. Following the introduction of a new constitution, Kenya’s largely peaceful polls in 2013 suggested some measure of stability. However, challenges to peace, cohesion, reconciliation and security still remain in Kenya. The challenge of ethnicity is still a major problem. Issues of marginality and exclusion have not been sufficiently addressed. While a new constitution has been approved and is operational, realizing the promises of the constitution will be critical in ensuring that the country remains stable.
The continuation and further strengthening of this work, in light of the country’s dynamic and tense situation needs to be based on careful analysis and an understanding of the country context, together with increased efforts to link such understanding with programmatic entry points, building on the support being provided by UNDP to Kenya’s infrastructure for peace and engagement with various government, opposition, and civil society actors, as well as the UN’s broader development programming and support. The Senior Peace and Development Advisor will support and help facilitate the UNCT’s peace and development activities and engagements. Reporting directly to the UN Resident Coordinator/ UNDP Resident Representative, the Senior PDA will regularly communicate with both UNDP and DPA via the RR/UNRC at Headquarters-level, in line with the standard operating procedures of the Joint UNDP/DPA Programme on Building National Capacities for Conflict Prevention. This is a Development Project Funded (DPF). |
|
Duties and Responsibilities |
|
Summary of key functions:
Under the direct supervision of the Resident Coordinator and in close collaboration with the UN country team, the PDA will: Provide strategic and analytical support to the RC/RR in his/her relations with government officials, academia, civil society, and with the wider political and civic leadership, including through:
Provide substantive leadership to UNDP Kenya’s Peace Building and Conflict Prevention Unit, including through identifying areas of programmatic engagement with national stakeholders, resource mobilization for the unit and its programmes:
Establish and strengthen strategic partnerships with key, high-level national stakeholders, regional and international actors and development partners:
Impact of Results
|
|
Competencies |
|
Corporate Competencies:
Functional Competencies:
Management Competencies:
Behavioral Competencies:
|
|
Required Skills and Experience |
|
Education:
Experience:
Language Requirements:
|
_______________________________________