2009-2010 Fulbright Scholar from AA&AS

Congratulations to Antoni Tang, a 2009 candidate for bachelor's degrees in marketing and African American & African Studies, who will be a 2009-2010 Fulbright Scholar! Antoni received one of only three available Fulbright Teaching Assistant Grants to Venezuela. He will help to teach English to pre-teen and teenage students. Antoni also plans to volunteer with an Afro-Venezuelan organization in the community and plans to learn about Afro-Venezuelan movements for social justice.

April/May issue of "The Village"

The latest issue of The Village is now available. The Village is a newsletter for friends and alumni of the Department of African American & African Studies.

Inside the April/May 2009 issue:

• welcome from the community outreach coordinator
  
• first impressions: shaping the path
  
• Ken Burns remembers John Hope Franklin
  
• CLA Outstanding Service Award: Charlene Hayes
  
• NOMMO African American Authors Series
  
• course spotlight
  
• faculty spotlight
  
• upcoming events
  
• quote of the month

Film: "What are we doing here?"

What are we doing here? &mdash an award winning documentary that looks at the effects of foreign aid in Africa &mdash will be showing at Minneapolis's Uptown Theater on May 4th at 7pm and May 6th at 11am. The film asks: after $600 billion in aid over 45 years, why have living conditions gotten worse for most Africans? Filmmakers Brandon, Nicholas, Daniel, and Tim Klein travel overland from Cairo to Cape Town, meeting with farmers, journalists, presidents, aid workers, aid recipients, and others in order to better understand the effects of foreign aid in Africa, the root causes of poverty, and solutions for the future. A trailer, synopsis, interviews, and more are availabe at www.whatarewedoinghere.net

MSP International Film Festival

The 27th Annual Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival runs April 16-30 at various venues in the Twin Cities. The festival includes several films from Africa.

NOMMO African American Authors series

On Thursday, April 23, the NOMMO African American Authors series concludes its 2008-2009 season. Professor Alexs Pate hosts fiction writer and cultural commentator Ntozake Shange at 7:00 PM in Cowles Auditorium (located in the Hubert H. Humphrey Center.) Ntozake Shange is author of the play for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf: a choreopoem, which won an Obie and was nominated for Tony, Grammy, and Emmy awards. Shange has also published four novels, including Pen-Faulkner nominee Indigo. Her poetry collections include: A Daughter's Geography, Nappy Edges, Ridin' the Moon in Texas, and The Space Love Demands.

The Somali Refugee Experience

Getting Here From There: The Somali Refugee Experience

April 14, 2009
Time: 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm.
Location: Room 25 Mondale Hall (Law School)
Cost: Free and open to the public.

From the refugee camps of Dadaab, Kenya to Libya, Malta, and the European mainland, Somali refugees have faced and continue to face harrowing journeys as they search for a better life, journeys that include detention, discrimination, and even torture. The Somali Documentary Project is recording the stories of the Somali Diaspora as they happen, not only for historical record, but also to encourage action on important human rights issues raised by this wave of migration. Join the University of Minnesota's Human Rights Center for an evening of advocacy, discussion, and stories. Dinner will be served.

March 2009 issue of "The Village"

The latest issue of The Village is now available. The Village is a newsletter for friends and alumni of the Department of African American & African Studies.

Inside the March 2009 issue:

• welcome from the community outreach coordinator
  
• John Hope Franklin
  
• alumna Rebecca Fly
  
• teaming up to create change
  
• course spotlight
  
• faculty spotlight
  
• upcoming events
  
• quote of the month