January 27, 2005 African Children Get Their Own Animators
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Publications Mail Agreement No.40042804 CONCORDIA'S Vol. 23, No. 9 http://ctr.concordia.ca January 27, 2005 African _children get their own animators SHELAGH M CNALLY The 15 participants had little or no pre vious training, but underwent an If the global village does indeed exist, intensive animation program designed for some of its members are being over them. It included drawing techniques, looked. In Africa today, most children's scriptwriting, and storyboarding, with the animated television programs are import ultimate goal of creating short, original ed. However, an innovative UNESCO animation pieces to be shown on African program is hoping to change that. televisi9n. Sawadogo donated her expert Last summer, Cilia Sawadogo, a profes ise and brought along computers and sor at the Mel Hoppenheim School of software. Cinema, joined other animators from the "It was such an interesting mix;' she USA, UK and Ghana to teach at Africa said in an interview. "Basically, we gave Animated! · UNESCO a shopping list of what was This training and production work needed and then built the studio from the shop, sponsored by UNSECO, the ground up. Everyone brought something education arm .of the United Nations, from their university, like computers and started as part of the Zanzibar Interna software. We all lived and worked in the tional Film Festival (ZIFF) and grew into a same compound with our drawing tables five-week workshop in Nairobi at the in the same room:' Kenya College of Communication Tech Africa is a continent bombarded with nology (KCCT). North American images. Satellite televi There isn't a lot of African animation, Cilia Sawadogo in front of a scene from a film called Nyonyi. sion reaches the most remote villages, but because there isn't an infrastructure; facil since there is little local content, children ities and people with animation computer end up watching American television. skills are in short supply. Africa Animated! "The idea was to create a workshop and African values. We had artists from Ugan "We interviewed several young people was a seed project designed to train ani have people create animation with da, Kenya, Tanzania and other parts of mators to train others. African content, African people and East Africa;• explained Sawadogo. continued on page 10 Students and staff open their hearts for tsunami relief BAR BARA B LACK ing," she said. "It was amazing to see Women's Hockey Tournament earli all the clubs working together to er this II!Onth. Students have raised $137,000 for the achieve a mutual goal. PERMIKA, the Indonesian Student victims of the huge underwater "In the past there was tension Association in Montreal, in collabo earthquake and resulting tsunami between the clubs, [but] everyone ration with UMSA, the United that killed more than 200,000 and was happy to work with one another. Muslim Student Association, held a displaced millions in Southeast Asia Club presidents exchanged phone dinner on Jan. 8 in the cafeteria on on Dec. 26. numbers so that they could get the 7th floor of Concordia's Hall The Concordia Student Union together again in the future. Building to raise money for victims raised money from a cabane a sucre, "All students enjoyed corning out in Indonesia. a party at Reggie's, hot chocolate and to see what the clubs put together. Another source of donations for tea served at the shuttle bus line, and The break dancers were a big hit! relief efforts was a luncheon held club events. "Many students had loved ones Dec. 17 for employees in the sector Lauren Teblum, the CSU's VP who died in the tsunami, and that is reporting to Marcel Danis. Depart finance, said the Muslim Student why it was so important for us to all ment directors collected $3,438 from Association alone raised $70,000, come together to show our support guests, and this was matched by and the Cutam Tamil raised $14,000; "The administration understood Danis's office. A donation of $6,938 both are clubs affiliated with the this, and really got involved by help was turned over to Oxfam. CSU. The CSU itself c·ontributed ing match our funds as well as by In the photo at right, Lauren $20,000, and the office of Vice-Presi helping organize many of the Teblum has just put an image repre dent Marcel Danis gave $27,000. events." senting hope on Project Earth, an art The CSU held a Tsunami Relief The Recreation and Athletics piece featured at the CSU's Tsunami Day on Jan. 13, which alone raised Department, as we reported in the Relief Fundraising Day. Lauren is in $1,500. Jan. 13 issue of CTR, raised $4,000 marketing in the John Molson "This event was extremely reward- through the Theresa Humes School of Business. Lauren Teblum IN THIS ISSUE 2 Certifiably funny 3 Learning from books 6 Coats that remember 6 People of the whale David McGimpsey's fiction Madise Horst and TESL Joanna Berzowska's art Sociologist watches watchers --j Writer David McGimpsey is Certifiably funny ly teaching Creative Writing: Poetry. Born of "the sort of observations I'm His three books of poetry are delirious always torturing my friends with;' Certifi mash-ups of the lit canon (Yeats, Milton) able quietly delivers sinewy, finely crafted and syndication purgatory (Beverly Hill prose from behind the deceptively goofy billies, Gilligan's Island), with generous bluster of Matlock references. And, yes, it's side orders of fries. extremely funny. He's published papers on Frank Sinatra, McGimpsey said in an interview, "My and his research interests include the his earliest writings tried to be serious and tory of miniature golf architecture. His soulful and wounded and all those things summers are spent in fevered pursuit of that I thought were so poetically impres roadside kitsch (statues of oversized fruit, sive - when you're 19, you want to be etc.) and southern U.S. barbecue joints. wise, but that's the one thing you can't be. He plays guitar in Puggy Hammer, an Slowly I realized that my voice was more "Alice Cooper meets Deep Purple" rock in tune with the wisecracks I was making:• band formed with fellow Concordia Eng "I hope to help my students discover lish prof Jason Camlot. (Representative their strengths, to learn the craft of writ song titles: "It's the End of the World and ing so they can learn to write like My Hair Smells Terrific;• "Milli Vanilli;' "I themselves and not just imitate some Was Made for Loving You and Your Room thing they believe writing is supposed to mate:') be. Then there's Certifiable. McGimpsey's "Writing requires an apprenticeship recent collection of short fiction intro that can be difficult and arduous - you duces an off-kilter alternate universe. cannot be a writing prodigy. People will go Fonzie's leather jacket is a cognitive entity hear a child violinist, but nobody's saying, (and, perhaps more fantastically, so is the 'You know, there's this great novel by a jacket's pen-pal, Christina Aguilera). five-year-old ... : Batman annotates the New Testament: "I want my students to learn some "I asked my butler Alfred, as he was set respect for how difficult that apprentice David McGimpsey asks students to write poems about their shoes. ting down a bowl of Manhattan clam ship can be, and also to give themselves a chowder in front of the batcomputer, what break, to accept their hard work as steps he thought of the first gospel writer... ". in the right direction and not put pressure JAME S MARTIN widescreen TV as The Larry Elder Show A course syllabus warns, "Students will ori themselves to say everything right fills the room with deafening domestic be familiarized with moments where the now:• It's the day after fire closed the legendary conflict. instructor will be wild-eyed and intent, McGimpsey sneaks a look at the TV. Cafe Olympico, and Dr. David McGimpsey The talk-show circus is an apt like a rogue cop whds come· face to face 'J\.nd that's why I ask them to write poems seeks caffeine in a B-list Mile End coffee soundtrack for a conversation with the with the kind of punk who ruined his faith about their shoes:• shop. He shoots a suspicious glance at the pop-enthused McGimpsey, whds current- in America:• Acco·untancy is more popular than ever~ despite scandals KEITH RA NDALL A chartered accou~tant given the hon orary designation of fellow by the Ordre The accounting profession is recovering des comptables agrees, Magnan has a doc from the drubbing it has suffered in the torate from the University of Washington, past few years, says Michel Magnan, Asso in Seattle. As an accountant, teacher and ciate Dean of the John Molson School of researcher, Magnan says he can get excit Business. ed from many different angles. "Enrolments in the accounting major "Everything firms do eventually gets are holding up very well, and increasing reflected in financial statements, so if you here at Concordia. That's true especially in understand those you're well on your way the United States. They were going down to understanding what the firm is doing. hill for many years, so the .. fact that A good manager must be comfortable accounting has made headlines for the with figures:• · past few years has raised interest in the The Dickensian image of accountants is profession:• a reassuring image for Magnan. 'J\.t least Magnan was interviewed as he pored . these old guys with eyeshades were sturdy over Nortel's massive restatement of earn people.