alliancesFall 2010 University of Michigan No. 3 Member of the University of Michigan International Institute AFRICA CENTER STAGE IN PEACE CORPS CELEBRATIONS n the early hours of Thursday, October of the Peace Corps and of newly independent 14, 2010, some 1,500 U-M students and African states—was surely not coincidental. I faculty gathered on the steps of the The hope, enthusiasm and ideals for a peaceful Michigan Union to recreate a semblance of world held by youth and a youthful president the 5,000 that had gathered there that same mirrored the widespread hope, enthusiasm day, at that same 2 a.m. hour, 50 years earlier and sense of triumph in nations recently to be inspired by presidential candidate liberated from colonial rule. Since 1961, over Senator John F. Kennedy. In an impromptu 200,000 Peace Corps volunteers have served speech, Kennedy in 139 host countries assisting in the realms threw down a gauntlet of education, health, business, technology, before the U-M campus environment, agriculture and youth/ to test whether idealism community development. Over one-third still flourished and have served in countries in Africa whether youth would be willing to sacrifice A yearlong series of celebrations honoring a small portion of their the 50-year history of the Peace Corps begins lives to improve the and ends in Ann Arbor, its acknowledged lives of others in birthplace. Later on October 14th, a symposium distant lands. He entitled “Spending Your Days in Ghana” took asked: “How many of place (see pg. 15) highlighting current work you who are going in Ghana being pursued by U-M faculty. Then to be doctors, are on October 15th, a second gathering took willing to spend your place on the steps of the Michigan Union days in Ghana?” The featuring speeches by President Mary Sue U-M community met Coleman; Marnee Devine, Kennedy’s cousin JFK’s challenge and who was in attendance that historic night Fontomfrom drummers with Michigan students on exceeded it. Students of October 14, 1960; Jack Hood Vaughn, the steps of the Union organized a petition drive that produced a second director of the Peace Corps (1966-69); thousand names of those willing to commit former U.S. Senator Harris Wofford, a Kennedy to 1-2 years of international service following aide and one of the founders of the Peace college. Seeing the impassioned U-M Corps, and an advisor to Martin Luther King response, Kennedy directed his aides to Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy; and Aaron Williams, formulate a policy and a program. Thus was the current Peace Corps Director. born the Peace Corps, announced two weeks after the U-M visit in one of Kennedy’s final The event was emceed by Dean and former 1 campaign speeches, and signed into existence Provost Paul Courant, whose words were by executive order on March 1, 1961. simultaneously translated both in sign language and in Akan drum language. In Not only did Ghana feature in the seminal Ghana, fontomfrom drum ensembles mark speech that gave rise to the Peace Corps, special events such as the opening of but it was also to Ghana that the very first parliament, and are used to communicate Peace Corps volunteers went in August 1961. important issues through “talking drums”. That initial cohort, which included three U-M To honor the Peace Corps events, Senior Vice- graduates, also included volunteers bound Provost for Academic Affairs Lester Monts for Tanganyika (now Tanzania), which would commissioned a full set of fontomfrom drums acquire its independence from Britain later from the master drum carver of the royal that year. The entwining of these histories— Asantehene compound in Kumasi, Ghana. Continued, p. 3 FROM THE DIRECTOR reetings to all in the University operatic technique, and Prof. Naomi Andre “Cancer in Africa and the Middle East,” G of Michigan community and beyond pursued research on the history of South organized by ASC faculty associates Sofia with interests in Africa! African opera. Merajver and Amr Soliman (see p. 12); and In this third co-sponsored a conference at MSU and U-M issue of Alliances, We have a lot to look forward to this year. on “New Critical Approaches to African we celebrate First off, we welcome to campus five new Literary Production,” organized by ASC the start of the professors who work in or on Africa: faculty associate Frieda Ekotto and MSU third year of the Omolade Adunbi (CAAS), who studies the faculty member Kenneth Harrow. African Studies extraction of natural resources in the Niger Center’s existence Delta and the various local, corporate and Over the coming months, we look forward and highlight governmental agents competing for political to the Mellon Foundation-funded Sawyer some of the ways and economic authority; Brian Arbic Seminar workshops on “Ethnicity in Africa,” we are building (Geological Sciences), who taught science and to be held in December and April in CAAS; on the progress math as a Peace Corps volunteer in Liberia and the “Pedagogy of Action” 10th anniversary made in our first Ghana and who works on modeling tidal and celebration also in CAAS in December; the two years. I am wind-driven movement in the ocean; Adam January 2011 “Islam and the Performing Photograph by Elshafei Dafalla Elshafei Mohamed by Photograph happy to report Ashforth (CAAS), who has long worked in Arts” symposium organized in conjunction that the ASC continues to establish itself South Africa on spiritual insecurity and now with the Residential College, Center for as a national and international leader in focuses on narratives about HIV/AIDS in Middle Eastern and African Studies (CMENAS) African Studies through the strength of its Malawi and Botswana; Zoë McLaren (Public and Center for Southeast Asian Studies faculty associates and the proven success of Health), who examines the impact of HIV/ (CSEAS); and the May 2011 “International longstanding Africa—University of Michigan AIDS on unemployment in sub-Saharan Conference on Mathematics” in Buea, collaborations. Our ties to Africa are growing Africa; and Robert Wyrod (Women’s Studies), Cameroon, organized by ASC faculty ever stronger as has the visibility of African who works on shifting gender relations associates Nkem Khumbah and Daniel Burns. Studies on our campus. Through initiatives within the context of the AIDS epidemic in Finally, the Africa Workshop lecture series such as the African Presidential Scholars sub-Saharan Africa, especially in Uganda. In organized by CAAS and co-sponsored by the Program (UMAPS) and others that bring to August, we welcomed 14 new African visiting ASC is bringing to campus top-notch scholars our campus a regular presence of African faculty to campus via the UMAPS program throughout the year to speak on topics scholars, faculty, students and administrators, spanning disciplines as wide-ranging as film/ ranging from violence against refugees to the African Studies Center is actively promoting media studies and biochemistry. Please read China’s expanding role and interests in Africa. the university’s mission to internationalize about them, their U-M faculty mentors, and U-M while simultaneously positioning U-M their research topics on pages 11 and 12. This level of activity would not be possible internationally. Through collaborations with were it not for the talents and labors of universities and other educational institutions We also, in September, welcomed three the ASC staff (Devon Adjei, ASC Program in Africa—especially in Ghana, South Africa, postdoctoral fellows researching varying Manager; Sandie Schulze, ASC Programming Kenya, Uganda and Cameroon—the University aspects of ethnicity in Africa: two Sawyer- Coordinator; and Thaya Rowe, ASC Secretary), of Michigan is becoming ever more known Seminar Mellon Foundation fellows, Robert ASC Associate Director Derek Peterson, all for its engagement with African partners, Blunt (PhD 2010, U. Chicago, focusing on the members—past and present—of the resulting in mutual benefit to all involved. Kenya) and Aly Drame (PhD 2006, U. Illinois ASC Steering Committee, and the African at Chicago, focusing on Senegal), and Lorena Students Association. Where I work among Last year, the ASC engaged in a high level Rizzo (PhD 2009, University of Basel), who Swahili-speakers of East Africa, a favorite of activity on the local, national, and is financed by the Swiss National Fund. We saying is Figa moja haliweki chungu (“A single 2 international arenas. We organized three showcased the work of an ethnomusicologist stone will not support a pot”). Just as it takes international conferences (one in South and radio broadcaster Leo Sarkisian whose multiple stones to support a pot, so too Africa, one in Ghana, and one here at U-M), extensive recordings of music from the does it take the labors of many minds and each of which celebrated the launch of African continent are being digitized and many hands to generate the incredible one of our African Presidential Research catalogued by staff from the U-M Digital accomplishments of our center. Initiatives (see the ASC Initiative updates on Media Commons and Hatcher Library. pages 9-12). We also supported a second Additionally, Sarkisian’s collection of rare We invite you to participate in as many of delegation of U-M faculty from Music, instruments were donated to the Stearns these events as you can and thank you for Women’s Studies and the Residential College Music Instrument Collection. In October, the your continued support of the African to Cape Town, South Africa where Profs. ASC participated in the national celebrations Studies Center. George Shirley and Daniel Washington of the launch of the Peace Corps (see p.1); taught master classes in voice, specifically co-sponsored a conference in Cairo on Kelly Askew, Director Continued from p.