About the Speaker

For more than fifty years, Dr. Hartwig has lived in Minnesota, North Carolina and Tanzania as a teacher, researcher, program facilitator and as a writer. She taught at St. Olaf College and North Carolina Central University. The Lutheran College Consortium for Tanzania, an exchange program between several Lutheran colleges and the University of Dar es Salaam was operative for thirty-three years. Mwangaza Education for Parthership ELCA/ELCT is in its twenty first year. She has published four books, the most recent – EDUCATION OF A STRANGER (2014) and LIVING WITH DYING – A FAMILY VOCATION (2017). The primary documents, letters, pictures and tapes related to ANICETI KITEREZA – A TANZANIAN EPIC, were collected in 1969 when she lived on the island of Ukerewe. During that time, her husband, Gerald Hartwig, assembled oral traditions from the Bakerebe in preparation of writing their history. Kitereza was one of his informants. The Hartwigs published four articles related to Kitereza's novel – Bwana Myombekere na Bibi Bugonoka.

Currently, Dr. Hartwig lives in Roseville, MN. She is mother of four, grandmother of five and great-grandmother of seven.

About the Talk

His book Myombekere na Buganoka, received a mere glance in 1945. Yet, when Aniceti Kitereza welcomed an American to his home on the island of Ukerewe, Tanzania in 1969, ordinary began to be transformed to extraordinary. From her forthcoming book – Aniceti Kitereza – A Tanzanian Epic, Dr. Shoonie Hartwig will give glimpses in word and picture of Kitereza's writing, its one of a kind contribution to African literature and the man, a one of a kind lived epic. His novel first written in Kikerebe, is now published in Kiswahili, French, German and English. The story of the publishing process is an epistolary saga. The story of the man places Kitereza and Tanzania at the epic center of African literature.

Dr. Somadoda Fikeni is a leading political commentator on contemporary political issues in South Africa and is a contributing consultant to the BBC. Dr. Fikeni, who earned an MSU PhD in Political Science, was involved in political protest in South Africa before he arrived at MSU.

Dr. Fikeni will share his perspectives on current political issues in South Africa.

Thursday, September 27, 2018 - - Evening lecture by South African Consul General Phumzile Mazibuko, and reception – 6 – 8:30 pm, Green Room (Main Library: 4 West)

In commemoration of the 40th anniversary of Michigan State University's decision to divest from companies doing business with apartheid South Africa, MSU is holding a conference on "Campus Activism for Justice, from Southern Africa to Michigan." The event is part of MSU's Year of Global Africa and sponsored by the MSU Library and African Studies Center. Co-sponsored by Vice President Student Affairs and Services, Associate Provost for University Outreach and Engagement, Office of Inclusion and Inter-cultural Affairs; Colleges of Social Science, James Madison, Law, Arts and Letters, Education; Departments of History, Sociology; and MATRIX.

Speakers from both South Africa and the United States will look back at the campaigns for justice which led to the successful MSU Board of Trustees decision to divest (resulting in MSU becoming the first university in the nation to completely divest and the subsequent State of Michigan passing more sanctions on South Africa than any other state). The conference also will put the divestment campaign into the larger context of campus movements that came before it, including activism at MSU by African Americans, women, and those opposed to the war in Vietnam. Campus activists from South Africa and MSU will also discuss some of today's student movements focused on such issues as global justice, responsible employment practices and the environment.

All events on Thursday (except Eye on Africa lecture) and the daylong conference on Friday are at the MSU Main Library and are free and open to the public.

Registration is strongly encouraged.  Please visit the website https://bookings.lib.msu.edu/event/4341660

In commemoration of the 40th anniversary of Michigan State University's decision to divest from companies doing business with apartheid South Africa, MSU is holding a conference on September 27th and 28th on "Campus Activisim for Justice, from Southern Africa to Michigan." 

Speakers from both South Africa and the United States will look back at the campaigns for justice which led to the successful MSU Board of Trustees decision to divest (resulting in MSU becoming the first university in the nation to completely divest and the subsequent State of Michigan passing more sanctions on South Africa than any other state). The conference will put the divestment campaign into the larger context of campus movements that came before it, including activism at MSU by African Americans, women, and those opposed to the war in Vietnam. Campus activists from South Africa and MSU will also discuss some of today's student movements focused on such issues as global justice, responsible employment practices and the environment.

Special guests from South Africa will include MSU Alum Dr. Somadoda Fikeni, and Nomzamo Ntombela. Dr. Fikeni is a leading political commentator on the radio, TV and the printed press, on contemporary political issues in South Africa and is a contributing consultant to the BBC. He has held academic positions at Walter Sisulu University and at the University of South Africa (UNISA). Dr. Fikeni, who earned an MSU PhD in Political Science, was involved in political protest in South Africa before he arrived at MSU. He will share his experiences as a student activist in the 1980s in South Africa.

In 2017, Ms. Ntombela was elected Chairperson of the Student Representative Council at Stellenbosch University.

The daylong conference on Friday, September 28th will be preceded on Thursday, September 27th with the Eye on Africa lecture, 12:00p.m. - 1:30p.m. in Rm 201 International Center. An evening lecture will be held featuring South African Consul General Phumzile Mazibuko.

All events on Thursday (except the Eye on Africa noon lecture) and the daylong conference on Friday are at the MSU Main Library and are free and open to the public.

Sponsors: African Studies Center, MSU Libraries

Co-Sponsors: VP Student Affairs and Services, Assoc Prov for U Outreach and Engagement, Office of Inclusion and Inter-cultural Affairs; Colleges of-- Social Science, James Madison, Law, Arts and Letters, Education; Departments of History, Sociology; MATRIX

Registration is strongly encouraged.

Please follow this link to register:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1o_l7_7if-cP5MU7F43q6cY5NgL-RYVL-f4JIkirOXV8/viewform?edit_requested=true

or visit the website https://bookings.lib.msu.edu/event/4341660

Date: Thursday, September 27, 2018

- Eye on Africa lecture by Dr. Somadoda Fikeni, noon - 1:30pm, Room 201 International Center

- Evening lecture by South African Consul General Phumzile Mazibuko, and reception – 6 – 8:30 pm, Green Room

(Main Library: 4 West)

Date: Friday, September 28, 2018 - All day conference, 8:00am - 5:00pm Location: Green Room

(Main Library: 4 West)

The Deborah L. Feltz Sport, Exercise and Human Movement Science in Africa Lecture Series will have its inaugural presentation featuring Dr. Alison September.  Dr. September will present, "Sport, Exercise, and Human Movement Science in Africa."

The biennial series will help bring an African scholar from a higher education institution to present on a topic connected to physical education, exercise science or public health, among other related areas of study.

Save Oct. 5-6

Event information forthcoming

October 11 - 13 Daily from 3:00-9:00 p.m.

ComArtSci will be offering a host of activities from October 11 - October 13 as a part of MSU's Year of Global Africa. Events will range from presentations by artists and poets, film screenings, and discussion panels - Please visit our website for a comprehensive list of all the events going to be offered at

https://comartsci.msu.edu/comartsci-inclusion-events.

Abstract

Young people are the best investment Africa can make. It's not only the future that belongs to the youth of Africa. Today's Africa belongs to the youth " Akinwumi Adesina.

Many of Africa's best and brightest become bureaucrats or NGO workers when they should be scientists or entrepreneurs." - Jennifer Brea

Technology is viewed as Africa's only opportunity to leapfrog in economic and social growth. This has led to the rise of tech innovation hubs as the nexus point where entreprises with innovations that would change the world are built. In most African countries, the benefits of these hubs which are; closing the gaps in infrastructure, connectivity and technology development, are still a reserve for the capital cities and very few are offered to the developing cities.

In Kenya , James Odede , a passionate entrepreneurial technologist, took a courageous risk four years ago to start LakeHub, a state of the art technology innovation hub in Kisumu, a developing city that had no previous opportunities for technology. Today, LakeHub boasts of a community of over 2,000 entrepreneurs, developers and a growing startup scene. The hub is committed to bridging the technology gap that exists between Africa's big cities and rural cities. To date, LakeHub has worked with Google, UN-Habitat, UNESCO, Safaricom, Pluralsight, Andela and local organizations to support Youths in Kisumu and western rural Kenya with the resources they need to innovate.

James will share his journey of creating the ecosystem of technologists, entrepreneurs and investors from a grassroot approach while using low resources.

Bio

James is a Kenyan technologist and a serial entrepreneur. The Co-founder and Director of LakeHub, James has brought together the tech community of Western Kenya, raised funding from Google, overseen the implementation of a Computer Science for High School (CS4HS) students program, and built the region's first co-working space.

A graduate of Maseno University with a Bsc. in Computer Science, James is passionate about technology for social development, technology start-ups, clean energy and committed to bridging the technology gap that exists between Africa's big cities and rural. James is an Acumen Fellow and a Mandela Washington Fellow. In 2015, James was awarded the top 100 most influential people in Kenyan technology scene by iHub.