Paul Tiyambe Zeleza, professor and head of African-American studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago, will deliver the inaugural lecture of the Liberal Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor on Wednesday, Jan. 30.
Zeleza, a leading authority on modern African social and economic history, will present "In Search of the Diaspora: A Personal and Intellectual Odyssey" at 2 p.m. in Illinois Room B, Student Center East, 750 S. Halsted St.
Zeleza will trace his personal and professional voyage from Malawi in Southern Africa to the United States and how it has impacted his research.
His talk will include material from his award-winning book, "A Modern Economic History of Africa," which examines the development of African economies in the 19th century, and his current book project "African and Its Diasporas: Dispersals and Linkages," which explores a global history of the dispersal of African peoples around the world.
Dwight A. McBride, dean of the UIC College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, will formally bestow on Zeleza the title of distinguished professor, given to exceptional faculty for their contributions to the college and UIC community.
Zeleza is the author of more than 20 books and numerous articles, essays and reviews published in Africa, the Caribbean, Europe and North America. His scholarship focuses on 19th- and 20th-century African economic, labor, gender, intellectual and social and diaspora histories. Last year Zeleza was elected president of the African Studies Association for the 2008-09 term.
He recently published "The Study of Africa. Volume 1: Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Encounters," and "The Study of Africa. Volume 2: Global and Transnational Engagements," which examine the development of African studies in social science and humanities disciplines and in different world regions.
Prior to joining UIC last year, Zeleza held appointments at Pennsylvania State University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He also has taught at Trent University, Kenyatta University, the University of the West Indies and the University of Malawi. He earned a doctorate from Dalhousie University.
Distinguished professors are selected annually from nominations submitted by the college faculty and receive a one-time research account to support their studies.
With more than 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is UIC's largest. It comprises 21 departments and programs offering more than 60 undergraduate major fields of specialization, 40 minors, nearly 70 graduate degrees at the master's and doctoral levels and more than 1,000 courses. The college features programs in the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences.
Thursday, 24 January 2008
Taiwan pulls medics from Malawi after ties cut
Taiwan has withdrawn medical staff and equipment from a 300-bed hospital it built in Malawi after the southern African country severed diplomatic ties in favour of China, health officials said on Wednesday.
Impoverished Malawi ended 41 years of relations with the island nation last week and established links with mainland China, which has emerged as a major economic power in Africa and regards Taiwan as a renegade breakaway province.
Local media reported that Malawi's government had given Taiwanese officials 30 days to leave the country.
The director of the Taiwanese built Mzuzu Central Hospital, the biggest government hospital in northern Malawi, said 19 staff had been withdrawn along with vital equipment needed to test for HIV/AIDS.
"The Taiwanese say that the equipment they have withdrawn was not yet handed over to us," director Rose Dzimadzi said.
Malawi's northern region has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in one of the world's worst affected countries. HIV/AIDS kills 10 people per hour in Malawi and has left over one million children orphaned.
Malawi's government said it decided to switch diplomatic ties to China because of the benefits it would be getting. Taipei had said it could not match a Chinese offer to give $6 billion in aid to Malawi, one of Africa's poorest countries.
China is still assessing which of Taiwan's projects in Malawi it will take over.
Taiwan has also withdrawn technical assistance from a college in the capital Lilongwe, forcing the education ministry to suspend some courses that were on offer.
The number of countries that recognise Taiwan has dwindled since the United States, once Taiwan's biggest backer, formally recognised China
Impoverished Malawi ended 41 years of relations with the island nation last week and established links with mainland China, which has emerged as a major economic power in Africa and regards Taiwan as a renegade breakaway province.
Local media reported that Malawi's government had given Taiwanese officials 30 days to leave the country.
The director of the Taiwanese built Mzuzu Central Hospital, the biggest government hospital in northern Malawi, said 19 staff had been withdrawn along with vital equipment needed to test for HIV/AIDS.
"The Taiwanese say that the equipment they have withdrawn was not yet handed over to us," director Rose Dzimadzi said.
Malawi's northern region has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in one of the world's worst affected countries. HIV/AIDS kills 10 people per hour in Malawi and has left over one million children orphaned.
Malawi's government said it decided to switch diplomatic ties to China because of the benefits it would be getting. Taipei had said it could not match a Chinese offer to give $6 billion in aid to Malawi, one of Africa's poorest countries.
China is still assessing which of Taiwan's projects in Malawi it will take over.
Taiwan has also withdrawn technical assistance from a college in the capital Lilongwe, forcing the education ministry to suspend some courses that were on offer.
The number of countries that recognise Taiwan has dwindled since the United States, once Taiwan's biggest backer, formally recognised China
China plans to take over projects in Malawi: report
Beijing also wanted Malawian students in Taiwan to transfer to China, but the Ministry of Education in Taiwan said they were welcome to stay
China is planning to take over some construction projects in Malawi that were left uncompleted by Taiwan, a Central News Agency report quoted a Chinese diplomatic official as saying.
Malawi switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China on Jan. 14, ending 42 years of diplomatic relations.
Chinese Ambassador to Uganda Fan Guijin (樊桂金), who was visiting Malawi, also said Beijing planned to have the 26 Malawian students studying in Taiwan on scholarships transferred to China, the report said.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials declined to respond to Fan's comments.
The Ministry of Education, however, said yesterday that Malawian students studying in Taiwan could continue with scholarships offered by the Taiwanese government in spite of the abrupt manner in which Malawi terminated diplomatic ties.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Phoebe Yeh (葉非比) told the Taipei Times that the government would not suspend any scholarships and Malawian students were welcome to stay as many of them had established close social networks in Taiwan and a number were close to graduation.
Yeh said the students should not be punished for their government's actions.
China is planning to take over some construction projects in Malawi that were left uncompleted by Taiwan, a Central News Agency report quoted a Chinese diplomatic official as saying.
Malawi switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China on Jan. 14, ending 42 years of diplomatic relations.
Chinese Ambassador to Uganda Fan Guijin (樊桂金), who was visiting Malawi, also said Beijing planned to have the 26 Malawian students studying in Taiwan on scholarships transferred to China, the report said.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials declined to respond to Fan's comments.
The Ministry of Education, however, said yesterday that Malawian students studying in Taiwan could continue with scholarships offered by the Taiwanese government in spite of the abrupt manner in which Malawi terminated diplomatic ties.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Phoebe Yeh (葉非比) told the Taipei Times that the government would not suspend any scholarships and Malawian students were welcome to stay as many of them had established close social networks in Taiwan and a number were close to graduation.
Yeh said the students should not be punished for their government's actions.
US$19.2 million programme in Malawi will help poor rural people become key players in a newly liberalized economy with private sector support
A new IFAD-supported development programme in Malawi will create opportunities for poor rural people to benefit from the country's emerging economic liberalization.
The US$19.2 million Rural Livelihoods and Economic Enhancement Programme will be partly financed by a US$8.4 million loan and a US$8.3 million grant from IFAD. The loan agreement was signed today by Brian G. Bowler, Malawi's Ambassador to the European Union, and Kanayo F. Nwanze, IFAD's Vice-President.
The Royal Tropical Institute of the Netherlands will provide an additional US$100,000 grant. The Government of Malawi will contribute US$390,000.
Through their participation in the progamme, small-scale crop, livestock and fish producers and processors will be linked up with relevant people in the private sector to gain the knowledge and skills they need to participate fully in the market place. The programme will improve farmers' links to value chains by establishing more efficient production, transport, storage, processing and marketing systems for agricultural commodities. About 24,000 households will participate directly in the programme.
"Involving the private sector to drive agricultural commercialization is a new approach in Malawi," said Miriam Okongo, IFAD's country programme manager for the country.
"Malawi is undergoing a period of economic liberalization," she said. "Parastatal marketing institutions are being restructured and market competition is increasing."
"However, the rural population is not yet prepared for the realities of a market-led world. The aim of this programme is to help them make production decisions based on market needs rather than taking the traditional production-oriented approach."
The initial focus will be on groundnuts and Irish potatoes. These commodities are primarily grown by smallholders and provide significant opportunities to add value using technologies accessible to poor households. Participants will improve the yields and quality of their produce, learn better processing and marketing methods, and gain access to the financial and technical support services required to make the transition from subsistence to small-scale commercial farming.
The programme will also provide resources to strengthen national and local institutions in agricultural commercialization. It will begin with a three-year pilot phase. Following a comprehensive review, it will be expanded to work with up to six commodities.
"We believe there will be many opportunities to expand and replicate the initiative, both in Malawi and in surrounding countries, once key value-chain actors gain confidence in the approach," said Okongo.
With this programme, IFAD's total assistance to Malawi is about US$118,500 million for 10 programmes and projects to help the government in its poverty alleviation efforts.
IFAD was created 30 years ago to tackle rural poverty, a key consequence of the droughts and famines of the early 1970s. Since 1978, IFAD has invested almost US$10 billion in low-interest loans and grants that have helped more than 300 million very poor rural women and men increase their incomes and provide for their families.
IFAD is an international financial institution and a specialized United Nations agency. It is a global partnership of OECD, OPEC and other developing countries. Today, IFAD supports more than 200 programmes and projects in 84 developing countries.
The US$19.2 million Rural Livelihoods and Economic Enhancement Programme will be partly financed by a US$8.4 million loan and a US$8.3 million grant from IFAD. The loan agreement was signed today by Brian G. Bowler, Malawi's Ambassador to the European Union, and Kanayo F. Nwanze, IFAD's Vice-President.
The Royal Tropical Institute of the Netherlands will provide an additional US$100,000 grant. The Government of Malawi will contribute US$390,000.
Through their participation in the progamme, small-scale crop, livestock and fish producers and processors will be linked up with relevant people in the private sector to gain the knowledge and skills they need to participate fully in the market place. The programme will improve farmers' links to value chains by establishing more efficient production, transport, storage, processing and marketing systems for agricultural commodities. About 24,000 households will participate directly in the programme.
"Involving the private sector to drive agricultural commercialization is a new approach in Malawi," said Miriam Okongo, IFAD's country programme manager for the country.
"Malawi is undergoing a period of economic liberalization," she said. "Parastatal marketing institutions are being restructured and market competition is increasing."
"However, the rural population is not yet prepared for the realities of a market-led world. The aim of this programme is to help them make production decisions based on market needs rather than taking the traditional production-oriented approach."
The initial focus will be on groundnuts and Irish potatoes. These commodities are primarily grown by smallholders and provide significant opportunities to add value using technologies accessible to poor households. Participants will improve the yields and quality of their produce, learn better processing and marketing methods, and gain access to the financial and technical support services required to make the transition from subsistence to small-scale commercial farming.
The programme will also provide resources to strengthen national and local institutions in agricultural commercialization. It will begin with a three-year pilot phase. Following a comprehensive review, it will be expanded to work with up to six commodities.
"We believe there will be many opportunities to expand and replicate the initiative, both in Malawi and in surrounding countries, once key value-chain actors gain confidence in the approach," said Okongo.
With this programme, IFAD's total assistance to Malawi is about US$118,500 million for 10 programmes and projects to help the government in its poverty alleviation efforts.
IFAD was created 30 years ago to tackle rural poverty, a key consequence of the droughts and famines of the early 1970s. Since 1978, IFAD has invested almost US$10 billion in low-interest loans and grants that have helped more than 300 million very poor rural women and men increase their incomes and provide for their families.
IFAD is an international financial institution and a specialized United Nations agency. It is a global partnership of OECD, OPEC and other developing countries. Today, IFAD supports more than 200 programmes and projects in 84 developing countries.
Malawi state radio & TV to merge
Malawi will in the not too distant future merge its state media houses Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and Television Malawi. The government formed a task force last year to work out a merger of the national radio and sole television station. The task force has completed a report and recommended to government for the merger to take place shortly.
Director of Public Relations at the Ministry of Information and Civic Education Mike Kamwendo told Malawi News Agency (Mana) that the actual implementation of the merger recommendation would take place in the next three months. “Currently the issue about merging MBC and TVM is at an advanced stage and an advanced report has been compiled,” said Kamwendo.
“The report will soon be presented to Principal Secretaries and then Cabinet Ministers so that they make a decision on [it] before the actual implementation which is expected to take place within the next three months,” Mana quoted Kamwendo as saying.
According to the Mana report, the new organisation born out of the merger will adopt the name MBC and will be re-registered as a public broadcaster with Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority.
MBC has recently come under fire from civil society leaders and opposition political leaders who have condemned it for promoting hate-filled messages on its radio to advance the agenda of the ruling DPP. Television Malawi equally has been peddling the propaganda material of government against opposition elements sparking fears that the two institutions may instigate civil strife in the end.
Minister of Information and Civic Education has control powers over the two institutions. Chairperson of the parliamentary media committee Beston Lijenda could not comment on the merger development saying his committee would need to scrutinise the report. Lijenda, formerly an employee of MBC, said however that the national broadcaster needed a “new lease of life”.
Director of Public Relations at the Ministry of Information and Civic Education Mike Kamwendo told Malawi News Agency (Mana) that the actual implementation of the merger recommendation would take place in the next three months. “Currently the issue about merging MBC and TVM is at an advanced stage and an advanced report has been compiled,” said Kamwendo.
“The report will soon be presented to Principal Secretaries and then Cabinet Ministers so that they make a decision on [it] before the actual implementation which is expected to take place within the next three months,” Mana quoted Kamwendo as saying.
According to the Mana report, the new organisation born out of the merger will adopt the name MBC and will be re-registered as a public broadcaster with Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority.
MBC has recently come under fire from civil society leaders and opposition political leaders who have condemned it for promoting hate-filled messages on its radio to advance the agenda of the ruling DPP. Television Malawi equally has been peddling the propaganda material of government against opposition elements sparking fears that the two institutions may instigate civil strife in the end.
Minister of Information and Civic Education has control powers over the two institutions. Chairperson of the parliamentary media committee Beston Lijenda could not comment on the merger development saying his committee would need to scrutinise the report. Lijenda, formerly an employee of MBC, said however that the national broadcaster needed a “new lease of life”.
Orapa wins third uranium prospecting licence in Malawi
ASX-listed exploration company, Oropa has been granted a third minerals prospecting licence in Chizani, in central Malawi, which covers an area of 1 283-km, the company said on Wednesday.
The licence, granted by the Malawian Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources, gave Oropa Exploration rights to explore for uranium, copper, gold, silver, niobium, rare earths, tantalum, scheelite and wolframite, and increased the company's total ground position in Malawi to over 3 600-km2.
"The proximity of the Chizani project to the nearby Kanyika project, owned by Globe, provides Oropa with a nearby uranium, niobium, tantalum deposit model to apply to exploration search parameters within the Chizani area," the company said in a statement.
Oropa is currently reviewing existing data and plans to acquire satellite imagery covering areas of interest, with a view to establish a data base for the preparation of ground investigations.
The explorer has established a base in the capital, Lilongwe, and plans to begin field operations at the end of the wet season, in March.
Other than prospects in Malawi, the company has interests in Indonesia, India, and Western Australia.
The licence, granted by the Malawian Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources, gave Oropa Exploration rights to explore for uranium, copper, gold, silver, niobium, rare earths, tantalum, scheelite and wolframite, and increased the company's total ground position in Malawi to over 3 600-km2.
"The proximity of the Chizani project to the nearby Kanyika project, owned by Globe, provides Oropa with a nearby uranium, niobium, tantalum deposit model to apply to exploration search parameters within the Chizani area," the company said in a statement.
Oropa is currently reviewing existing data and plans to acquire satellite imagery covering areas of interest, with a view to establish a data base for the preparation of ground investigations.
The explorer has established a base in the capital, Lilongwe, and plans to begin field operations at the end of the wet season, in March.
Other than prospects in Malawi, the company has interests in Indonesia, India, and Western Australia.
Missionary writes book on her experiences in Malawi
From 2003 to 2007, Laura Tope and her husband served as missionaries in Malawi, returning to the United States once a year. They planned to continue their work at a different locale in India, but were delayed by visa problems. Meanwhile, they have been working at the Miracle Valley Bible College in Arizona.
“I work in the kitchen and at the assisted living facility at night. We stay for a few months each year,” she explained. “We are right on the border of Mexico and the illegals pass through at night. The border patrol hovers over the property searching for the guys. We minister in Mexico and at the Whiteriver Apache Reservation while we are here. Both the Apaches and the Mexicans are gracious people to us.”
A desire to write about their experiences in Malawi led to her book, “The Jali Road.” It took her four months this past summer to write the book, which is being published by PublishAmerica and will be released Feb. 11.
“This is my first experience having a book published, so I'm learning as I go,” Tope said. “I want to use most of the royalties for the work in Malawi and in India. We were supposed to be in India now, but there was a problem with the visa process. So, for now, we are here. God's will is fine with us.”
She was a nurse in Port Charlotte, Fla. when she and her husband, Gary, decided to become missionaries.
“After our three daughters were raised and married we had the call to go on the mission field,” she recalled. “We contacted several organizations and churches, but, for this or that reason, we were denied. We decided to go with God. He made a way for us to go to Malawi. I had not heard of it so I researched a little.
“We made our first trip in 2003 and made great friends. They are now our banja (family). We did experience culture shock, but it was when we returned to the U.S. The cleanliness and abundance were overwhelming!”
She noted the major differences between Malawi and this country.
“The Malawians truly have freedom of religion. Bible knowledge is taught in school and they pray every morning in class. The youth are hungry for education. Most never go to high school, let alone college. They can't afford to go. They will climb the mountains for fasting and prayers. The youth have all night prayers. They pray for relief from poverty, hunger, malnutrition, malaria, AIDS, cholera, TB.”
She added that the life expectancy is 35 and that many funerals are attended every week. Coffin making is a thriving business in Malawi.
“Our greatest blessing was to build a church in a small village,” she said. “The word spread and many pastors joined the Revival Miracle Ministries. There are now 28 churches in Malawi and four in Mozambique. We will be going back, there is much work to do. We support the Revival Miracle Ministries. It is not based in the U.S., but totally run by Malawians and we aren't even on the board. We wanted them to be in control of everything, without having to ask the Muzungu (white person) permission.”
Born in Indianapolis, she and her husband have purchased a house in Rushville.
“The first time I saw Rushville I was in love. I knew I had to live there,” she said. “It reminds me of Bedford Falls in ‘It's a Wonderful Life.’"
“I work in the kitchen and at the assisted living facility at night. We stay for a few months each year,” she explained. “We are right on the border of Mexico and the illegals pass through at night. The border patrol hovers over the property searching for the guys. We minister in Mexico and at the Whiteriver Apache Reservation while we are here. Both the Apaches and the Mexicans are gracious people to us.”
A desire to write about their experiences in Malawi led to her book, “The Jali Road.” It took her four months this past summer to write the book, which is being published by PublishAmerica and will be released Feb. 11.
“This is my first experience having a book published, so I'm learning as I go,” Tope said. “I want to use most of the royalties for the work in Malawi and in India. We were supposed to be in India now, but there was a problem with the visa process. So, for now, we are here. God's will is fine with us.”
She was a nurse in Port Charlotte, Fla. when she and her husband, Gary, decided to become missionaries.
“After our three daughters were raised and married we had the call to go on the mission field,” she recalled. “We contacted several organizations and churches, but, for this or that reason, we were denied. We decided to go with God. He made a way for us to go to Malawi. I had not heard of it so I researched a little.
“We made our first trip in 2003 and made great friends. They are now our banja (family). We did experience culture shock, but it was when we returned to the U.S. The cleanliness and abundance were overwhelming!”
She noted the major differences between Malawi and this country.
“The Malawians truly have freedom of religion. Bible knowledge is taught in school and they pray every morning in class. The youth are hungry for education. Most never go to high school, let alone college. They can't afford to go. They will climb the mountains for fasting and prayers. The youth have all night prayers. They pray for relief from poverty, hunger, malnutrition, malaria, AIDS, cholera, TB.”
She added that the life expectancy is 35 and that many funerals are attended every week. Coffin making is a thriving business in Malawi.
“Our greatest blessing was to build a church in a small village,” she said. “The word spread and many pastors joined the Revival Miracle Ministries. There are now 28 churches in Malawi and four in Mozambique. We will be going back, there is much work to do. We support the Revival Miracle Ministries. It is not based in the U.S., but totally run by Malawians and we aren't even on the board. We wanted them to be in control of everything, without having to ask the Muzungu (white person) permission.”
Born in Indianapolis, she and her husband have purchased a house in Rushville.
“The first time I saw Rushville I was in love. I knew I had to live there,” she said. “It reminds me of Bedford Falls in ‘It's a Wonderful Life.’"
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