The
Young
Women’s


Knowledge
and
Leadership
Institute

~~



2010
Course
Manual








The
African
Women’s
Millennium
Initiative
(AWOMI)

December
2010















I:
Table
of
Contents



Course
Descriptions
and
Resources………………………………………………………………Page
3

Module
1
–
Yassine
Fall

Macroeconomics,
Global
Financial
Crisis
&
African
Women’s
Economic
Empowerment



Module
2
–
Arame
Tall

Climate
Change
&
Climate
Justice:
Mitigation
&
Adaptation,
Organizing
Principles
&
Practices



Module
3‐
Paula
Matabane
&
Tina
Morton

Video
Production
As
A
Tool
for
Social
Mobilization,
Sensitization
&
Activism



Module
4‐
Ifeona
Fulani

Globalization,
International
Agencies
and
Agreements



Module
5
–
Jemila
Abdulai

Social
Media
&
Blogging
as
Tools
for
Advocacy



Module
6‐
Hameda
Deedat

Community
Level
Organizing:
Principles
&
Practices



Module
7‐
Paula
Matabane
&
Mashadi
Matabane

Non‐Violence
Workshop



Module
8‐
Yassine
Fall

Gender
Based
Violence
Action
&
Rapid
Response



Article
Writing‐
Mashadi
Matabane
&
Niousha
Roshani



Trainer
Profiles…………………………………………………………………………………………
Page
13

























 2

 II:
Course
Descriptions
and
Resources



*MODULE
1
–
To
be
provided
on
site

Macroeconomics,
Global
Financial
Crisis
&
African
Women’s
Economic
Empowerment

Yassine
Fall





MODULE
2

Climate
Change
&
Climate
Justice:
Mitigation
&
Adaptation,
Organizing
Principles
&
Practices

Trainer:
Arame
Tall



Course
Description

The
purpose
of
this
workshop
is
to
introduce
participants
to
what
Climate
Change
is
(the

scientific
basis),
why
it
is
relevant
for
Africa
(observed
and
projected
impacts)
and
why
it
is

an
issue
we
care
(or
should
care)
about
on
the
continent.



We
will
also
provide
an
overview
of
the
most
salient
issues
in
the
current
climate
change

debate,
which
will
take
us
from
Kyoto,
to
Bali,
Copenhagen,
Cancun
and
back
to
Dakar.


Finally
we
will
conclude
with
group
work
for
YOWLees
to
express
and
reflect
on
how

climate
change
impacts
them
in
their
communities
and
in
their
lives.




Questions


1. What
do
we
mean
by
Climate
Change?
What
do
you
understand
by
this
term?

2. Why
do
you
think
it
is
an
issue
relevant
for
your
community,
country
or
continent?

3. What
is
the
one
most
important
thing
about
yourself
as
an
activist
or
young
leader
that

you
have
endeavored
to
either
mitigate
or
adapt
to
a
changing
climate
and
really
want

to
share
with
others
at
YOWLI
or
around
the
world?

4. How
will
you
recruit
others
to
be
active
participants
in
the
combat
for
climate
justice

OR
climate‐resilient
communities?







Additional
Resources




Helpful
Websites

Why
do
we
care
about
Climate
change
in
Africa:

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate‐change‐will‐be‐catastrophe‐for‐
africa‐478375.html



 3

Video:
http://vimeo.com/1163697


The
challenges
to
adapting
to
a
changing
climate
in
Africa:

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/decapua‐africa‐climate‐30jun10‐
97487959.html


http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/decapua‐africa‐climate‐30jun10‐
97487959.html


Obligatory
ready:
IPCC
4th
assessment
report
Africa
chapter,
can
be
downloaded
at
the

following
link:
http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg2/en/ch9.html


http://vimeo.com/1163697





 4

MODULE
3

Video
Production
As
A
Tool
for
Social
Mobilization,
Sensitization
&
Activism

Trainers:
Paula
Matabane
&
Tina
Morton



Course
Description

The
purpose
of
this
workshop
is
to
assist
participants
in
development
of
basic
skills
in

photographic
and
video
storytelling
of
community
events
and
local
history
for
activism,

preservation
and
sharing
in
local
communities
and
on
websites
for
the
worldwide
audience.




Half
of
attendees
will
use
still
photography
and
the
rest
will
use
video
equipment
to
tell

stories
based
on
their
experiences
at
YOWLI
2010.



Questions


1. What
is
the
one
most
important
thing
about
your
home
country
that
you
really
want
to

share
with
the
world?


2. What
is
the
one
most
important
thing
about
yourself
as
an
activist
or
young
leader
that

you
really
want
to
share
with
others
at
YOWLI
and
with
other
activists
around
the

world?

3. What
impact
do
you
hope
to
achieve
by
making
this
media
project?

4. How
will
you
recruit
others
to
be
active
participants
in
their
own
empowerment

through
the
use
of
media?

5. After
your
video
is
finished
who
do
you
want
to
see
it
and
how
will
they
even
know
it

exists?
(What
is
your
distribution
strategy?)



Additional
Resources

Helpful
Websites

http://insightshare.org/pv/pv‐nutshell


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RHFBj4Ec9Y


“Insights”
Handbook:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/45273680/Insights‐Into‐Participatory‐
Video‐A‐Handbook‐for‐the‐Field



Learning
Photo
Composition


http://www.johnharveyphoto.com/LearnComposition/

http://www.cybercollege.com/tvp022.htm

http://www.cybercollege.com/tvp023.htm

http://www.cybercollege.com/tvp024.htm



Audio


http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1316614809870

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4YLgdFkdj0&feature=&p=C0B5EA69CD78A81E&index
=0&playnext=1



 5

MODULE
4

Globalization,
International
Agencies
and
Agreements

Trainer:
Ifeona
Fulani



Course
Description

The
term
“globalization’
is
now
widely
deployed
to
refer
to
the
movement
around
the

world
of
people,
capital,
commodities,
culture,
technology
and
information,
often
at
great

speed
and
unprecedented
volume.
Yet
thinkers
‐
economists,
political
theorists
and
cultural

critics
–
are
divided
in
response
to
the
undeniable
impact
of
globalization
on
contemporary

life.
Are
the
forces
of
globalization
moving
the
nations
of
the
world
toward
greater
co‐
operation,
democracy
and
equality?
Or
is
globalization
simply
a
new
name
for
old

imperialistic
practices,
driven
by
agencies,
institutions
and
corporations
originating
in
the

west?
The
main
aims
of
this
module
is:

to
understand
a
range
of
perspectives
on
the

phenomenon
that
is
globalization;
to
consider
the
impact
of
globalization
on
the
way
we

live
and
work
in
the
world
as
women
of
Africa
and
the
African
Diaspora;
and
to
question
the

specific
ways
in
which
globalization
is
drawing
women
to
the
global
market,
from

immigrants
and
factory
workers
to
nannies,
care‐givers
and
sex
workers.



Questions


1. What
is
globalization?

2. How
are
your
affected
by
globalization?
Write
two
or
more
paragraphs
on
how

globalization
impacts
your
life.

3. What
are
the
benefits
of
globalization
for
the
average
person?

4. Are
there
any
drawbacks
to
globalization
that
you
have
observed?

5. Who
benefits
most
from
globalization?



 6

MODULE
5

Social
Media
and
Blogging
as
Tools
for
Advocacy

Trainer:
Jemila
Abdulai



Blogs
and
Social
Media
like
Youtube,
Facebook,
and
Twitter
have
become
a
part
of
our

every
day
lives
and
cut
across
personal
and
professional
domains.
With
the
power
of
the

internet
and
technology,
there
is
more
potential
now,
more
than
ever,
to
share
information

and
collaborate
on
projects
for
human
development.
How
can
an
individual,
community,

organization
or
even
a
nation
use
social
media
to
share
its
results,
sensitize
the
public,

establish
partnerships,
and
achieve
an
edge
in
communication
stategies?




This
module
will
examine
the
integration
of
social
media
and
blogging
in
our
every
day
lives

and
how
it
might
be
(or
might
not
be)
beneficial
to
youth
advocacy
and
development

initiatives.
Participants
will
undergo
a
tutorial
in
setting
up
a
simple
blog
or
social
media

account,
with
an
overview
of
the
numerous
ways
in
which
they
can
make
their
voices
on

issues
like
SRHR,
development,
and
water
access
heard
through
the
World
Wide
Web.



Questions


1. What
is
social
media?
Can
you
give
some
examples?

2. Do
you
have
a
Facebook/Hi5/Youtube/Twitter
account?
How
often
do
you
access
it
in
a
day?


3. What
do
you
think
social
media
is
used
for
or
should
be
used
for?
Can
you
give
some

examples
of
the
usage
of
social
media
in
your
local
community?

4. Do
you
have
a
blog
or
would
you
want
to
have
a
blog?
Why
or
why
not?

5. What
are
some
of
the
challenges
or
concerns
regarding
access
to
the
Internet
and

social
media?


6. Do
you
consider
information
from
blogs
to
be
valuable
or
otherwise?
Why?


Additional
Resources


Helpful
Websites

www.mashable.com



Videos

Circumspect
Vlog
‐
How
to
blog
1:
http://www.circumspecte.com/2009/12/circum‐vlog‐
how‐to‐blog‐part‐1.html

Circumspect
Vlog
–
How
to
blog
2:
http://www.circumspecte.com/2010/01/circum‐vlog‐
how‐to‐blog‐part‐2.html

Blogger:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnploFsS_tY

Wordpress:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWYi4_COZMU



 7

*MODULE
6
‐
To
be
provided
on
site


Community
Level
Organizing:
Principles
&
Practices

Trainer:
Hameda
Deedat







MODULE
7

NonViolence
Workshop

Trainers:
Paula
Matabane
&
Mashadi
Matabane



Course
Description

Nonviolence
is
a
way
of
life
for
courageous
people.

This
workshop
aims
to
give
participants

an
orientation
to
the
principles
of
nonviolence
developed
during
the
southern
Black

freedom
movement
in
the
United
States
mainly
by
Dr.
Martin
Luther
King,
Jr.
who
was

deeply
influenced
by
Mahatma
Gandhi.

Focus
is
on
distinguishing
nonviolence
from

negative
peace
and
violence,
debunking
myths
and
facts
of
nonviolence,
steps
and

principles
of
nonviolence,
identifying
types
and
levels
of
conflict
in
order
to
prepare

participants
to
utilize
nonviolence
in
solving
problems
in
their
home
countries.



Questions


1. Be
prepared
to
discuss
examples
of
social
movements
(recent
or
old)
in
your
country

that
attempted
to
use
principles
of
nonviolence
to
obtain
social
justice.







‐
Describe
the
five
W’s
(who,
what,
when,
why,
where)
of
the
movement.





‐
Who
were
the
main
organizers?





‐
What
was
the
outcome?





‐
In
your
opinion,
why
did
the
movement
succeed
or
fail?





‐
What
became
of
this
organizing
effort?





‐
How
do
you
feel
about
this
effort
and
about
nonviolence
as
an
approach
to
gaining

social
justice?



2. What
is
agape
love
and
in
your
opinion,
is
love
a
relevant
tool
for
people
struggling
to

win
social
justice?

3. Who
is
Dr.
Martin
Luther
King,
Jr.?


‐ Research
the
Montgomery
bus
boycott
(1955‐56)
that
King
led
and
identify
the
key

issues
facing
the
black
community
at
that
time
in
Montgomery,
Alabama.

4. Who
was
Mrs.
Rosa
Parks
and
what
role
did
she
play
in
the
movement?

How
did
the

black
community
overcome
and
eventually
win
their
cause?




 8

 5. Compare
African
American
woman
civil
rights
activists
Mrs.
Fannie
Lou
Hamer
and
Mrs.

Rosa
Parks
to
women
activists
from
your
country
that
you
deeply
admire.

What

common
traits
and
barriers
did
they
face?

What
differences
defined
their
lives?

6. What
does
Amani
Shupavu
‐‐
courageous
peace
in
Swahili
bring
up
for
you
and
the

possibility
of
positive
social
change
in
your
country?


Additional
Resources

Helpful
Websites

‐
http://www.mlkonline.net/speeches.html;


‐
http://mlk‐
kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/encyclopedia/enc_nonviolent_resistance/;

‐
http://www.nonviolent‐conflict.org/index.php/news‐and‐media/featured‐news‐
stories/1308‐gandhis‐invisible‐tools‐researching‐planning‐mobilizing

‐
http://www.nonviolent‐conflict.org/index.php/news‐and‐media/featured‐news‐
stories/1307‐the‐trifecta‐of‐civil‐resistance‐unity‐planning‐discipline

‐
http://www.nonviolent‐conflict.org/index.php/news‐and‐media/featured‐news‐
stories/1306‐civil‐resistance‐and‐the‐language‐of‐power



























































 9

MODULE
8

Gender
Based
Violence
Action
&
Rapid
Response

Trainers:
Yassine
Fall
and
Guest
Trainers




Course
Description

Numerous
women
and
girls
are
subjected
to
gender
based
violence
in
their
homes,
in
the

community,
at
work,
during
conflicts,
natural
disasters
and
so
on.
What
exactly
constitutes

gender
based
violence
and
how
can
young
activists
assist
in
sensitizing
society
on

recognizing
gender
based
violence
and
taking
the
appropriate
steps
and
actions
in
curtailing

the
practice?
This
module
seeks
to
introduce
course
participants
to
the
issue
of
gender‐
based
violence,
particularly
in
post‐disaster
situations.
Participants
will
be
introduced
to

reviewing
the
legal
apparatus
of
their
nations
in
order
to
determine
what
laws
and
policies

exist
around
gender‐based
action
and
how
they
can
use
it
for
rapid
response
action.
Guest

trainers
in
the
fields
of
gender
based
violence
advocacy,
law,
as
well
as
SRHR
will
undertake

presentations
detailing
real
life
situations
and
practical
rapid
response
mechanisms.



Questions


1. Number
and
quality
of
existing
gender
responsive
legislation

‐
Cross
check
with
international
quota
laws,
laws
on
protection
and

prevention
of
gender‐based
violence,
anti‐discrimination
legislation;

baseline


assessment
of
legislation
and
how
existing
laws
have
been

harmonized
with
international
legal
instruments



2. Number
and
position
of
women
in
the
justice
sector
(gender
equality

in
representation)

‐
Number
of
judges,
lawyers
and
female
representatives
in
legal

clinics
and
assistance
services
(in
comparison
to
total
number
of
staff)



3. Gender
training
conducted
to
members
of
the
justice
sector

‐
Quality
(compare
to
international
standards)
of
tools
and
trainings
given



 10

 ‐
Number
and
level/positions
of
participants
that
participated
in
gender
trainings

‐
Knowledge
learned
during
training
and
change
of
behavior
after
training
given

‐
Number
of
legal
experts
doing
training
on
GBV



4. Number
of
cases
of
gender‐based
violence
successfully
addressed

‐
Cases
reported
versus
brought
to
court
versus
prosecuted



5. Media
coverage
of
Gender
based
violence
cases

‐
Number
of
media
houses
that
have
covered
200;
100;
50;
GBV
cases
per
year



6. Funding
the
fight
against
GBV

‐
Financial
law
recommending
financing
GBV

‐
Existence
of
budget
allocation
at
national
or
local
level
to
fight
GBV



7. Monitoring
Mechanisms

‐ Number
of
GBV
monitoring
bodies
or
processes












































 11

ARTICLE
WRITING
I
&
II

Mashadi
Matabane
(English)
and
Niousha
Roshani
(French)



Course
Description

This
module
will
introduce
participants
to
basic
journalism
writing.
Learn
the
essentials
of

researching,
interviewing,
writing,
editing,
and
fact‐checking.
Critical
media
literacy
and

journalism
ethics
within
a
cross‐cultural,
human
rights
context
will
also
be
covered.

Key
Learning
Objectives

‐
Develop
ability
to
generate
ideas
and
to
present
them
effectively

‐
Learn
different
reporting
methods
and
approaches

‐
Understand
different
styles
of
journalistic
writing

‐
Maintain
highest
ethical
standards
for
journalism

‐
Demonstrate
awareness
of
global
journalism
landscape

‐
Demonstrate
ability
to
produce
a
final
draft
of
an
article



Questions



1.
What
is
the
purpose
of
journalism?

2.
What
is
an
example
of
'good'
journalism
to
you?
Explain
why?
Consider
a

brief
example

3.
What
is
an
example
of
'bad'
journalism
to
you?
Explain
why?
Consider
a

brief
example

4.
What
is
the
journalism
environment
like
in
the
countries
of
concern
to

you?
Is
it
free?
Safe?
Censored?

5.
What
are
4
issues
of
importance
to
you?



*NB:
All
articles
must
be
submitted
to
awomiweb@gmail.com
by
8:30pm
on
December
30,

2010.





 12

III
–
Trainer
Profiles



Yassine
Fall


Yassine
 Fall
 is
 an
 economist
 educated
 in
 Senegal,
 France
 and

the
USA
with
26
years
of
experience
in
development
research,

policy
formulation
and
program
implementation.
She
has
been

with
 the
 United
 Nations
 for
 10
 years.
 She
 is
 the
 new
 Interim

Director
of
INSTRAW
now
part
of
UN
Women.
She
first
served

as
 UNIFEM
 Regional
 Director
 for
 Francophone
 and
 Lusophone

West
and
Central
Africa
for
two
years.

For
the
past
eight
years

Yassine
Fall
has
served
as
UNIFEM’s
Global
Economics
Advisor

based
in
New
York.
During
this
tenure
she
was
seconded
to
the

UN
 Millennium
 Project
 under
 the
 request
 of
 Prof
 Jeffry
 Sachs

who
appointed
her
as
Senior
Policy
Advisor
on
gender
and
the

MDGs.

She
contributed
substantively
in
the
Millennium
Project

including
the
publication”The
End
of
Poverty”;
in
setting
up
the

Millennium
 village
 in
 Senegal
 and
 in
 resource
 mobilization
 for

the
 Millennium
 villages.
 Before
 returning
 to
 UNIFEM
 she

produced
two
guidebooks
on
how
to
meet
MDG
3.
She
recently
launched
at
the
2010
CSW,

in
 partnership
 with
 UNDP,
 the
 publication
 entitled
 “Making
 the
 MDG
 Work
 

 
Better
 for

Women”.




Yassine
 is
 among
 the
 champions
 for
 women’s
 empowerment
 in
 Africa
 and
 the
 African

Diaspora.
 She
 is
 the
 mentor
 of
 the
 African
 Women
 Millennium
 Initiative
 on
 Poverty
 and

Human
Rights
(AWOMI)
which
organizes
every
2
years
the
Young
Women
Knowledge
and

Leadership
Institute
(YOWLI)
bringing
together
for
1
month
youth
from
all
over
Africa
and

its
Diaspora
to
learn
how
to
enhance
their
participation
in
development,
how
to
network

and
 build
 strategic
 partnerships
 for
 fighting
 poverty.
 A
 particular
 emphasis
 of
 her
 recent

work
 has
 been
 to
 address
 the
 gender
 dimensions
 of
 the
 global
 food
 crisis;
 the
 social
 and

gender
 implications
 of
 the
 global
 financial
 and
 economic
 crisis;
 the
 interconnections

between
economics,
gender
and
HIV/AIDS.

Yassine
Fall
served
a
five‐year
long
term
leading

as
Executive
Director
of
the
Association
of
African
Women
for
Research
and
Development

(AAWORD),
a
sister
organization
to
CODESRIA
and
network
of
African
women
in
academia

and
 gender
 equality
 advocates.
 Through
 her
 leadership
 and
 organizational
 management

AAWORD
 was
 able
 to
 multiply
 its
 resource
 base
 tenfold
 and
 mobilize
 record
 numbers
 of

African
women
to
join
its
membership.


Yassine
 Fall’s
 record
 also
 includes
 five
 years
 of
 teaching
 mathematics
 and
 applied

economics
 in
 US
 schools
 and
 twelve
 years
 of
 work
 at
 the
 head
 of
 her
 own
 international

consulting
firm,
“African
Economists
for
Social
Change”.
This
successful
enterprise
entailed

work
throughout
Africa
combining
field
research,
capacity
development
and
policy
analysis

on
various
development
issues,
such
as:
macroeconomics
and
public
sector
reform,
poverty

elimination
policies,
gender
and
development,
international
trade
assessment,
emergency

relief
operations,
environmental
and
natural
resources
management,
land
tenure
analysis,

child
labor
studies
and
food
security.
Fall
was
the
first
expert
to
design
World
Food
Program

guidelines
 on
 gender
 equality
 in
 emergency
 operations
 and
 food
 distribution.
 She



 13

contributed
substantially
to
the
ILO
–
West
Africa
child
labor
policy
using
experiences
and

lessons
 from
 long‐term
 engagement
 with
 the
 field.
 She
 was
 a
 lead
 expert
 on
 the
 fight

against
 desertification
 in
 the
 Sahel
 in
 the
 1980s
 supporting
 the
 FAO
 in
 promoting

environmental
health
before
climate
change
issues
became
a
global
priority.



Yassine
played
an
important
role
in
setting
up
vital
global
networks
and
organizations.
She

was
selected
by
Mr.
Georges
Soros
in
2000
together
with
President
Ellen
Johnson
Sirleaf
of

Liberia
 and
 President
 Amadou
 Toumani
 Toure
 of
 Mali,
 Her
 Excellency
 Zainab
 Bangoura,

Minister
of
Foreign
Affairs
of
Sierra
Leone,
International
Criminal
Court
Judge
Keba
Mbaye

to
 name
 a
 few,
 
to
 constitute
 the
 founding

 Board
 of
 the
 Open
 Society
 Initiative
 for
 West

Africa
 (OSIWA)
 generously
 founded
 by
 the
 Soros
 Foundation.
 For
 four
 years
 she
 worked

with
 President
 Sirleaf
 as
 Chair
 helping
 manage
 and
 allocate
 OSIWA’s
 multi‐million‐dollar

funds
 as
 grants
 to
 civil
 society
 and
 selected
 Government
 entities
 in
 West
 Africa
 for
 the

promotion
of
democratic
development.





Yassine
 Fall
 is
 fluent
 in
 English,
 French,
 Spanish
 and
 Wolof.
 She
 is
 the
 author
 of
 several

publications
including
books
and
articles.




Arame
Tall



Arame
 Tall
 is
 a
 proud
 native
 and
 current
 resident
 of

Dakar,
Senegal,
in
addition
to
being
a
doctorate
student

in
 African
 Studies
 at
 the
 Johns
 Hopkins
 School
 of

Advanced
International
Studies
in
Washington,
D.C.




Her
 dissertation
 topic,
“Reducing
 vulnerability
 to

climate‐related
 disasters
 in
 Africa.
 A
 cross‐country

comparative
 analysis
 of
 disaster
 management
 policies

across
 Africa:
 which
 way
 forward
 in
 the
 face
 of
 a

changing
 climate?”
highlights
 her
 passion
 for
 climate

and
 environmental
 issues.

She
 is
 the
 recipient
 of
 a

number
of
fellowships
and
awards
including
the
Pulitzer

Foundation
 scholarship
 for
 academic
 excellence,
 which

she
 received
 while
 pursuing
 her
 graduate
 degree
 on

climate
change
and
society
at
Columbia
University
in
New
York,
USA.




Prior
 to
 that,
 Arame
 completed
 her
 undergraduate
 degree
 at
 Smith
 College
 in

Massachusetts,
 USA.
 The
 women
 and
 youth
 empowerment
 enthusiast
 has
 worked
 with

international
 organizations
 like
 the
 U.N.
 Institute
 for
 Training
 and
 Research
 in
 Geneva,

Switzerland,
 the
 Red
 Cross/Red
 Crescent
 Climate
 Center
 in
 the
 Hague,
 Netherlands,
 and

Senegal’s
Centre
de
Suivi
Ecologique.
She
also
has
a
number
of
publications
around
climate

change
issues
and
is
the
founder
of
Afro‐Optimism,
an
Africa‐promotion
foundation
based

in
Geneva,
Switzerland.
During
her
leisure
hours
Arame
enjoys
reading,
cooking,
traveling

and
horse‐back
riding.





 14

Paula
Whatley
Matabane

Paula
 Whatley
 Matabane
 is
 an
 associate

professor
 of
 television
 and
 film
 at
 Howard

University
in
Washington,
DC.

She
is
also
an

award‐winning
 independent
 documentary

film
 producer,
 ordained
 minister
 in
 the

African
Methodist
Episcopal
Church,
certified

trainer
in
Kingian
nonviolence
resistance,
and

former
 public
 television
 producer
 and
 host.


For
over
20
years,
Paula
helped
organize
US

support
 for
 southern
 Africa
 liberation

movements,
 was
 part
 of
 the
 creation
 of
 a

national
 women’s
 organization
 (Women
 for

Racial
 and
 Economic
 Equality)
 devoted
 to
 the
 needs
 and
 concern
 of
 working
 women
 and

children.
 She
 also
 created
 the
 Sister‐Friend
 Ministry
 to
 support
 homeless
 women
 and

children.
 
As
 a
 teenager,
 Paula
 participated
 in
 voter
 registration
 drives
 in
 the
 American

South
as
the
walls
of
racial
segregation
were
falling.

She
is
a
published
scholar
of
research

on
the
lessons
viewers
learn
from
watching
television,
and
representations
of
minorities
in

American
 media.
 
Paula
 has
 produced
 three
 independent
 documentaries
 on
 the
 African

American
faith
experience
and
racism
in
religion.

A
native
of
Atlanta,
GA
USA,
Paula
earned

the
 Ph.D.
 and
 Master
 of
 Divinity
 degrees
 from
 Howard
 University,
 M.A.
 from
 Stanford

(California)
and
a
B.A.
from
the
University
of
Pennsylvania.

Paula
has
preached,
taught
and

made
academic
presentations
across
the
world
always
with
a
firm
commitment
to
the
goal

of
 reconciliation
 and
 nonviolent
 resistance.
 
She
 has
 one
 adult
 daughter,
 Mashadi,
 and
 a

passion
for
family
genealogy
and
history.





Tina
Morton

Tina
Morton
is
a
media
activist,
video
oral
historian,

Assistant
 Professor
 of
 Radio,
 Television
 &
 Film
 at

Howard
University
and
a
2010
Pew
Fellowship
in
the

Arts
 recipient.
 Deeply
 committed
 to
 facilitating

members
 of
 community
 groups
 in
 telling
 their
 own

stories,
 Tina
 has
 taught
 various
 organizations
 in

Philadelphia
how
to
use
media
for
social
activism.
In

2005,
she
facilitated
a
South
Philadelphia
community

group
 to
 help
 create
 "The
 Taking
 of
 South

Central...Philadelphia"
 a
 documentary
 focusing
 on

problems
of
gentrification
affecting
so
many
communities.
Tina’s
own
work
focuses
on
oral

community
 and
 family
 histories.
 
Her
 award‐winning
 documentary,
 “Severed
 Souls"

chronicles
 community
 memory
 of
 the
 execution
 of
 Corrine
 Sykes,
 a
 20‐year‐old
 North

Philadelphia
resident
wrongly
executed
for
murder
and
the
first
African
American
woman

to
be
legally
executed
in
PA.
Most
recently
she
co‐directed
and
co‐produced
"Belly
of
the

Basin"
 a
 documentary
 focusing
 on
 survivor
 stories
 from
 Hurricane
 Katrina
 and
 the

intersection
 of
 race,
 class,
 and
 politics.
 It
 garnered
 best
 documentary
 at
 the
 2008

Hollywood
 Black
 Film
 Festival.
 Presently
 Tina
 is
 working
 on
 documenting
 ODUNDE,
 the

oldest
continuously
running
African
American
Festival
in
Philadelphia,
PA.



 15

Ifeona
Fulani



Ifeona
 Fulani
 holds
 a
 PhD
 in
 Comparative
 Literature
 from

New
 York
 University
 and
 an
 MFA
 in
 Creative
 Writing,
 also

from
 NYU.
 Her
 research
 interests
 include
 Literatures
 of

Africa
 and
 the
 African
 Diaspora,
 Caribbean
 Literary
 and

Cultural
 Studies,
 Globalization
 and
 Transnational

Feminisms.
 She
 recently
 completed
 an
 edited
 volume
 of

essays
 titled
 Archipalegos
 of
 Sound:
 Transnational

Caribbeanities,
 Women
 and
 Music.
 The
 essays
 in
 the

volume
 take
 a
 pan‐Caribbean
 approach
 to
 examining
 the

music,
 performance
 and
 cultural
 impact
 of
 influential

female
artists
either
based
in
the
Caribbean
or
in
the
Caribbean’s
Diasporas.



Her
 next
 book
 project,
 provisionally
 titled
 Black
 Women
 Reconfiguring
 the
 Black
 Atlantic

and
 developing
 on
 her
 doctoral
 dissertation,
 feminizes
 the
 discourse
 of
 black

internationalism
 and
 examines
 the
 formation
 of
 black
 women’s
 intellectual
 communities

within
the
African
diaspora.
It
is
a
comparative,
interdisciplinary
study
that
examines
black

women’s
fiction
and
film
narratives
from
the
US,
the
Caribbean
and
the
UK,
together
with

literary,
film
and
cultural
criticism.



Ifeona
Fulani
is
the
author
of
a
number
of
scholarly
articles,
a
novel,
Seasons
of
Dust
and
a

collection
of
short
stories,
Ten
Days
in
Jamaica.
She
is
on
the
faculty
of
the
Liberal
Studies

Program
at
New
York
University.







Mashadi
Matabane




Mashadi
 Matabane
 is
 a
 doctoral
 student
 in

American
Studies
at
Emory
University
in
Atlanta,

GA,
 USA.
 Her
 background
 includes
 writing,

reporting,
 researching
 and
 editing
 with
 a
 focus

on
 representations
 of
 black
 identities
 and
 black

women's
 cultural
 productions
 throughout
 the

African
 diaspora.
 As
 well,
 transnational
 human

rights/social
 justice
 issues
 with
 a
 focus
 on

women
 and
 children.
 She
 has
 worked
 on
 the

editorial
 staffs
 of
 U.S.‐based
 women's

magazines.
 She
 is
 a
 graduate
 of
 New
 York
 University
 (MA,
 Magazine
 Journalism)
 and

Spelman
College
(BA,
comparative
Women's
Studies).





 16

Niousha
Roshani



Niousha
 Roshani
 is
 the
 founder
 of
 the
 Nukanti
 Foundation
 for

Children
working
with
children
affected
by
extreme
violence
and

poverty,
 as
 well
 as
 an
 advocate
 of
 children's
 rights.
 She
 is

currently
 pursuing
 a
 doctorate
 in
 Child
 Anthropology
 at
 the

University
 of
 London
 while
 continuing
 her
 work
 and
 research

with
 war‐affected
 children
 in
 Colombia.
 She
 directed
 a
recently

completed
documentary
on
the
lives
of
children
affected
by
the

war
in
Colombia
titled
*I
Don't
Know
Why
They
Call
Us
Children*

screened
at
various
film
festivals
in
the
UK
and
Spain.




Jemila
Abdulai



Jemila
 Abdulai
 is
 AWOMI's
 Program
 Coordinator
 and
 oversees

AWOMI's
 programs
 and
 day‐to
 day
 activities.
 A
 Ghanaian

citizen,
 she
 participated
 in
 and
successfully
 completed

AWOMI’s
second
edition
of
the
YOWLI
in
2008,
after
which
she

secured
 her
 Bachelor
 of
 Arts
 degree
 in
 both
 Economic
 and

French
from
Mount
Holyoke
College,
USA,
in
May
2009.
During

her
 college
 career
 she
 focused
 on
 economic
 development,

gender
and
international
trade,
particularly
as
it
concerns
Africa

and
 the
 Global
 South.
 She
 also
 wrote
 numerous
 articles
 on

international
 issues
 for
 the
 college
 newspaper
 and
 led
 the

Mount
 Holyoke
 African
 and
 Caribbean
 Students
 Association

(MHACASA)
 in
 organizing
 programs
 and
 fundraising
 for

donation
to
African
or
Caribbean
charities
annually.




As
 an
 international
 development
 correspondent
 with
 the
 Development
 Executive
 Group

(Devex)
 in
 Washington,
 D.C.,
 she
 wrote
 and
 published
 over
 30
 news,
 career
 and
 business

advice
 articles
 on
 humanitarian
 relief,
 gender
 issues,
 and
 current
 events
 in
 the

development
sphere.
Additionally,
she
has
interacted
with
and
interviewed
numerous
high‐
level
 development
 professionals
 including
 Harriet
 Fulbright,
 UNIFEM
 Chief
 Ines
 Alberdi,

Millennium
 Challenge
 Corporation
 Head
 Daniel
 Yohannes,
 and
 Norwegian
 Minister
 for

Children,
Gender
and
Equality
Audun
Lysbakken.
She
also
attended
and
covered
key
events

and
 panels
 organized
 by
 the
 World
 Bank,
 international
 NGOs,
 and
 the
 U.N.
 including
 the

54th
Commission
on
the
Status
of
Women
(CSW)
in
New
York,
USA.
An
ardent
believer
in

the
 value
 of
 knowledge
 sharing,
 Jemila
 is
 also
 a
 social
 media
 activist
 and
 blogger
 via
 her

website
www.circumspecte.com
and
other
mediums.



 17