Propaganda and "Terrorism"

Thanks to my Women's Studies students Christine Bowden, Rebekah Glover, and Rebecca Nesbitt for this link to a 1950s British newsreel film that represents the Kenyan freedom fighters, known as Mau Mau, as terrorists. The reel was produced while Britain held colonial control over Kenya, and the newsreel is clearly intended to drum up anti-Mau Mau support for continued British occupation. Based on our viewing of In the Name of Liberation, what questions come to mind about defining terrorism when you view this newsreel?

Sierra Leone Legalizes Free Health Care for Mothers, Infants

This news release from Medicins sans frontieres/Doctors Without Borders details Sierra Leone's new national law, which mandates free health care as of April 27, 2010, to the nation's most vulnerable groups: pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and children under the age of five. These groups represent the highest rates of mortality in the nation, and the new law seeks to reduce these numbers by improving access to preventive and urgent medical care that many cannot otherwise afford.

Film: Searching for Angela Shelton, 4/27, Keezell G3, 7pm

To raise awareness for Sexual Abuse Prevention Month, one of our class service project groups will screen the documentary Searching For Angela Shelton. The film's director, Angela Shelton, searched for women who share her name only to find that over half, like herself, have been sexually abused. Soon her journey turns into a vivid and moving commentary on both sexual and child abuse in society today, as Shelton confronts the man who abused her. The film will be shown Tuesday, April 27th, in Keezel Hall room G3 at 7:00pm. I hope you'll attend.

Wal-Mart in India

This New York Times article details the discount retailer's push into new markets around the globe, most recently into India. How does this account connect with the cultural effects of globalization we see portrayed in the film Monsoon Wedding? How does the account of Wal-Mart's commissioned Indian farms differ from the IMF-induced Jamaican farming crisis reported in the documentary Life and Debt?

Txt Letters to the Ed in Namibia

The independent newspaper of Namibia, The Namibian, accepts and prints mobile-texted (SMS) letters to the Editor three times a week. The program has been wildly successful in sparking national discussion on a range of topics. Government officials as well as citizens participate in the innovative program. PBS has the story here. How does this freedom of speech connect to class discussions?

Critter Love: Student Documentary on Animal Rights 4/19

Screening: April 19th, 7pm, in Zane-Showker G5

A group of my GENG 239 students have produced a documentary focused on raising awareness for animal needs and welfare, as well as showing JMU students (and others) how they can help pets in the Harrisonburg/Rockingham community. At the screening, the group will collect donations for the Rockingham/Harrisonburg SPCA. Donations can be made in cash, or can include any of the following items:
• Pet food (preferably Purina or Pedigree)
• Pet toys
• Collars or leashes
• Any office supplies (3 ring binders, copy paper, notepads, pens, etc.)
• Any cleaning supplies (trash bags, hand soap, dish soap, various cleansers)

I hope you'll come out and support your classmates and our animal friends.

Backstreet Abortions in Kenya: Few Other Options

Thanks to my Women's Studies student Rachael Capone for bringing this article from CNN.com to my attention. As we've been talking about the after-effects of colonialism (called neocolonialism) on nations throughout the world, the issue of overworked health care systems and residual colonial-era State policies is one example of very real problems affecting the daily lives of numerous families. How does this news story reflect or connect to our recent literary forays into postcolonial conditions in Latin America (via Pablo Neruda's poetry) and the Caribbean (via the documentary Life and Debt)?

SMAD Spring Diversity Lecture 4/5, 7pm, 1261 Harrison

"A Space for Hate: The White Power Movement’s Adaptation into Cyberspace." The white power movement is steadily adapting its racist agenda into "user-friendly" cyber formats, ranging from social network websites to information databases. Adam Klein will discuss his research on twenty-six leading white power websites and their use of the Internet. Klein is SMAD Diversity Fellow for the spring 2010. He is a Ph.D. candidate in the Mass Communication & Media Studies program at Howard University. He is the author of numerous research articles and papers and the forthcoming book, A Space for Hate (Litwin Books). The presentation is sponsored by the Office of Diversity, the Honors Program, and the School of Media Arts & Design.

Like Water for Chocolate & Magical Realism

Assignment: By Monday, 3/29, at 5:00 p.m., please post a reply to this blog entry that will serve as your commentary for next week. Your commentary should address the film Like Water for Chocolate, in particular the work it does through novelist Esquival's and director Arau's uses of magical realism. Your commentary must either quote the film or describe a visual element as per the usual commentary assignment. Your commentary may either advance an original idea or respond to one previously posted here.

Gandhi Center Internship for Fall 2010

The Mahatma Gandhi Center for Global Nonviolence at JMU invites rising Juniors and Seniors (and exceptional rising sophomores) with strong leadership and academic backgrounds to be part of affecting change at the local, regional, and national levels by promoting non-violence understanding, appreciation, and practice. Application materials and details are on the Center's website.

Race, Gender, and Unwanted Touch

Allison Keye's essay on National Public Radio, "Keep Your Hands Off the Hair," is about the frequent and strange compulsion of others to touch her hair. An African American who does not chemically straighten her hair, Keyes seeks to understand and explain the relationship of a 400-years-old racialized history of assumed permission to her recoil. The essay does not discuss the aspect of gender as another assumption of free access to her body, but it surely exists and is germane to our discussions in class. I am particularly reminded of Diego de Landa's detailed description of Mayan women's bathing and beauty rituals in his Account of Things in Yucatan. What connections do you make?

East Meets West conference 3/24-26

March 24, 7:00 p.m., Memorial Hall Auditorium: Concert edition of Puccini's Madame Butterfly by the American Center for Puccini Studies. Free and open to the public.
March 25-26, beginning at 9:00 a.m., Taylor Hall: conference sessions.
Sponsored by the JMU Department of Foreign Languages and Literature.

Women in Government: Liberia

This New York Times article reports on Liberia's president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first elected female head of state in Africa. Six of the twenty-two cabinet posts are held by women. What can we learn from this government's model?

How to Write About Africa: a Parody

Thanks to classmate Meredith Sizemore for sharing Binyavanga Wainaina's parodic essay "How to Write About Africa." The full-text article is available on Granta. How does Wainaina's essay engage with our discussions about shattering cultural lenses before reading literatures that depict cultures or historical periods that differ from the readers'?

Furious Flower Collegiate Poetry Summit 3/18-20

Mark your calendar for the Furious Flower Collegiate Poetry Summit, March 18-20! Explore African American poetry with college students from around the country in workshops, panel discussions, poetry readings, and an open mic night. Sponsored by the Furious Flower Poetry Center and the Center for Multicultural Student Services.

THURSDAY, MARCH 18 2010

Crafting a Poetic Future: M.F.A. Programs, Publishing, and Fellowships -- 6:30p.m. CISAT NTellos Room 259

Poetry Reading by Claudia Emerson, Virginia Poet Laureate -- 8:00p.m. CISAT NTellos Room 259

Open Mic Night: Bring some poetry to read or slam! Co-sponsored with Word Is Born Poets’ Society -- 9:30p.m. Taylor Down Under

FRIDAY MARCH 19, 2010 Workshops:

“A Community of Spirits: The Familial and Ancestral” Instructed by Kevin Young -- 8:45-10:00a.m. Ntellos Room* Learn how to weave your ancestry into your poetry, and how to relate your family’s pasts to your present experiences. Advanced sign-up required.

“The Rose that Grew From Concrete: The Urban Landscape & the Black Experience” Instructed by Major Jackson -- 10:15-11:30a.m. Ntellos Room* The urban world has been a setting where writers have explored their sense of identity. Learn to do the same in your poetry, using your own familiar landscape. Advanced sign-up required.

“Love Me True: Passion and Poetry” Instructed by Lyrae Van-Clief Stefanon -- 12:30-1:45p.m. Ntellos Room* Explore the language necessary to express feelings that are perceptible to the senses, and rich in ideas and meaning. Advanced sign-up required.

Poets’ Panel -- 2:00p.m. Ntellos Room* Advanced sign-up required.

Virginia Festival of the Book Reading & Reception featuring Nikki Giovanni, Major Jackson, Haki Madhubuti, Lyrae Van-Clief Stefanon and Kevin Young -- 6:00p.m. University of Virginia in Charlottesville** Advanced sign-up required.

SATURDAY, MARCH 20, 2010

The Word on Campus: The College Literary Magazine -- 8:45-9:45a.m. Showker Hall G5

Poetry Readings by Jon Pineda and Quraysh Ali Lansana -- 10:00a.m. Showker Hall G5

*Some events require sign-up in advance due to limited space. To sign up, contact K. Williams at (540)568-2694 or willi4ka@jmu.edu. **Transportation and reserved seating for the Virginia Festival of the Book reading is available on a first-come, first-served advanced sign-up basis.

TAKE BACK THE NIGHT 3/23, 6-10pm: The Commons

Take Back the Night is a night dedicated to raising awareness about ending sexual assault and violence against both men and women on college campuses and around the world. The event increases community awareness about sexual assault, serves as a voice for men and women to speak out about their experiences, and empowers each of us to take action.
6pm: Musical and dramatic performances
6:45pm-7:30pm: Dr. Rachel Griffin, Keynote Speaker. The speech is a PASSPORT EVENT.
7:30pm: Speak-out and a candle-lit march around campus.

"Words and Pictures" at the Institute for Visual Studies 2/9

The opening is from 11-1, Roop 208. This semester, the IVS studio seminar is “Writing and Illustrating Literature in which student writers and graphic designers are collaborating to create graphic novels, children's books, and other visual narratives. This exhibition is an introduction to the possibilities of these genres and will include original work by Rich Hilliard (School of Art and Art History) and guest artist, graphic novelist Julia Wertz. At noon on 2/10, Wertz will discuss her artistic process in the first IVS spring colloquium. Questions to Daniel Robinson at 568-5656 or robinsdl@jmu.edu.

West African Film Series

The series spotlights a variety of social and cultural themes in Sierra Leone, Mali, Bourkina Faso, Liberia, Nigeria, Niger, Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Cameroon. Screenings are on Wednesdays at 7 pm, G44 Burruss Hall, throughout the semester. Faculty and other experts will be on hand to discuss each film. Details and schedules are here. Dr. Aderonke Adesanya will deliver a talk on "Cultural Elements in Nigerian Films" following the April 7th screening. Dr. Adesanya is an art historian at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. The series is sponsored by: Africana Studies; Office of International Programs; Justice Studies; Cross Disciplinary Studies; Office of Diversity; African Student Organization; Center for Multicultural Student Services; and Department of Foreign Languages, Literature and Cultures.

"Lineage: The Margaret Walker Song Cycle" 2/27

Hosted by the Furious Flower Poetry Center and Center for Multicultural Student Services: Saturday, 2/27, 4:00p.m., Festival Highlands Room. "Lineage" combines Walker's poetry, Randy Kline's music, the JMU Chorale, Broadway artist Aurelia Williams, and a photographic montage of African American history.

Asian Studies Symposium, 2/15

History, Politics, and Food Security in Asia -- Festival Highlands Room, 6:30-8:30 pm

“Korean Food, Korean Unification: Cold Noodles vs. Choco Pie” -- Guest Presenter: Mr. John Feffer, Institute of Policy Studies

“How Columbus Transformed Asian Food” -- Dr. Abigail Schweber, Department of History, JMU

“Tainted Milk and Corrupted Bodies in the Wake of China’s Melamine Scandal” -- Dr. Megan Tracy, Department of Anthropology & Sociology, JMU

An Asian food buffet and refreshments will be provided beginning at 6:30 pm. Sponsored by: Asian Studies Minor, Taste of Thai, Saigon Café, Tsunami Sushi, The Oriental Café, and Indian and American Café.

All members of the JMU community are invited. For more information, contact Dr. Jonathan Walker at walkerjx@jmu.edu or 568-1742.