Aidnography

Hi all,  This week I virtually attended a doctoral school hosted by Fatima Jinnah Women University in Rawalpindi, Pakistan and the inspiring discussions and great research proposals of my health communication colleagues were such an uplifting experience! It was a powerful reminder how privileged and fortunate I am to be part of global academia which is working hard at the moment to continue her work for positive social change! But the #globaldev world never stands still, so here's your weekend & beyond list of news, great reporting on development, digital + more, new publications & poetic reflections that have caught my eyes! My quotes of the week In real life, contrary to the Hollywood tale, kids are more likely to achieve the American dream in Denmark than in America. America is not a beacon to the world on how to run an economy. Scandinavia has a much more impressive economic record than the US and is much more innovative. Sorry, my American friends — we’re not just fair...

Hi all,  My highlight of this week was definitely an opportunity to deliver a short keynote and participate as a judge in the annual challenge of Engineers Without Borders Germany where the shortlisted submissions from 1200 engineering students from 9 universities were presented; I was really impressed how reflexive, participatory & thoughtful the finalists had engaged with the challenges that community forest management in Nepal poses and how they embraced a lot of good #globaldev thinking rather than presenting simple technological 'fixes'! Now it's time for your weekly #globaldev readings-everything from Third World history, to celebrity fails & great insights from Bangladesh to DRC, South Africa, Nigeria & Kenya, extractive tourism, the IFC & new publications! Enjoy! My quotes of the week They've been photographing me and using me since the time I was a baby in a refugee camp. I remember getting those headshots taken and it made me feel, it's ver...

Hi all, I usually don't start my review with a warning, but this week's edition contains a lot of important readings on sexual violence & the aid industry; this is also why my quotes of the week feature powerful women who can inspire us & remind us of the positive change we want to see! My quotes of the week “I think something we have to realize is half of the world population is under 30 right now,” she said. “So you would want a leader who knows what it’s like to be in that age group to be suffering, not having the economic freedom to do everything you want, not having the ability to get the opportunities that you deserve. If you want to see different results, you have to do things differently.” (A Millennial UN Staffer Who Is Daring to Run Against Secretary-General António Guterres ) My vision is that social movements led by women, peasant, and Indigenous and Afro Descendant communities in Latin America continue advancing the struggle against climate change, the str...

Hi all, Another week completed-great online teaching seminar with a fantastic group of colleagues from all around Europe, delivered my second newsletter with '3 mid-week links' & I'm enjoying daylight again when I leave the office in the afternoon! Enjoy! My quotes of the week White people, who make up the biggest part of the global development sector, tend to be very sensitive when a rural poor African like me has anything to make of poverty in Africa, e.g. what needs to be done to accelerate the end of poverty, and will therefore try to ensure that people like me aren’t heard anywhere. (...) On the other hand, Africa’s own kinsmen and kinswomen, i.e. black people both in Africa and in the African Diaspora, tend to be very defensive, and very dismissive, upon any mention of the need for the black community to work together and help our motherland, Africa, end poverty. (It is very hard to end poverty in Africa because of white people, and black people) The word “famin...