Aidnography

I caught up with the creators of The Mission Marie-Marguerite Sabongui and Benedict Moran via Zoom in Istanbul to learn more about their UN sitcom project. We discussed how to communicate development and international politics issues differently in an age of new TV platforms, satirical commentary as edutainment and what could be the beginning of a global movement of creative talent taking on the absurdities of the aid industry. There is a lot of crazy, absurd stuff happening in the UN Aidnography: I am always intrigued about new and different forms of how development issues are communicated-so naturally your UN sitcom caught my attention. What triggered your project? Marie: Ben and I broadly work in the field of international development. I studied international development and environmental issues and Ben and I were both working at the UN in New York. I was a climate advisor for small islands at the UN and Ben the producer for Al-Jazeera ’s UN coverage. We kep

Hi all, It was International Women's Day yesterday and this week's link review is to a substantial amount a reflection of that-celebrating female achievements, writers & researchers-but also highlighting some of the many challenges that still prevent full equality and achievement of women's full potential to be fulfilled. Development news: IWD; #AidToo & Save The Children; gender gaps in non-profits; why did violent crimes drop in Sao Paulo? The genocide Obama didn't see coming; Mongolian oil revenue shenanigans; the political economy of refugee registration in Uganda; Yazidi women & journalism ethics; equestrians in Lubumbashi; academics love Black Panther; Ethiopia's girl band coming of age; new satirical documentary on life inside the UN; intermediaries in humanitarian journalism. Our digital lives: Male-dominated media corporations; Steven Pinker, the PowerPoint philosopher. Publications: Fake news & the charity sector; gender & mobile te

Hi all, Welcome from Ottawa where I will be working remotely for the coming two months and hopefully be able to catch up with Canadian US East Coast friends and colleagues! This week's review is really eclectic and diverse in the best meaning of the concept! Development news: #AidToo & one very misleading statistic; open letter against Bridge Academies; Apple in the Congo; Saudi Arabia's humanitarian PR exercise in Yemen continues; Mongolia & Kyrgyzstan struggle with the IMF; China & its Africa stereotypes; UK media & #globaldev; things falling apart in Nigeria; the future of photo journalism; Escobar's farewell to development. Our digital lives: Making money on Untrue-Tube; Steven Pinker; impact investing: Rhetoric & realities. Publications: Disempowered women; conflict minerals in the Congo; using Twitter for research. Academia: Race, class & the water crisis in Cape Town. Enjoy! Development news Lies, Damned Lies, and One Very Misleading Sta

Hi all, Development news: Justin Forsyth, Save The Children & abuse; don't send stuff in humanitarian emergencies! 'Poor, but happy' in India; Chinese monkey suits; blockchain summit; brutally honest answers from non-profits; indigenous activism in Ecuador; art from Kenya; poor Louise Linton! Our digital lives: Nnedi Okorafor short story; networked governance; how to read Steven Pinker. Publications: The complex political economy of urban reconstruction in Syria. Academia: African women in science; decolonizing ICT4D research; performing being a digital ethnographer. Enjoy! New from aidnography After #oxfamscandal: Tough trade-offs ahead for the aid industry But the aid industry is operating in the same mediatized and socio-political environment where other #MeToo moments and movements have been happening. This environment demands quick, visible and clear-cut changes-and anything that has to do with development usually works at a different speed. For substantia