I thought it was appropriate to post this at the one year anniversary of my spinal TB diagnosis (remember this: 10 things I learned from a hospital bed in Paris). This last weekend also marked the last day of my treatment, well - at least the pills I've been taking for the last year. I'm sure the 'treatment' will be for the rest of my life :P
This
post marks the end of several chapters. The (roughly) last year in
Senegal, the end of graduate school, and the completion of my thesis.
I
left Senegal on August 5th and for the next three weeks I slept in 7
states, boarded 5 flights, and met up with some amazing friends and
family, many of whom I hadnt seen in 1-2 years. For the time being, I'm living in Idaho Falls with my loving
sister Hanna and her wonderful family (thanks!). My final months in Senegal went by way too fast, as they always do. I've noticed that for some reason, even when
I know my time is running out, I am never see and do everything I want before I go. I guess that's another reason why I'm never terribly sad when I leave, because I have faith that I will be back.
The last few months, outside of
my research, were scattered with music concerts, a bit of travel
outside of Dakar, and more exploring inside Dakar city limits.
Îles de la Madeleine - Islands right off the coast of Dakar
Ship wreck at Îles de la Madeleine
Part of the beaches at Popenguine and hour and a half outside of Dakar
In May there was an amazing several week long event called Dak'Art. This
event was the 12th biannual event. It started in 1992 as a platform for
contemporary art with cultural roots in Africa and aims at being a
space of of different prejudice-free visions on approaches and
inspirations to analyze in relation to a plurality of influences from
both immediate and farther sources. There were light shows, tons of
exhibits, and some concerts. In my subjective opinion, the best part of the entire month long extravaganza was the
Cheikh Lô and special guest concert.
Literally the best of the best!
Here is a short clip of some of the performances throughout night:
As
exciting as it was, May was also a sad month as so many of my dear
friends left Dakar, including my lovely roommate. This meant I had to leave our beautiful apartment in Liberté 6.
Claire, Brenda, and I soaking up some sun on one of their last days.
The beginning of June was marked by the start Ramadan. As the holy month came to an end, we celebrated Korité (aka Eid al-Fitr) and suddenly it was mid July and I had only a couple of weeks left in Senegal.
Praying during Ramadan
Attaaya (tea) for sale at Marché Sandaga!
I
went with a friend on a day trip to Lac Rose. The guides claimed that it was the
saltiest lake in the world but I'm not sure. When I visted the Dead Sea I was told that it was the second-saltiest body of water on earth, after Lake Aral in Djibouti. Either way, it was a beautiful day!
Going for a ride on the dunes checking out the beach
The lake wasnt particularly pink on this day because it wasnt windy enough.
Apparently its pink when its windy.
For my
birthday in June I took a quick trip to Amman, Jordan with a day lay over in
Istanbul, Turkey. While waiting in the airport for my flight out of
Dakar I saw a very familiar looking man.
I met Cheikh Ndiguel Lô!!! If you dont know who he is - look him up on youtube!
One of the most famous, world renowned Senegalese musicians!
I cant think or talk about my last few months in Senegal with out talking about sama kër Seck (my Seck family):
Finishing
my M.A. and my research in Senegal was such an epic event. To date,
it's definitely my biggest accomplishment. Which obviously wouldn't have
been been possibly without my family and friends (and doctors!). I've
written extensively on my blog about my research so I wont go into too
much detail. I deviated slightly form the original research proposal
and during the data collection I wrote three posts detailing the life
histories of the six social mobilizers I worked with during the research
process (one, two, three).
The star marks the end!
Briefly,
this research explores how and why Tostan’s Social Mobilization Agents
(SMA) do their work in rural Senegal. Using a grounded theory approach
rooted in feminist epistemology, I participated in field observations
and conducted several in-depth interviews with six SMAs, two men and
four women. By creating individual portraits of their lives, we see them
as whole persons made up of unique experiences. After having a close up
look at their lives, we take a step back to look at the larger picture
and see several reoccurring themes. I saught to answer one major
research question: "Why and how do social mobilizers do their work?" and
two sub questions: "What are the elements that motivated them?" and
"What are the strategies they use in the field?". From this research,
academics, practitioners, and a larger global
audience will better understand the motives and methods of social
mobilizers in rural Senegal today. With these findings, one can continue
the quest for more knowledge and/or attempt to replicate the methods of
social mobilization elsewhere.
While the world is dealing with circumstances fueled by extremist religious and militant organizations, the Senegalese have managed to maintain a constitutional democracy and pluralistic society that demonstrates political stability and an absence of extremist groups. This blend of circumstances is rare, especially in Africa, and has been labeled by scholars for years as Senegalese exceptionalism. Moreover, a gender parity law that was adopted in 2010 has paved the way for women in the formal governance sector, as it requires that half of political parties’ candidates are women in local and national elections. The first time this law was put into action in 2012, 44% of national assembly seats elected were women – an unprecedented amount in the country and region.
Meanwhile, amidst these intertwined factors, Tostan, a regional NGO focusing on community empowerment through nonformal education, has been working for 25 years in Senegal bringing change on a local level. The name of their organization means "breakthrough" in the West African language of Wolof and was inspired by Cheikh Anta Diop, a Senegalese historian, anthropologist, physicist, and politician who was a mentor figure to the founder, Molly Melching. Through Tostan’s original Community Empowerment Program (CEP) in conjunction with their Community Management Committee (CMC), Tostan communities have selected more than 19,000 women into leadership positions and have expanded the dialogue of democracy and human rights to over 100,000 people regionally. They have reached, in total, more than three million people.
As part of Tostan’s theory of change, participants are encouraged to disseminate the knowledge to others in their village and surrounding communities. This has created of group of dynamic, motivated, and educated Social Mobilization Agents (SMA), a type of community activists, who are committed to sharing their new understanding and attitudes with others. This group, comprised of mostly women, is committed to helping themselves, their communities, their nation, and the region take control over their future and realize human rights and responsibilities, improve their education, health, environment, and increase their economic prosperity.
This method of mobilization and activism, as well as the mobilizers themselves, have had enormous success yet they are not well known outside of Senegal, or Tostan for that matter. In the literature on Tostan’s CEP/CMC programs, it suggested these women (and men) have become more empowered yet little is known about the work of those that continue to mobilize. What social mobilization looks like in the Senegalese and West African context is unknown to academia, governments, and even organizations who are contributing to social change. If we do not understand the experiences of the SMAs, we will not be able to grasp how and why their work is done nor will we be able to see how and why it has been successful. This information will also give practitioners the ability to better monitor and replicate similar mobilization efforts elsewhere.
I will look into the lives of five to ten social mobilizers and their work in order to illustrate how they work and why they have chosen to become SMAs. This research will illuminate their stories: their lives, what motivates them, their successes and failures, the techniques they use, and their experiences.
Research Question:
How and why do Tostan’s Social Mobilization Agents do their work?
Sub Components:
What are their successes and failures?
What factors motivate them to do this work?
How and why do these mobilizers work together?
Significance
The significance of this research is twofold: First, it will give an individual portrait of each social mobilizer. Secondly, it has the potential to generate knowledge regarding many unanswered questions as to the different experiences of these social mobilizers, how they work together, successes and failures they have had, and why they are committed to knowledge diffusion. This will allow for a deeper understanding of how social change happens at a grassroots level with the hope that it may be of use to Tostan and other organizations working in similar contexts.
Moreover, this research may also shed light on questions broader than the scope of the research whose answers are important to a global audience including both practitioners and academics. It may lead to further research questions surrounding social action in the majority world (also known as the global south) which may, in the future, aid in a better understanding and addressing of the pressing daily needs of societies and how women can be active participants in society.
Research Method
The approach to this research will be a qualitative collection of data. In order to ensure triangulation, I will be using five research methods including semi-structured in-depth interviews (creating a portraiture of each participant), a focus group, document analysis of Tostan, photo-reflection, similar to photovoice, and observation.
1.Semi-structured in-depth interviews: By first using the portraiture approach for the SMAs, I will be able to focus on each individual’s concerns and issues around their life and their work. This will be non-critical and therefore foster trust with the participants. I will use the life-history approach looking back in detail across their entire life up until now to better understand their experiences before Tostan, during Tostan’s program and now as a SMA. Additionally, this will provide “individuals with the non-judgmental space to reflect upon themselves and their performance (Bottery, Wong, Wright, & Ngai, 2009, p. 83).” This approach attempts to remove space between the voice of the researcher and the researched and is often used as a reflective tool (Waterhouse, 2007). The focus of this method will be seeking why SMA do their work.
2.Focus Group: After the in-depth interviews are transcribed, coded, and analyzed I will be prepared for the focus group of all participants. This time will be spent focusing on the participant’s motivations and methods of social mobilization. I will use any reoccurring themes from the in-depth interviews to inform my questions for the focus group. This method will seek to discover how SMA do their work.
3.Document Analysis:Tostan is an international non-governmental organization (INGO) operating in six countries in West Africa. I will gather publicly available and internal documents related to the CEP, CMC, organized diffusion, and their theory of change from their website, www.tostan.org and their private network of documents on their Intranet. There will be no confidential or classified information used in this research.
4.Photovoice: After my initial interview with participants, I will spend time training them on the use and functionality of disposable cameras. I will ask them to document, through photos, what it means for them to be an SMA. These photos will be used only to invoke critical thinking and discussion in follow-up interviews and the focus group discussion. These photos will not be published and they will remain with the participants.
5.Observation:I will go into their field with Tostan employees to observe any social mobilization efforts that are taking place. This observation will allow me to gather data about how the organization (Tostan) works and how the SMAs facilitate the organized diffusion in other villages.
The various ways of gathering data are to assure the safety of the participants but also to ensure triangulation and therefore validity of results. The combination of these methods will maximize the utility of the report while minimizing unintended harm/consequences.
Sample Selection
The primary research participants will be five to ten Senegalese social mobilizers who have participated in Tostan’s CEP and/or CMC. Most of the SMAs will be women but I will have one or two men for inclusion. I have been in close contact with the National Coordinator of Tostan, Mouhamed Basse, as well as several Regional Coordinators who have been more than helpful in providing me with the lists and contact information of SMAs around the country of Senegal. These SMAs have been voted into their position by their communities and will participate in this study on a volunteer basis. They will not be compensated for there time but they will be reimbursed for travel and food expenses.
Data Analysis
For
my research, I will use a theoretical framework that is based on the
Capabilities Approach, a Postcolonial/Global Feminism lens and a
Grounded Theory approach. These three methodologies will form the
foundation of my research and guide me through data collection and
analysis. I find that the Capabilities Approach is most fitting as it is
a framework used in the international development field that focuses on
human agency. As a researcher I believe one must acknowledge the
domination of patriarchy and how men have, for centuries, used their
positions of power to define issues, structure, language, and develop
theories that promote their own interests therefore marginalizing the
experiences and knowledge of women. Lastly, grounded theory will provide
me with a more holistic and complete collection and analysis of data
because any theories or conclusions created will be grounded in the data
generated.
I will be relying heavily on grounded theory for my analysis. I will transcribe and code all of the interviews and the focus group. Throughout the process, as portraitures are created for each individual, I will be constantly and systematically comparing them to each other for key themes and concepts, a defining feature of grounded theory. I will use NVivo software for qualitative analysis of the interviews, focus group, and document analysis. This will also allow me to include fieldnotes and memos into the analysis.
Limitations
Limitations to this research will include my subjectivity as an outside researcher, my insufficiency in local languages, using translation from local languages and French to English, which may lead to mistranslations and interpreter bias, and the short timeline of six-months to conduct the research. Due to budgeting and time constraints, I will only be researching teams in three out of ten regions in Senegal Fatick, Koalack, and Kolda. This limitation will hinder me from providing more rounded findings that are based on the SMAs as a whole in the country of Senegal.
The biggest reason for my silence was MONICA MONTALTI, my best friend and 'sister', leaving in September. We had many festivities for her 'going away'. After she left I needed to make new friends. So I was frequently going to "game night" at the 7th Day Adventist Hospital and meeting with friends for Bonga Juice and dinners at various locations around Buea. I was also eager to show new volunteers around to the markets and all of my tailors. I am now...pretty much the veteran of Buea for the "foreign volunteers" sector... its a big responsibility ;)
Lycee Molyko Club Launching Day
Another contribution to my busyness has been the work I am doing for Youth Advocacy Network. You can check out the bi-weekly updates on the specific work we do each week HERE on their blog.
The smaller less obvious reasons for my silence have been things such as: laziness, procrastination and some small travel.
AND... last week I had malaria - - AGAIN!!!
I would like to take this blog post to catch all ya'll up on what has been happening
in Buea and in my life.
First and foremost, I finished my final report and capstone thesis for my Omprakash scholarship and Omrapkash EdGE respectively.
As part of Monica's "going away" we decided to dedicate the last 8 days of her time in Buea to madness. We made a bucket-list of random funny things to do and called it "8 days of Being Married to Madness".
I will highlight the best days...
Monday: Day bender with the Police
This was the event the inspired it all. Monday, one week before Monica's departure we found ourselves a bit bored in the house. She had finished her work at the hospital and mine had not yet began with YAN. We decided to just go out for one drink together and just chat. We met up with our friends from the police station who then invited us to continue drinking with them. It's good to make friends with the police here, especially a commissioner... you can always call them when you are stuck at a traffic stop out of town and pass the phone to the policeman who is causing problems.
Tuesday: Make & chop(eat) Ndole and take a moto bike from Limbe to Buea.
Our dear friend Jane has a reputation amongst the 'volunteer' population that has passed through Buea for cooking the BEST ndole! She said she would share her recipe with us and invited us to her house in Limbe. We decided to take a bike back to Buea, about 30min away, instead of a car. Just to be rebellious and feel the wind in our hair!
Wednesday: Plait hair like a Cameroonian
Aquila is a fun and peppy Cameroonian who offered to plait both mine AND Monica's hair for free!! An amazing deal, 'white-man' price for that would have been around 10$ or so. We invited her and her friend to our house for the day. We bought them Bonga Juice (freshly squeezed tropical juice) and soya (meat on a stick with onions and pepe) to keep them motivated. This style is called "rasta". In pidgin: adon put rasta.
Thursday: Mirror dance & take selfies at Chariot
This 'event' on the bucket list has several inside jokes and local customs that are hard to explain to those who have not lived and experienced Cameroon life. Mirror dancing and taking pictures of yourself are both phenomenons here. All clubs and bars are lined with mirrors. Men and women alike will spend hours dancing by themselves in the mirror. Not only do they do this, but you will constantly see people taking "selfies" where they pose, make a 'sexy' face with their lips, hold the camera out in front of them, and have a photo-shoot of themselves by themselves. At first, and I mean no offense whatsoever, it was a bit hard not to laugh at these things just because they are so foreign to where I come from. But not, we've gotten to the point where mirror dancing and taking selfies are quite normal. So we thought we should dedicate a night to the two while going to the cities best club, Chariot Night Club.
*Interesting Local Fact: Many people say that the major reason why there are mirror is to ward off bad spirits. If a person has sold their soul to satin or if they are spirits back from the dead, they (the bad person or spirit themselves) will be able to see their reflection. Therefore, it wards them away because they dont want to me unveiled for what they are.
Friday: West our matching outfits & glasses
Throughout our time spent in Buea together (7months living together, 4 in the same bed), we had both aquired the same pair of fake Ray Ban 'hippster' glassed for dash (free). While visiting Bamenda, Monica and I bought matching tops. We decided to go to our friends going away party matching!!
Saturday: Find Tole waterfall
The waterfall in Tole is not a touristic site, is it actually a place of spirituality and prayer. Photos were not allowed to be used once inside the gate so this picture is just a picture of the Tole Tea fields along the drive there and back. Tole is a small village about 20min from Molyko where I stay in Buea.
Monday (Sept 23rd) was Monica's official send off party!!
The following day I took her to the airport in Douala and we said our goodbyes, but she will be back!! I miss her dearly and life is not the same without her, but as the Cameroonian phrase goes - "a di manage"... I am managing (in English)
Since my last post I have been able to cross not only one but TWO items off my bucket list!!!Can you guess what they are??
1) I opened a bottle with my TEETH!!
2) I went to Yaounde to see a Cameroonian football match...
Cameroon vs. Libya
Final score = 1-0
People call me Tonia here :)
Then I went back to Yaounde to watch the final World Cup Qualifying match. Cameroon vs. Tunisia
Final Score = 4-1
This game was insane!!!
As my friend Laglan and I approached the entrance to the stadium I could already see this game was going to be different than the last one... much more intense! There were long lines with those who held tickets, like us, and then crowds of others near the fences and walls and then a million police officers and military. It was complete chaos. Those who had tickets were not being allowed in...for God knows what reason. Laglan said it was because they wanted to take bribes so unless they paid they wouldn't let them in. Either way, it was very hectic. I tried to play my "foreigner in a foreign country" card and speak with the officers to see if they could help. Most of them were trying to be helpful and bringing me to more superior officers to try to get us into the game but in the end they just told me to wait in line with those who had tickets. So, we did just that. I didn't want to take my phone out for fear of it being stolen. There were people climbing walls, jumping fences and throwing themselves over onto the other side to see the game. The police had their belts and batons out whipping people as they wished. Suddenly, the crown next to us dispersed rapidly and I saw a flair had been thrown. I tried to run but I wasn't fast enough... an officer had unintentionally hit me in the back of the calf with his baton that he was swinging carelessly and violently. I played the same card as before and started to cry...I was quickly surrounded by apologetic military and police who eventually escorted me and Laglan into the field.
This is the aftermath - but fear not! I am strong and OK!
Although being 'beat by Cameroonian police" wasn't on my bucket list, it will be added and it will be crossed off. Right there under "be a victim of tear gas" from the strikes at UB back in May.
Here is a video of the match including the 3rd goal (a corner kick) and the crowd going crazy afterwards.
I had a gut feeling that they were going to score. So I looked at my
friend who was holding my phone (keeping it safe) and said, "They are
going to score, let me see my phone so I can record." Sure enough they
scored!
The weekend was a wonderful weekend in Yaounde. A friend of mine Al who lives in Buea and has his family house in Yaounde was actually around for the weekend as well. He brought me to his village on the other side of Mount Febe and showed me a local artist named NDOFOA. He is BRILLIANT!! His entire house was his workshop and the walls where made into one giant collage with pictures and random things such as bottle caps, pipes and of course every color of the rainbow. He is looking for someone to help him make a catalog to sell his art and get him more 'publicity'. Every time I go to Yaounde, I think I will meet with him and take photos to help him work on it. He is a very nice man and gave me the painting at half price because that was all I had and Al brought me :)
This is the painting I bought...
The longer you look at it, the more things you see.
As I said before... one reason why I haven't been blogging is because of my work with YAN. I have been very busy with lesson planning, teaching, correcting papers, looking for an intern etc.
YAN Club at the Government High School in Buea Town.
Madam Antonia
Bar Camp Cameroon 2013 : Buea, Cameroon
BarCamp is held
throughout the year in Cameroon and all around the world. This year Buea
was fortunate enough to be the first Anglophone region to host the
event. Bar Camp is a the largest annual “non-conference” of passionate
individuals who are interested and involved sectors of the digital and
technology society. Those attending and presenting include: bloggers,
photographers, videographers, entrepreneurs, enthusiasts, journalists,
activists, professors, field specialists and students. It’s a meeting of
forward-thinking minds coming together to discuss the countless
opportunities and obstacles they all face in the era of modern
technology.
BarCamp is referred to as a “non-conference” because
of its informal format and random/sporatic scheduling. Nevertheless and
undoubtedly, quality discussions, stimulating interaction and a trade
fair-like atmosphere are some of its characteristics. BarCamp is seen as
a combining platform between Cameroon’s tech and civil society, geared
at addressing grand issues of the day.
A friend of mine, Al (yes the same one who showed me the amazing artist in Yaounde) who works at ActiveSpaces
(a organization that incubates local businesses) had invited me to give
a presentation at this years BarCamp. He told me that it was going to
be a very informal ‘non-conference’ and I would have between 15-20min to
give a speech and a powerpoint presentation. Although the expected
audience number of 200-300 was not met, I was still able to reach out to
a good amount of people. I spoke about the founding of YAN, how it has
improved and grown since 2009 and what we are doing presently. It was nice to get feedback from the
audience which mostly included focusing more of the curriculum on social
media while also advising YAN to work in more schools.
After the speech they asked me to say a few words to the TV news crew.
Paola is from Italy and doing her PhD in Germany. She is currently doing her research here in Buea at the Advanced School and Translation and Interpretation (ASTI) at the University of Buea. She is focusing on Community Translation. I met Paola a few months back when I was still working for Green Cameroon. She asked to interview me privately since I had said, "Yes, I needed a Pidgin translator when I had first arrived and was working in the villages." I found her about 7 others who needed translation help because of their work here so I rounded them all around to my house for the interviews. She was very grateful for my contribution and invited me to her "sensitization day". The interviews were in late August/early September ad the sensitization took place in November. It was full of funny skits and a lot of advice giving for those who work in the field. It focused mostly on Hospitals and NGOs. At the end, we debriefed. I had an opportunity to give my advice to those with international volunteers coming to work with them - - PIDGIN LESSONS!!! And even CULTURAL LESSONS!!! What to respect, how to act, standards, rules, regulations, etc!
Skit from the Sensitization Day
AIESEC is the largest youth-run organization in the WORLD. They operate in 113 countries or territories and have more than 86,000 members! Here at the University of Buea (UB) they have their very own chapter. The president, Kabila, had invited me to give a short speech to the new recruits of the year. Even thought I was not an AIESEC member, he said it would be good to have a foreigner give my experience in a foreign country as an intern and I could motivate them to want to experience another culture. So... I did just that... IN PIDGIN-ENGLISH!! Ok, a don lie...ano fit fo talk all tings so wen a no fit a talk english (Ok, I lied. I cant say everything in Pidgin, so when I can't say something I just speak in English.) So in the end, it was probably 70% Pidgin English. They loved it!! Everyone was laughing, recording me on their cell phones asking me questions in Pidgin... it was great :)
And in case you didnt hear....
I am an official resident of The Republic of Cameroon.
Na ma tailor ei pikin dem.These are my tailors children.
