People

2009-10 Visiting Professors, Fellows & Scholars of Africa

Visiting Professors and Lecturers

Mark Auslander, will be a Visiting Assistant Professor of African and African American Studies in spring term, He is Florence Kay Fellow in African Arts and Aesthetics and Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Brandeis. Dr. Auslander is a sociocultural anthropologist with interests in political and symbolic processes. His principal African ethnographic research has been in Eastern Zambian Ngoni communities. He will be teaching AFRAMER 156. Power and Aesthetics in Africa and the Diaspora. (Spring term only)

Adia Benton, is a Visiting Lecturer in the Dept. of African and African American Studies for fall term. She recently received her Ph.D, from Harvard in Social Anthropology with a dissertation on "Yu get fo liv positiv: HIV, subjectivity and the politics of care in post-conflict Sierra Leone." Dr. Benton is teaching AFRAMER-159. Health, Culture and Medicine in Africa. (Fall term only)

Charlotte M. Walker, Yale, is a Lecturer in the Departments of History and African and African American Studies. Her research includes Lusophone and Francophone Africa; agrarian history; political history; women's history; French Equatorial and Cameroon in particular. Dr. Walker is teaching AFRAMER 157. Readings in the History of Law in Africa; AFRAMER 11.Introduction to African Studies; HIST-77c. Readings in African Environmental History; and HIST-1710. Africans and Europeans in Francophone Africa, 1800-1970.

Visting Fellows

Department of Government

Marco Boggero is a Visiting Fellow at the Government Department (2009-2010).  He was previously a Visiting Fellow at Yale’s department of Political Science (2005-2007).  He is a member of Doctors Without Borders and has led MSF’s teams in multiple contexts for eight years, from Darfur to Gaza, Iran, Indonesia, Chad, CAR, Malawi, Ethiopia, Liberia. His research interests are: humanitarian intervention, economic development and security, health.  His work was published on many journals including the Journal of Contemporary African Studies, African Security Review, Journal of North African Studies, Afrique Contemporaine, Sentieri della Ricerca.

Department of Anthropology

Sharon Abramowitz, Harvard College Fellow, Social Anthropology Program. She recently received her PhD from Harvard with a dissertation on Abramowitz "Psychosocial Liberia: Managing Suffering in Post-Conflict Life."  Her interests are medical anthropology, trauma, mental health, violence, post-conflict reconstruction, humanitarian intervention,global health, gender violence, mental health policy, post-conflict health systems, research methods, West Africa, especially Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire.

Harvard South Africa Fellowship Program

Steven Dhlomo, is a Scientist for Nuclear Safety at the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation.  He is studying in the Program for Leadership Development, an Executive Education Program at Harvard Business School.

Ngqabutho Madida, doctoral student in History, University of Cape Town, is a Special Student at the Graduate School for Arts and Sciences.  His research is on the hidden resistance of political prisoners on Robben Island.

Ziyaad Minty, Law Clerk, Constitutional Court of South Africa Pretoria, is an L.L.M. Candidate at the Law School with a focus on Human Rights and Constitutional Law.

Lebogang Ramafoko, Senior Executive of Media at Soul City: Institute for Health and Development Communication, Dunkeld West, is enrolled in the Mid-Career Masters in Public Administration through the Mason Program at the Kennedy School.

Linda Sidzumo, is the Senior Business Transformation Consultant and Executive Assistant to Head of FS EMEA at SAP South Africa in Woodmead.  She is studying in the Program in Leadership Development, an Executive Education Program at Harvard Business School.

Johannes Vusumuzi Zwane, Senior Manager at Fluor South Africa Ltd., Sandton, is participating in the General Management Program in the Executive Education Programs at the Business School.

Nieman Foundation for Journalism

Janet Heard, Executive Editor, Weekend Argus, South Africa, is a Nieman Society of Southern Africa Fellow and studies post-liberation politics, leadership and power.  She also examines the battle to retain democratic principles and a moral compass in governments globally, with a particular interest in Africa.

Hopewell Rugoho-Chin’ono, documentary film director/news producer, Television International, Zimbabwe, is the Robert Waldo Ruhl Nieman Fellow.  He examines the impact of poor health on Africa’s prosperity and the relationship between poverty and mental illness.

Weatherhead Center for International Affairs

WCFIA Fellows

Fatoumata Ba, Development Economist, World Bank and former Minister of Economy, Industry and Trade, Mali, examines the importance of the organizational effectiveness of public institutions for developing economies.

Graduate Affiliates

Jody Benjamin, doctoral candidate in African and African American Studies, Harvard University, researches early and modern African history.  He also studies the Bambara language.

James M. Esdaile, doctoral candidate in History, Harvard University, researches decolonization, western imperial modalities, and failed states in the Horn of Africa-Red Sea region.  His interests also include anti-imperial networks around and across the Indian Ocean in the era of decolonization after World War II.

Janet Lewis, doctoral candidate in Government, Harvard University, researches civil conflict and ethnic politics and development.  Her interests also include insurgency and counterinsurgency in Africa.

Chana Teeger, doctoral candidate in Sociology, Harvard University, researches the construction of collective memory and commemorative practices in post-apartheid South Africa.

W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research

(Resident Fellows)
Floretta Boonzaier, Department of Psychology, University of Cape Town, is a Mandela Fellow conducting research on a project entitled “Woman Abuse and Other Forms of Gender Violence.” (Fall term)

Zimitri Erasmus, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, University of Cape Town, is a Mandela Fellow conducting research on a project entitled “Crimes of Blood: A Comparative Analysis of Africa’s Immortality Act and Prohibition of Mixed Marriages, Miscegenation Laws in North America.” (Spring term)

Linda Heywood, Professor of African Studies, Boston University, is conducting research on a project entitled “Queen Njinga of Ndongo and Nation in Angola and Brazil.”

Paulin Hountondji, Professor of Philosophy, University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin, is conducting research on a project entitled “Constructing the Universal: A Transcultural Challenge.”

Joanna Lipper, author, filmmaker, and independent scholar, Sea Wall Entertainment, is a Shelia Biddle Ford Foundation Fellow in residence and is developing a feature film entitled “A Girl from Zanzibar” based on the novel by Roger King.

Human Rights Program

Hauwa Ibrahim is a senior partner at Aries Law Firm in Nigeria, serving as a lead attorney with a team devoted to the cause of human rights for women in Nigeria. Ibrahim has been a visiting professor at Saint Louis University School of Law and a World Fellow at Yale University, and in 2008-2009 was the Rita E. Hauser Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute. Four years ago, she was honored by the European Parliament with the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, which honors individuals or organizations for their efforts on behalf of human rights and freedoms.

Charles Ngwena, LL.M., LL.B., is the Eleanor Roosevelt Fellow with the Human Rights Program. He is a Barrister-at Law, and a Professor in the Department of Constitutional Law of the Faculty of Law of the University of the Free State. Professor Ngwena has taught, researched and published widely on issues at the intersection between human rights, ethics and health care, including HIV/AIDS, reproductive health. In recent years, he has begun to research and publish on disability. (Through December 2009)

L.L.M Candidates

Aminu Hassan Gamawa, Nigeria, received his LL.B from the University of Maiduguri and his B.L. from the Nigerian Law School.  He has also served as a Lecturer and Clinical Supervisor at the Ebonyi State University Law Clinic.  His career goal is to practice and teach law, conflict resolution, politics and developmental work.

Rebecca Gang, USA, has extensive work experience in Afghanistan and Uganda.  She has worked as a Legal Specialist for the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute and served as a Project Coordinator for the Norwegian Refugee Council in Pader, Uganda.  Her interests include rule of law and development practice and policy.

Oluwatoyin Ibigbam, Nigeria received her LL.B. from Obafemi Awolowo University and her B.L. from the Nigerian Law School in Abuja, Nigeria.  Prior to her enrollment, Ms. Ibigbami worked as an Associate at Banwo & Ighodalo in Lagos Nigeria.  Her career interests include corporate legal practice and teaching.

Enga Kameni, is a doctoral candidate (trade law) at the Center for Human Rights, University of Pretoria where he coordinates the access to medicines project. He has taught trade law and intellectual property rights as a visiting lecturer in six universities in three continents. He previously worked as a legal associate with the Parliamentary Committee on Human Resources Social and Community Development of the Namibian Parliament as well as an associate in Jing & Partners, in Cameroon.

Louise Kanyonga, Rwanda and South Africa, received a LL.B from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.  Since 2008 she has worked in the Strategy and Policy Department as a Policy Analyst in the Office of the President in Kigali, Rwanda.  Her career goals are to practice corporate law and international trade law in eastern Africa, as well as to start her own law firm.

Oluwaseun Kelani, Nigeria, has extensive work experience in Germany, Amsterdam, and Nigeria.  He has served as a Research Assistant for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Legal Department of Greenpeace International.  His interests include energy and environmental law.  He hopes to continue his research as a teacher and policy advisor after completing his degree.

Lawale Ladapo, Nigeria, has completed legal studies at the University of Lagos and the University of Cambridge.  His work experience includes time as an Associate at Banwo & Ighodalo in the Corporate Commercial Department and as a Legal Intern in the Office of the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice in Lagos, Nigeria.  His career goal is to practice commercial law.

Ziyaad Minty, South Africa, received his B.A. and LL.B from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.  He has worked as a Law Clerk in the Constitutional Court of South Africa and as an Assistant Manager at Mpumalanga Africa.  With his degree he hopes to make an effective contribution to the South African legal profession and society in general.

Jared Nickig, South Africa, received his B.A., LL.B, and LL.M from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.  During and after his studies, he worked as a Candidate Attorney and as an Associate at Bowman Gilfillian, Incorporated in Johannesburg.  His career goals are to practice commercial law and lecture at a law school.

Gomiluk Otokwala, Nigeria, has obtained degrees from the University of Nigeria and the Nigerian Law School.  He has also worked as an Associate in the Corporate & Commercial and Intellectual Property Divisions at Aluko & Oyebode in Lagos, Nigeria.  His career goals are to practice law, teach, serve as corporate in-house counsel, and work with international organizations.

Humu-Annie Seini, Ghana, has extensive work experience and training in legal studies.  She has served as a State Attorney for the Environmental Protection Agency and as an Intern in Nii Osah Mills and Company.  Her interest is environmental law, which she hopes to practice and teach after completing her degree.

Mr. Ramohapi Shale, Lesotho, received his LL.B from the National University of Lesotho and his LL.M from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.  Since 2003, he has served as a Lecturer in the Department of Private Law at National University of Lesotho.  His interests include researching, teaching, and publicizing his work.

S.J.D Candidates

Abdul Baasit Abdul Aziz, Ghana, has worked as a Legal Officer in the Legal Aid Department for Community Mobilization and Human Rights Education at the Legal Resource Centre in Accra, Ghana since June 2001.  He has an LL.M. from Harvard Law School and aspires to become a human rights lawyer.  His dissertation title is “Law-Making in the Third World: Navigating Between Public Choice Theory and Legislative Pragmatism.”

Emmanuel Bagenda, Uganda, has received degrees from the University of Toronto, the University of Teramo, and the University of Dar Es Salaam.  His work experience includes internships, advocacy and legal research in Uganda and New York.  His dissertation title is “New Sovereignty, Neoliberalism, and Third World Statehood: Squaring the Triangle.”

Nkatha Kabira, Kenya, has received degrees from Harvard Law School, Kenya School of Law, and the University of Nairobi.  After completing her studies, her career goals include legal research and teaching at a university.  Her dissertation title is “Rape Doctrine(s) and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.”

Rugemeleza Nshala, Tanzania, received his LL.B. from the University of Dar es Salaam, his LL.M. from Harvard Law School, and his M.E.M. from Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.  His interest include environmental advocacy and his dissertation title is “The Extractive Industry in Africa: A Hard Look at Regulatory and Tax Laws Reform Introduced by the World Bank in Sub-Saharan African Countries.”

Ijeoma Nwagwu, Nigeria, has worked with the World Bank, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in Abuja and the Civil Liberties Organization in Lagos, Nigeria.  She has received degrees from Harvard Law School, Nigerian Law School, and Abia State University.  Her dissertation title is “Law and Politics in Educational Reform in Nigeria.”

HLS Exchange Students

Deeksha Bhana, South Africa, has served as a Lecturer in the School of Law at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa since January 2003.  Her career goal is to become an expert in contract law.  She has obtained degrees from the University of Witwatersrand and the University of Cape Town.

Ehud (Udi) Eiran, Research Fellow, International Security Program/Intrastate Conflict Program, is doctoral candidate in politics at Brandeis. He focuses on politics in the Middle East and Africa, particularly countries in the Western Sahara.

Yvonne Malan, Research Fellow, International Security Program/Intrastate Conflict Program, was born in South Africa where she completed her undergraduate career and also taught courses in philosophy and politics. She received her doctorate in politics and international relations at the University of Oxford. Her research include work on transitional justice, truth commissions and African studies.

Ragnhild Nordas, doctoral candidate in political science at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, is a pre-doctoral fellow affiliated with the Initiative on Religion in International Affairs completing a dissertation on religion and civil conflict.  Her research interests include the effects of religion on political violence, non-state actors in civil war, state repression, group inequality and conflict, and environmental/climatic factors, and armed conflict.

Carr Center for Human Rights

Center for International Development

Lorenzo Casaburi, Ph.D. Candidate in Economics and Sustainability Science Fellow at the Center for International Development, researches on agricultural productivity,   farmers' risk attitudes and welfare in Kenya and on the impact of road infrastructure on agricultural production and markets in Sierra Leone.

B. Kelsey Jack, doctoral candidate in Public Policy at the Kennedy School and Giorgio Ruffolo Doctoral Fellow in Sustainability Science, researches individual decision making around public goods and incentive mechanisms for behavioral change. Her projects are located in Zambia, Kenya and Indonesia.

Rocco Macchiavello, Giorgio Ruffolo Post-doctoral Fellow in Sustainability Science, is on leave from the Department of Economics at Warwick University.  His research interests are in the economics of developing countries and will work on evaluating the environmental sustainability of floriculture, water intensive and export oriented industry, in Kenya.

Robyn Meeks, Giorgio Ruffolo Doctoral Fellow in Sustainability Science, is a doctoral candidate at the Kennedy School.  Her research focuses on integrated water resource management and development, trans-boundary issues, and water supply and sanitation in Africa.

Ryan Sheely, Giorgio Ruffolo Post-doctoral Fellow in Sustainability Science, has just joined the faculty as an Assistant Professor at the Kennedy School of Government.  His research focuses on public goods provision and state capacity in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy Fellow

Bill Mitchell, faculty member at Poynter Institute and Director of News Transformation Initiative, is the Joan Shorenstein Center's Sagan Fellow.  His teaching has included seminars in ethics, leadership and new media development in South Africa and in Poland. Mr. Mitchell has also worked as Director of Electronic Publishing for the San Jose Mercury News, as Detroit bureau chief for Time magazine and in various reporting and editing roles for the Detroit Free Press.  At the Shorenstein Center, he will examine frameworks for sustaining news in the public interest.

Cynthia Becker, Assistant Professor of Art History, Boston University, is the Suzanne Young Murray Fellow and a scholar of African arts specializing in the arts of the Imazighen (Berbers) in northwestern Africa, specifically Morocco, Algeria, and Niger.  Her current project examines Afro-Islamic aesthetics and ceremonial practices and is entitled “Afro-Islamic Art and Performance in Morocco: The Trans-Saharan History of the Gnawa.”