Organization: Amnesty International USA

**THIS IS A 4pm EVENT***

Speaker: Adotei Akwei, Deputy Director for Governmental Relations will discuss his work at Amnesty, updates at Amnesty, and his career trajectory, Adotei is a political analyst, an experienced advocate, and campaigner on civil, political, economic, and social rights, US foreign and security policy as well as a rights-based approach to ending poverty with field experience in Africa and Asia.

HealTogether CIC is a community enterprise organization with a vision for improving access for mental health care services for the Somali community in England and Wales. Anabelle joins us from the UK to discuss starting her own organization to help fellow Somalis in her community after a lockdown and a furlough. She spent 15 years in HR and Talent Acquisition before actualizing her dream during Covid-19.

Join us for a screening of Nailed It, a documentary film about the impact that the Vietnamese nail industry has had on the United States.

The screening will be followed by a discussion and Q&A with award-winning director Adele Pham. The Black Action Society and Asian Student Alliance will be holding a panel discussion in response to the documentary on Friday, February 19th at 8PMET.

This event is part of The Other Colors: African and Asian America, a project generously funded in part by the Year of Engagement.

Meet with African Studies Program Student Ambassador Emmanuel Ampofo to ask questions about the African Studies Certificate, upcoming events, and more.

Meet via Zoom: https://pitt.zoom.us/j/97841843639

Join Dr. Williams in exploring the advent of faith-based maternity homes in Nigeria since the early 1930s, and how they adapted to socio-political and biomedical trends in their search for legitimacy. While scholars have studied the contemporary roles of post-colonial African churches in health and healing, very few have considered faith-based obstetrics. By examining the history and professionalization of faith homes, Dr. Williams highlights the growth and significance of faith-based birthing institutions as primary maternal healthcare providers in Nigeria.

How can a child’s value be understood in economic contexts where children are items of exchange? It is crucial that scholars and humanitarians recognize that slavery, in all its various forms, has evolved over time. The movement of bodies and the use of labor has always depended on immediate economic, social, and political circumstances, as well as the reiteration and application of force and control. It is only in this nuanced manner that we can truly understand the persistence of slavery as it relates to child trafficking in Southeastern Nigeria today.

The African Studies Program at the University of Pittsburgh is hosting a virtual conference May 13-14, 2021 to ponder African futures in the context of current challenges and to think about innovative strategies for moving forward with the continent's development agenda. This conference will provide a platform for scholars and practitioners who work on Africa related topics to engage in conversations about Africa's economic growth, development and transformation based on their research, practice and scholarship.

Come join The Honorable Ari Tobi, renowned speaker and writer. This conversation will focus on the pre-colonial to postcolonial experiences of African women in law, from a jurisprudential viewpoint.

For Year 3 of our faculty development workshops for community colleges and minority-serving institutions, we are offering a series of monthly webinars focused on technology. The third of the webinars will examine Technology and Cybersecurity specifically addressing the challenges of protecting data against international threats.

Register here

The African Studies Book Club is back with His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Mezie, a Pitt African Studies alumna. A brilliant scholar and a fierce advocate for women's rights, Medie infuses her debut novel with intelligence and humor. This book is a fun read and a great way to fill your free time over winter break!