Wednesday 28 May 2008

JAMAICA DIASPORA

Dear All:

It is with deep regret that I wish to announce that I will be resigning as President of the JDYA-UK. After great thought and consideration I have to sadly accept that due to the demands of my job and personal commitments I'm unable to carry on as President. For these same reasons, I won't be able to attend the Jamaican Diaspora Conference 2008.

Please find attached my official resignation letter.

I will carry on as a member of the JDYA (UK) and I'll try to assist where possible during this transition. Thank you all for your support during my time in office.

I wish the JDYA (UK) all the best in its future endeavours!

Best wishes,

Dr Kevin Brown



IBADA YA KISWAHILI
Nawasalimu katika jina la Bwana.
Wale wote ambao mliweza kupokea taarifa ya mazishi yaGahima Victor Bitege, napenda kuwapa taarifa kwambamazishi yalienda vizuri kama ilivyopangwa natunamshukuru Mungu kwa kila kitu. Tuendelee kuwekafamilia hii katika maombi ili Mungu aendelee kuwapafaraja.Napenda kuchukua nafasi hii tena kuwakumbusha nakuwakaribisha kwenye ibada yetu ijayo yaani Jumapilitarehe 1/6/08 saa 8.00 mchana pale kanisani kwetu St.Annes Lutheran. Kwa wale wanaopenda masomo ya biblia,maombi na praise and worship tunaendelea na sehemuhiyo mara baada ya ibada ile ya kwanza. Karibuni wotetuweze kumwabudu Mungu wetu katika Roho na kwelikatika lugha yetu na kuweza kudumisha umoja wetu.Nawatakia kazi njema, ofisini, madarasani, nyumbani namahali pote mtakapokuwa mna shughulika.Mchungaji

Niger: The Paradox of Chronic Aid


Talk with Benedetta Rossi
RCUK Fellow, School of History, University of Liverpool


Thursday 29th May 2008, 17:00 pm at the Brunei Gallery

in association with the Retracing Heinrich Barth exhibition by Julia Winckler at the Brunei gallery



The first development schemes have been introduced in Niger in the last two decades of colonial rule. Since Independence, the country has been relying heavily on foreign aid. Yet, long exposure to aid interventions has not decreased poverty and vulnerability. Setting the crisis of 2005 in a long-term perspective, this paper will examine the causes of Niger’s continued dependence on aid.


Dr. Benedetta Rossi has been researching the social consequences of development in Niger since 1997. Some of the arguments of this talk are discussed in Rossi, B, “Les Paradoxes des Aides Chroniques” published in Crombe, X and Jezequel, JH (eds), 2007, Niger 2005: Une Catastrophe Si Naturelle, Paris: Karthala.


Venue: Brunei Gallery, opposite SOAS main building on Thornhaugh Street (NW corner of Russell Square), SOAS, University of London WC1H OXG.

Nearest tube: Russell Square


Liverpool: The Next Generation

LIVERPOOL has recruited nine people to shadow councillors in a groundbreaking new initiative to nurture the Black and minority ethnic community leaders of the future.

All parties on Liverpool City Council have joined forces with Operation Black Vote (OBV) - which promotes equality in politics - to tackle the under-presentation of Black and minority ethnic (BME) communities in the council chamber.

At present, just one of the 90 councillors in Liverpool is from a Black and minority ethnic group, meaning that the city’s elected members are not representative of Liverpool’s diverse communities. This reflects research nationally which shows the average councillor is a white man aged 58.

Nine dynamic Liverpool residents - seven women and two men – have been selected for OBV’s award winning programme to gain an insight into the roles and responsibilities of a councillor. Each shadow been assigned to an elected member from the Liberal Democrat, Labour and Liberal Party’s and will follow them for the next six months.

They are being sworn in at a special event at 5:30pm in the Council Chamber at Liverpool Town Hall, High Street, Liverpool on Thursday 29th May. They will be welcomed by Lord Mayor Steve Rotheram, their mentors and the leaders of the three largest political groups on the council.

The shadows will spend their time learning how the council works, all aspects of the decision making process and the life of a local councillor. This will include attending constituency surgeries and observing council meetings such as working groups and select committees.

Participants will also act as community ambassadors, holding community meetings to demystify the role of councillors and use the knowledge gained to encourage and inspire others to become active in civic life and promote better engagement.

Liverpool’s only current Black and minority ethnic councillor, Anna Rothery, a graduate of the Operation Black Vote national MP shadowing scheme said: “I very much welcome this initiative. It is a sad indictment that I am the only Black representative out of 90 councillors, particularly when the Black and minority ethnic community makes up over 8.2% of the population and we have one of the oldest Black communities in Europe, spanning 400 years.”