My Mind Words Paper:
sahara literature

Deadline: 5 September 2011

The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) today launched its Mobile News Grants and Training Scheme, which aims to help start and expand mobile news platforms across Sub-Saharan Africa.

The project will provide funding, consultations and training to newspaper companies in Sub-Saharan Africa that are looking to move into mobile or expand their existing mobile news services.

The grant and training scheme follows a successful pilot project at the Observer newspaper in Uganda and the soon-to-be published handbook, "Mobile Media Services At Sub-Saharan African Newspapers: A Guide To Implementing Mobile News And Mobile Business", co-published by WAN-IFRA and the African Media Initiative.

The Mobile News Grants and Training Scheme is part of WAN-IFRA's larger Mobile News for Africa project, which aims to test and implement innovative content production and delivery models through new technologies, accompanied with new business models for newspapers in emerging markets and developing democracies. Mobile News for Africa is part of a strategic partnership between WAN-IFRA and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency to advance media development and press freedom worldwide.

More on WAN-IFRA media development projects can be found here.

About the Mobile News Grants and Training Scheme

WAN-IFRA invites newspapers that are launching or expanding their mobile services to apply for small-scale technical assistance grants of up to 5000 Euros, as well as training and consultancy from African and international experts on mobile web, mobile advertising, mobile election monitoring and many other topics. Among the key criteria for proposed projects is the potential for economic sustainability.

Who can apply?

Applications will only be accepted from newspapers; applicants may work in partnership with other media outlets or NGOs, but projects must be led by the newspaper.

How to apply

Interested applicants should submit a completed application form, which can be found at the bottom of this document, and return it by 5 September to Louise Hallman, Mobile News for Africa project manager, at louise.hallman@wan-ifra.org.

The applications will be considered over the summer, with the funding and training to be delivered in the autumn of 2011 and spring 2012.

Up to three successful applicants will be given the opportunity to attend the WAN-IFRA World Newspaper Congress and World Editors Forum (http://www.worldnewspaperweek.org ) in Vienna in October. Registration fees, travel and accommodation costs will be met by the Mobile News for Africa project. Applicants should indicate their availability on the application form.

WAN-IFRA, based in Paris, France, and Darmstadt, Germany, with subsidiaries in Singapore, India, Spain, France and Sweden, is the global organisation of the world’s newspapers and news publishers. It represents more than 18,000 publications, 15,000 online sites and over 3,000 companies in more than 120 countries. Its core mission is to defend and promote press freedom, quality journalism and editorial integrity and the development of prosperous businesses.

Contact Information:

For inquiries: larry.kilman@wan-ifra.org

For submissions: louise.hallman@wan-ifra.org

Website: http://www.wan-ifra.org

Deadline: 31 July 2011

AfriMAP invites submissions of papers on the impact of the events in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya on governance in sub-Saharan Africa. Among the different approaches that could be adopted are analyses of:

* Possible impacts of the changes in North Africa on the democratization processes in sub-Saharan Africa

* Events in a particular country or several countries in sub-Saharan Africa (e.g. Uganda? Zimbabwe? Angola? Burkina Faso?) showing how activists and politicians have explicitly referred to the north African revolutions as inspiration for their own actions.

* The extent to which the conditions that brought about the North African revolutions exist in sub-Saharan African countries.

* How the events in Libya in particular may affect its historical role in shaping discourse on governance in the Sahel and elsewhere in Africa and in the African Union.

* The impact of these events on the AU and the regional integration project (is the United States of Africa dead in the water - or could it be strengthened?)

* The potential or actual role of AU institutions in seeking to resolve or support the conflicts and reforms underway.

* The way in which the changes of government in Tunisia and Egypt may impact on the interpretation of the concept of 'unconstitutional changes of government' as defined in the Declaration on the Framework for an OAU Response to Unconstitutional Changes of Government adopted in 2000, and the African Charter on Democracy Elections and Governance (for background, see the paper by Chidi Odinkalu, on the AfriMAP website: in French or in English).

* The role of religious-based organisations in the North African revolutions may impact the way in which sub-Saharan African religious groupings see their role in politics.

* The impact of the events on sub-Saharan migrants and asylum seekers in those countries.

* What these events say about the link between economic growth and political/democratic development.

The deadline for submissions is 31 July 2011.

Our objective is to encourage and promote new thinking and debate on issues that AfriMAP is exploring through its research. We are particularly keen to encourage submissions based on primary sources, personal research and innovative thinking. Papers are accepted in English, French and Portuguese, up to 2,000 words in length, and those selected will be published on our website. Winners will receive an honorarium of US$250.

See the Guidelines on Call for Papers for further details on submitting a paper.

The winning papers from our previous calls for papers are available on the AfriMAP website. If you would like to contact AfriMAP for advice on topics for your paper, please email us at info@afrimap.org or at JegganGJ@osisa.org.

Contact Information:

For inquiries: info@afrimap.org or JegganGJ@osisa.org

For submissions: info@afrimap.org or JegganGJ@osisa.org

Website: http://www.afrimap.org/

Deadline: 15 October 2011

Timeline 2011

August 1, 2011: Launch of the Essay Contest

October 15, 2011: Deadline for submissions

Week of December 5, 2011: Finalists announced

January 5 – 6, 2012: Final Jury in Washington, DC

January 6, 2012: Award Ceremony during the Symposium on Morocco and the Morocco-Western Sahara (SMWS) in Washington, DC

Jury

The Essay Contest is designed and implemented by the American Task Force on the Western Sahara in partnership with outstanding academic institutions who form the Selection Committee

The role of the Selection Committee is to determine the topic and format of the contest and to ensure a fair and transparent process of selecting winners.

Selection Criteria

Essays will be assessed for their structure, coherence, creativity, level of documentation, and relevance to the topic. We realize that English might be a foreign language to some participants, and so language mistakes will not penalized, as long as the content is comprehensible. Selection process: the Jury will complete their selections of 8 finalists by the week of December 5. Submissions will be blind-reviewed

Essay finalists will be invited to present their essays to a panel of experts during the Final Jury. The winner(s) will present their work to the participants of SMWS 2012 in Washington, DC.

Topic

The issue of the Western Sahara requires more careful examination, and ATFWS is dedicated to promoting more awareness towards the issue. The ATFWS Essay Contest gives you the chance to express your views on the issue of the Moroccan/Western Sahara, whether the Moroccan Autonomy Plan is a viable solution, and what the ramifications of the conflict’s resolution would be. Make sure your essay has a clear and concise thesis statement.

Here are some guiding questions to address:

1) Would the resolution of the Western Sahara conflict make a difference in the North Africa and Middle East region?

2) Discuss the Moroccan Autonomy Plan. How will it help solve the dispute?

3) In what ways would the conflict matter for the United States, the African Union, the European Union, or NATO?

In writing this essay, we encourage you to draw on historical fact, documentation, and personal experience and emphasize your own solutions for a fair and lasting resolution of the conflict.

Who can participate?

The ATFWS Essay Contest is open to all students, as well as non-students from all countries of the world

Length: Essays may not be longer than 3500 words. Essays are accepted in .pdf and .doc formats only.

Abstract Summary: An Abstract Summary of not more than 300 words is required; the jury will use the summary to make a pre-selection.

How do you submit?

The submission process for the Essay Contest is internet-based.

Please fill in a submission form to admin@atfws.org with your essay attached

Cash Prizes: First Place $500 – Second Place $300 – Third Place $200

Rules

- Submissions will be accepted until October 15, 2011.

- The Essay Contest is open for nationals of all countries of the world, students and non-students alike.

- Essays may not be longer than 4000 words.

- Essays can only be in English and submitted online. Essays are submitted to the Essay Contest website of the ATFWS website. Each participant must fill in a submission form with the essay

- Throughout the essay, quotes and references must be clearly marked and properly cited.

- All essays must be original. No previously published material will be accepted. Any plagiarism will result in automatic disqualification.

- Essays are accepted in .doc and .pdf format only.

- ATFWS reserves the right to publish and/or make available to the public all winning submissions.

- The decision of the Jury is final and not subject to any appeal.

- Active and paid staff (between the time of the essay submission and the Final Jury in December 2011) of the 2011 Essay Contest are not eligible to participate.

- It is preferred that all work be submitted individually, but a pair collaboration will be accepted.

- One participant may submit only one work per category.

- All submissions must be made online through the Essay Contest page on the ATFWS website.

Submissions can be made in English only.

Please direct any questions you may have about the ATFWS Essay Contest to admin@atfws.org

Contact Information:

For inquiries: admin@atfws.org

For submissions: admin@atfws.org

Website: http://www.atfws.org/