This is an open call for papers for a special issue of English Studies in Africa that will focus on African street literature. This refers to literature that emerges and is shaped by the specific factors determining everyday life in sub-Saharan Africa’s megacities, where new and emergent forms of literary expression dominate cultural circuits and flows. The intensification of social, political, economic, health and environmental precariousness, alongside uneven spurts of economic growth, rapid urbanisation, unprecedented access to technology and global connectivity, and a correlated surge in cultural and aesthetic expression, make African cities concentrated locations of vulnerable modernity. The call thus seeks to give a space for writing that reflects these features of the African city.
Jobs and Announcements
The VII World Social Forum on Health and Social Security will be held in Salvador de Bahia Brazil from 10th to 13th of march 2018, immediately before the 11th World Social Forum that will happen from the 13th to the 17h of March. The organisers are inviting suggestions for the definition of contents and methodology of the WSFHSS. Contact armandodenegri@yahoo.com or through the website from the 25th of November 2017. Please look at the invitation video: https://youtu.be/DU_ODDLLaYQ
The 2018 ECSACON conference follows the theme ‘Nurses and Midwives responding to global agenda on sustainable development goals and universal health coverage’. The conference will focus on quality and affordability of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Services and increasing access to health care including GBV services and SRHR among the youth, nursing and midwifery workforce development to achieve HRH2030 Agenda. The conference will showcase innovations in preparing competent, skilled and motivated nurses and midwives, Nursing and midwifery workforce preparedness to respond to global calls, challenges and/or disasters. The conference will prioritize communicable and NCDs including mental health and nutrition. The call is open to ECSACON Members, Non ECSACON Members from the ECSA region and Non ECSACON Members from outside the region
The UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UN Trust Fund) awards grants to initiatives that demonstrate that violence against women and girls can be systematically addressed, reduced and, with persistence, eliminated. Civil society organizations are invited to submit grant proposals for a minimum of US$50,000 up to a maximum of US$1 million for a period of three years. Proposals are invited under the following three programmatic areas: (1) Improving access for women and girls to essential, safe and adequate multi-sectoral services to end violence against women and girls; (2) Increasing effectiveness of legislation, policies, national action plans and accountability systems to prevent and end violence against women and girls; and (3) Improving prevention of violence against women and girls through changes in knowledge, attitudes and practices. This year, the UN Trust Fund is also seeking applications that specifically focus on addressing violence against women and girls in the context of the current forced displacement and refugee crisis; or addressing violence against women and girls with disabilities. Applications from women’s rights, women-led, and small women’s organizations are prioritized, in recognition of them being the driving force of the ending violence against women agenda, as well as being at the forefront of reaching women and girls survivors at the grassroots level.
The UN Environment Assembly meeting in 2017 aims to produce a political declaration on pollution, linked to the Sustainable Development Goals, to signal that humanity can work together to eliminate the threat of pollution and the destruction of our planet. There will be resolutions and decisions adopted by Member States to address specific dimensions of pollution and voluntary commitments by Governments, private sector entities and civil society organizations to clean up the planet. The Assembly will also include The #BeatPollution Pledge, a collection of individual commitments to clean up the planet. This year's Assembly will also launch the interactive Leadership Dialogues, which will provide participants with an opportunity for high-level engagement and discussion on how to achieve a pollution-free planet.
The 9th Alternative Mining Indaba will be held under the theme Making Natural Resources Work for the People: Towards Just Legal, Policy and Institutional Reforms. Attracting several hundred SADC and wider community representatives, civil society organizations, and multi-lateral organizations and other stakeholders it provides a forum to actively participate in discussing and providing viable recommendations for the future of natural resource extraction in Africa. Registration will be opening soon.
The call for abstracts for the Fifth Global Symposium on Health Systems Research is now open. The Fifth Global Symposium on Health Systems Research will take place in Liverpool, UK, on 8-12 October 2018. The Fifth Global Symposium will advance conversations and collaborations on new ways of financing health, delivering services and engaging the health workforce, new social and political alliances, and new applications of technologies to promote health for all. Within the overarching Symposium theme, we welcome abstracts linked to the following four sub-themes: 1. The SDGs as a stimulus for renewed multisectoral action; 2. Polemic and pragmatism: engaging the private sector in moving towards universal health coverage; 3. Leaving no one behind: health systems that deliver for all and 4. Community health systems – where community needs are located, but often the invisible level of health systems. The deadline for organized session proposals is the 15 January, 2018 and the deadline for individual abstracts is 5 March, 2018.
Wiki Loves Africa is an annual contest where anyone across Africa can contribute media that relates to that year's theme to Wikimedia Commons for use on Wikipedia and other project websites of the Wikimedia Foundation. Wiki Loves Africa encourages participants to contribute media (photographs, video and audio) that illustrate the specific theme for that year. Each year the theme changes and is chosen by the community from universal, visually-rich and culturally-specific topics (for example, markets, rites of passage, festivals, public art, cuisine, natural history, urbanity, daily life, notable persons, etc). This year's photo contest is being held under the theme ... People at Work. It invites photographs that document all manner of occupations that are undertaken across the African continent - formal and informal, contemporary or ancient, business-oriented or creative. There are two special prizes for photo essays that capture Women Working or Rare, Fading or Threatened Traditional Crafts, Styles or Way of Working. The competition starts on 1st October 2017 and closes on 30th November 2017. Winners will be announced around February 2018.
Mistra Urban Futures Annual International Conference is taking place from 13 to 15 November 2017 in Kisumu, Kenya under the banner "Realising Just Cities - Learning Through Comparison". The rapidly growing number of people moving into cities all over the world also present a challenge of unprecedented size. It is crucial to find ways to make urbanisation a source for wealth, health and sustainability – which is shared. Mistra Urban Futures arranges yearly a conference about Realising Just Cities. This year’s conference focuses on learning through comparison covering themes such as transportation, urban food, waste management, migration, participatory cities, neighbourhood transformation and cultural heritage.
The Paradigm Shift Programme is a holistic, economic development outreach tool that connects business men and women within the church to micro entrepreneurs in poor communities. Paradigm Shift seeks to appoint a Regional Partnerships Coordinator to be based in South Africa. This position is part-time, and can be fulfilled working remotely but with frequent teleconferencing and face-to-face meetings built in. The responsibilities include managing communication between volunteer teams and Paradigm Shift, ensuring the training and coaching of Point Persons, creating and executing strategic plans for national expansion, new partnership development and communications. The post requires a minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree, demonstrated expertise in key areas mentioned in job description, interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills and experience of working with people working their way out of poverty.