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KWASU PARTICIPATES IN INTERNATIONAL WEEK EVENT WITH A CANADIAN UNIVERSITY
On February 5, 2010, at 6pm Nigerian time (10am in Alberta Province, Canada) through a videoconference from the University Auditorium in Malete, Kwara State University will participate in a 2010 University of Alberta’s International Week highlight program. At the University of Alberta in the City of Edmonton, the videoconference will connect from Dinwoodie Lounge, at the Students’ Union Building. This program on both campuses which will electronically bring students of Kwara State University and the University of Alberta together will be opened to the general public. Full description follows below.
Friday, February 5
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM (Edmonton, Alberta Province, CANADA); which is 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM (Malete, Kwara State, NIGERIA)
Students’ Union Building, Dinwoodie Lounge – U of A (simultaneously at University Auditorium, KWASU)
Cell Phones and Internet: Luxuries or Tools for Development?
Dr. Anup Basu, Department of Computing Science; Dr. Lord Mawuko-Yevugah, Department of Political Science; Omolola Olobayo, Gomola Ventures and Global Soap and Detergent Industry, Nigeria; Dr. Wisdom Tettey, Faculty of Communication and Culture, University of Calgary Moderated by Nancy Hannemann, University of Alberta International, and Dr. Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, Vice-Chancellor, Kwara State University, Nigeria
Three-quarters of the world’s four billion cell phones are located in the developing world. In places where infrastructure such as roads, postal service and landlines is limited, cell phones can substitute for travel and allow quick access to information, in turn contributing to growth in GDP. Find out more about how telecommunication technology is transforming developing countries and the prospect for universal access to cell phones and the internet.
We will link live to Kwara State University in Nigeria to gain perspectives directly from the developing world.
Anup Basu is a Professor in the U of A’s Department of Computing Science and is currently the iCORE-NSERC Research Chair. His current research applications include 3D/4D image processing and visualization especially for medical applications, multimedia in education and games, and wireless 3D multimedia transmission.
Lord Mawuko-Yevugah teaches in the U of A’s Department of Political Science where he recently completed his doctorate. A former Ghanaian journalist, his recent research focuses on the politics of international aid and critical globalization theory.
Omolola Olobayo is a highly respected business person and Managing Director of Gomola Ventures and Global Soap and Detergent Industry, Ilorin, Nigeria. Her company is a representative in Ilorin for all the major cell phone providers: MTN, GLO and more.
Wisdom Tettey is Professor and Interim Dean, Faculty of Communication and Culture, University of Calgary. His research focuses on the relationships among information technologies, diasporas, knowledge mobilization and state capacity building in Africa.
University of Alberta’s
International Week 2010
February 1 - 5
“To Boldly Go: Charting Our Common Future”
www.iweek.ualberta.ca
Over 60 free events
The theme of the University of Alberta’s 25th International Week is To Boldly Go: Charting Our Common Future. This Week will feature over 60 events ranging from discussions on Canada’s role in the world to the struggle for effective solutions to climate change. Workshops, expert panels and international video broadcasts will question what lies ahead for our global community as we struggle to innovate responsibly and collaboratively. The importance of civic engagement, opportunities for action and prospects and alternatives for the future will emerge throughout the program. We will also engage our senses in imagining a common future, through a traditional round dance, musical and literary performances and exhibits highlighting cultural fusion and social justice.
Check the complete program at www.iweek.ualberta.ca. and hard copies of the program are available at the International Centre and about campus. Please click on the four-minute YouTube introduction to International Week on this website!
Program Highlights
International Week 2010 Highlights
Monday Noon Keynote: Advocate, activist and outspoken political commentator Donna Brazile has worked on every U.S. presidential campaign from 1976 through 2000, when she served as campaign manager for former Vice President Al Gore, becoming the first African-American woman to manage a presidential campaign. Ms. Brazile will deliver a talk entitled Civic Engagement, Creating Lasting Change, in which she will discuss the importance of inclusive political processes and grassroots organizing in tackling challenges both local and global. Check her out on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-__IdzH1b8
Monday NFB showcase: Recently returned from Afghanistan, Brigadier-General John Vance (DND) and Rhonda Gossen of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) join members of the local community to screen and discuss Good Morning Kandahar, an NFB film that gives voice to the dilemmas felt by Afghans around the world as they grapple with events in their homeland. To view a trailer, visit: http://beta.nfb.ca/film/good-morning-kandahar-excerpt/
Monday Evening Panel: Pierre Blais, Counsellor at the Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva, Charles Parker, Regional Director for the Canadian International Development Agency, and Shauna Sylvester, Director of Canada’s World take the stage in a town hall styled session entitled Canada’s Future Role in the World.
Tuesday Evening Special Guest: Co-Chair of the Arctic Council Panel Dr. Franklyn Griffiths delivers his talk Towards a Canadian Arctic Strategy, in which he will discuss how the Arctic can emerge as a zone of cooperation between nations. To watch an interview with Dr. Griffiths on Arctic Sovereignty, visit: http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/cip-pic/video/arctic-arctique/griffiths.aspx?lang=eng
Wednesday Video Address: in the session Beyond Copenhagen, Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri, Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, will deliver a specially recorded video lecture discussing how to address climate change with special focus on challenges for developing countries and the need for effective climate governance. View his message on Climate Change at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-VYIwKGu0I
Wednesday Evening Special Guest: Dr. Thomas Pogge of Yale University will deliver his talk World Poverty: Explanations, Responsibilities, Reforms, where he will discuss the widening gap between rich and poor and what needs to be done to eradicate severe poverty. To watch an interview with him about global health: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5N1qPimiKg
Thursday Evening Panel: The University of Alberta Senate presents When Worlds Collide – Ethics and the Global Pandemic Response, where experts will discuss ethical issues related to fighting global pandemics such as H1N1.
Friday Feature Panel: Along with local experts, the session Cell Phones and Internet: Luxuries or Tools for Development? will link live to Kwara State University in Nigeria to gain perspectives directly from the developing world about how telecommunication technology is transforming developing countries and the prospect for universal access to cell phones and the internet.
Friday Special Guest: His Excellency Iyorwuese Hagher, Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Canada, will discuss how poetry, theatre and music can contribute to social change, focusing on issues such as poverty, corruption, lack of democracy, and militarism in his session Poetic Justice.
Friday Concert: Celebrate with SUSAN AGLUKARK
Blending the Inuktitut and English languages with contemporary arrangements, Susan tells the stories of her people, the Inuit of Arctic Canada through her award winning music. Proceeds will be used to establish a scholarship fund for Aboriginal students to pursue full-time undergraduate studies at the University of Alberta.
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