November 2, 2001
Contact:
Adrianne Tucker
802-443-5629
tucky@middlebury.edu
Posted: November 2, 2001
“Brain
drain is a complicated issuefor many students here,
going home is not an option.”
—-Akosua Nyako, Middlebury College senior from
Ghana
MIDDLEBURY,
VT - An African and Caribbean symposium titled “Brain
Drain: Where are the African and Caribbean Countries Heading
Economically and Culturally?” will take place at Middlebury
College on Nov. 16-17. All events are free and open to the
public.
This year,
the African and Caribbean students at Middlebury College
have collaborated to present a symposium on an issue of
concern to both regions, “brain drain.” The phenomenon
occurs when large segments of a countrys educated and
skilled labor population emigrates in pursuit of a wider
range of opportunities found in other countries. According
to Middlebury College senior Akosua Nyako from Ghana, brain
drain also presents a difficult dilemma for many
international students studying in the United States, torn
between concern for their home countries developmental
welfare, and the progress of their own successful career
paths. “Brain drain is a complicated issuefor many
students here, going home is not an option,” said Nyako.
“However, it is imperative that we as the next generation
realize the toll this exodus is taking on our countries, and
find ways to rectify it,” she said.
On Saturday,
Nov. 10, at 7:30 p.m. in Room 110 of the Sunderland Language
Center on College Street (Route 125), “Clando,” a film
directed by Jean-Marie Téno, will serve as an
introduction to the issue of brain drain in Africa.
According to the “Library of African Cinema 2000,” “Director
Téno wrestles with a dilemma facing more and more
educated Africans: whether to fight the autocratic regimes
at home or seek their fortunes abroad.”
On Friday,
Nov. 16, at 7:30 p.m. the symposium will officially open
with a lecture titled “Brain Drain: Where are the African
and Caribbean Countries Headed Economically and Culturally?”
The event will feature two main speakers, Elizabeth
Thomas-Hope and Moustapha Diouf, who will
address the issue from the Caribbean and African
perspectives, respectively. A short question and answer
session will follow. The lecture will take place in Room 216
of Bicentennial Hall on Bicentennial Way off College Street
(Route 125).
Thomas-Hope
of the University of West Indies is the James Seivright
Moss-Solomon Professor of Environmental Management, director
of the environmental studies unit, and department head of
geology and geography. A Jamaican social geographer, she is
an expert on population, mobility and development in the
Caribbean. She is also the author of many books, including:
“Explanation in Caribbean Migration” (1992), “The Impact of
Migration in the Receiving Countries: The United Kingdom”
(1994), “Perspectives on Caribbean Regional Identity” (1994)
and “A Geography of the Third World” (1996).
Diouf is an
associate professor at the University of Vermont who
specializes in rural sociology, and social change and
development in the Third World. He has previously worked for
UNESCOs social science research department in Senegal.
Diouf has published articles related to the sociology of
development in Third World countries and has presented talks
on a variety of issues such as the myths and realities of
the African crisis, and social change and development
perspectives in Senegal.
On Saturday,
Nov. 17, at 1 p.m., the symposium will continue with a panel
discussion titled “Brain Drain: A Global Phenomenon” in the
seminar room of the Robert A. Jones House on Hillcrest Road
off College Street (Route 125). Middlebury College Visiting
Professor of Economics David Horlacher and Middlebury
student representatives from different regions around the
world will join Thomas-Hope and Diouf on a panel to discuss
the issue.
Later that
night, at 8 p.m. in McCullough Student Center on Old Chapel
Road off Route 30, Middlebury students will present a
program titled “Cultural Explosion,” featuring an original
play “Being and Belonging.” Written and directed by
Middlebury College students, the play is a story of love,
loss and self-discovery. Following the play, students will
perform original choreographed dances derived from
traditional and popular African and Caribbean forms.
Students will also sing and read poems. A DJ dance party
featuring mainly African and Caribbean music starting at
10:30 p.m. will complete this evening of exploration of
African and Caribbean cultures.
For more
information contact student organizer Agnes Mwakingwe at
(802)-443-6809.
Calendar
Events Listing
“Brain
Drain: Where are the African and Caribbean Countries Heading
Economically and Culturally?”
Middlebury
College Campus
November
16-17
All
symposium events are free and open to the public
Saturday,
Nov. 10
7:30 p.m.
Film: “Clando” directed by Jean Marie Téno
wrestles with a dilemma facing more and more educated
Africans: whether to fight the autocratic regimes at home or
seek their fortunes abroad.
Room
110 of Sunderland Language Center,
Middlebury College, College Street (Route
125)
Friday,
Nov. 16
7:30
p.m., Lecture: “Brain Drain: Where are
African and Caribbean Countries Heading Economically and
Culturally?” featuring two speakers: Elizabeth
Thomas-Hope, a professor of geography at the University of
West Indies, and Moustafa Diouf, an associate professor of
sociology at the University of Vermont
Room 216
of Bicentennial Hall on Bicentennial Way off College Street
(Route 125)
Saturday,
Nov.17
1 p.m.
Panel Discussion: “Brain Drain: A Global
Phenomenon?”
Middlebury
College Visiting Professor of Economics David Horlacher, and
Middlebury student representatives from different regions
around the world, will join Elizabeth Thomas-Hope, a
professor of geography at the University of West Indies, and
Moustapha Diouf, an associate professor of sociology at the
University of Vermont, in a panel to discuss the
issue.
Seminar
Room of Robert A. Jones House on Hillcrest Road off College
Street (Route 125)
8
p.m. Cultural Show: “Cultural Explosion!”
featuring an original play “Being and Belonging,” original
choreographed African and Caribbean dances, songs and
poetry.
McCullough
Student Center on Old Chapel Road off Route 30
10:30
p.m. DJ Dance Party featuring mainly African and
Caribbean Music
McCullough
Student Center on Old Chapel Road off Route
30