February 2013
3 posts
FP: "Hostage for a day in Yemen" →
“In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world...”
– Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jan. 6, 1941
Liberty haiku
For Viktor.
“Fears eat common space.
Violence tempts shackled hands.
Unbound breath deters.”
-Vanessa
January 2013
2 posts
3 tags
المطر والجدار / גשם והקיר / Rain and the Wall
Rain can nourish and destroy. Today, it enlightened.
The tour bus picked us up at 8:30am. For safety reasons, I will call our Palestinian guide, Ziad. Ziad was born in a Palestinian refugee camp in West Bank. He is sharp looking and smart-witted. Ziad lost his father after Israeli soldiers shot him near a checkpoint in 2008. That same year Ziad joined a bereavement group alongside Israelis...
שלום / مرحبا / Hello from Jerusalem
Arrived yesterday evening with a fellow classmate in Tel Aviv. Taxied approx 45 minutes to the Palestinian-run hotel in Jerusalem. We are in a less developed area. It is extraordinary. The Gates of Damascus, main gates to the Old City, are a five minute walk. The hotel lobby showcases ornate holiday decor. Our rooms are small, but well furnished. Upon my late arrival (delayed flight, more on...
December 2011
2 posts
South Africa →
At the conclusion of a four-day ANC conference, party whip Mathole Motshekga said his party has a responsibility to rule South Africa “until Jesus pays another visit.” President Zuma made similar remarks in 2009 that received condemnation from religious groups.
“The edge of chaos is the balance point where the components of a system never...”
– M. Mitchell Waldrop, Complexity.
October 2011
3 posts
25%
Approximately 25% of Americans hold a Bachelor’s degree. Living in the Washington bubble, I was genuinely taken aback at this fact. At happy hour in Dupont, I can hear the sneers when I explain that I only hold an undergraduate’s degree. Then I thought a bit longer. I grew up in Wheaton, MD. By the time I reached middle school, my mother moved my sister and I a few towns over. The...
Foriegn Aid Cuts
Since Cameroon, Harmattan has gone through an identity crisis that mirrors changes in my personal, academic and professional life. I’ve given much thought on how to reflect the current “Vanessa-lens”: a fiesty 26-year old Washingtonian female with keen international awareness. Well, I thought for so long that I stopped writing. Upon friendly encouragement, I’m over that....
July 2011
3 posts
June 2011
13 posts
Revealing optimism →
Syrian protests
Yesterday afternoon, on a walk across Layfayette Park facing the White House, I found myself in the middle of a “volatile” protest - as informed by a Washington, DC Police Officer. Looking up, I realized that while fiddling with my phone, I had walked right down the middle of two huge groups, cordoned off from each other and waving Syrian flags - screaming and cheering. Uh oh. ...
Conflict Escalation in the Democratic Republic of...
A lull before the storm: Kabila in power
Kabila’s assumption of power marked the end of the civil war, but only a pause in conflict escalation between surrounding African states and Congolese leadership. The open sore in the east continued to fester and would again become host to a destructive escalatory cycle. Neither Kabila nor his allies had strong political bases that only grew smaller under...
Commentary on DRC history piece
If you have not heard of the Peace and Collaborative Development Network (PCDN), I encourage you to take a look. PCDN is a professional networking site for the peace and development community — there are over 20,000 registered users. Craig Zelizer, PhD., Associate Director at Georgetown University’s Conflict Resolution MA program, created PCDN a few years back and has done an excellent...
Spotlight on Democratic Republic of Congo
Over the next several weeks, I will chronicle the rise of the conflict system in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and implications for the upcoming election. The blog entries are lengthy, but condense an immense amount of information. Interspersed, contemporary analysis and news articles will broaden the perspective to include American and non-Western press.
Many Americans, and people in...
Conflict Escalation in Democratic Republic of...
The media has recently highlighted the violence plaguing the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) eastern region. Less is known of the complex domestic and regional forces that escalated long standing tensions in the Great Lakes region into a continent-wide conflict system that has left over 5.4 million dead in its wake. Historians break the conflict into two wars from 1996 to 1997 and 1998 to...
“I have always thought that one man of tolerable abilities may work great...”
– The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, 1706 -1757
Reinvention
Hello to all,
It has been nearly six months since my time in Cameroon. It feels as if I am a whirlwind touching down to catch my breath only momentarily. I’ve finished my first semester of an M.S. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University and will transfer to an M.S. in Global Affairs at New York University in the fall. Graduate school — and specifically...
February 2011
0 posts
Anonymous asked: Hi Vanessa,
Roman (Prague, Czech Republic), we met at Mt. Cameroon.
Do you know that you probably have some Slovak (or even Czech) ancestors?
"Kulík" is a bird in both Czech and Slovak languages - "Little Ringed Plover" (Charadrius dubius). In the same time it is rather common Slovak (and Czech) family name.
Watch
Roman (Prague, Czech Republic), we met at Mt. Cameroon.
Do you know that you probably have some Slovak (or even Czech) ancestors?
"Kulík" is a bird in both Czech and Slovak languages - "Little Ringed Plover" (Charadrius dubius). In the same time it is rather common Slovak (and Czech) family name.
January 2011
5 posts
rebelintellect asked: I'm still very new to this whole tumblr thing, but I must admit that I was directed to your blog via your aunt Maryann. She spoke so highly of your writing that I had to give it a look for myself, and I have to say you write very well. I actually think I want to take part in the act of blogging myself! lol. On another note, I commend you on your current efforts in Africa. I actually had the...
Mount Cameroon
Pre-departure, Beua
Moving to Cameroon for three months has certainly been filled with stimulating experiences, but to top off the year, I felt I needed a mental and physical challenge. A three-day, 40-kilometer hike up Mount Cameroon – the highest point in West Africa and Douala’s natural backdrop – offered the ultimate opportunity.
On Tuesday, December 28, at a central transport hub, I paid...
Fete de Noël
In Cameroon, most of the Christmas celebrations fall on what Americans consider Christmas Eve. Early on December 24, I finished last minute wrapping and waited for Cedric and Grace, two of the elder children, to arrive at my apartment and help transport the gifts to the orphanage. The previous weekend, I helped a friend finish last minute touches on wood airplanes he had made for the children. ...
December 2010
9 posts
A peace of conflict blog →
Get weekly updates on global conflict.
TNI: Imperial by Design (thought-provoking article... →
The Wedding Crasher
Before I left Washington, DC, my mother urged me to meet her Cameroonian church friend, Stella. After a couple failed attempts we met the week of my departure and I learned of her sister, Caroline Nkieh, who lives in Douala. I reached out to Caroline last week. She very kindly invited me to her wedding, which fell on Saturday – yesterday. Pumped for the invite, I quickly said yes, and she...
Dos and Don’ts in Cameroon (and probably...
Do – rise early. The sun raises at 6:30am, along with rooster crows, hums of music, and singing birds. By 7:00am, the city is awake, running to work and munching on “puff puffs”/beignets (fist-sized fried dough served with or without sugar).
Do – say “Bon jour” to everyone you pass, except….
Don’t – respond when young men say “Bon jour, mon cherie.”
Do – load on facial sunscreen. The sun bites...
TED Talk: William Ury: The walk from "no" to "yes" →
Brought to you from the Peace and Conflict Development Network, William Ury talks through the possibilities of Conflict Resolution on an local and global scale. Really a great short film!
Christmas preparations
December is a busy month. People everywhere are preparing for the holidays, whether it is Christmas, Chanukah or the New Year. In Douala, holiday decorations have popped up in stores, such as ORCA, the Cameroonian version of WalMart. Christmas music blares in car radios. Yet, it is nearly 95 degrees and dry season has finally arrived. Yesterday, I even went to a pool party. A December with...
November 2010
21 posts
Rising early to support HIV awareness
Yesterday morning, I woke around 6am, showered, and hopped in the first of many taxi rides. Pretty standard. Except, it was Saturday and my destination was a temporary HIV testing center. The site hides behind a muddy path and normally acts as an HIV/AIDs awareness organization headquarters. When I arrived, the DJ had begun setting up his station in the corner as volunteers set up chairs and...
LIKE The Synergy Brotherhood Orphanage on... →
Cuisine Camerounaise
Yesterday, most Americans sat around a table filled to the brim with food. In my pagne (traditional West African wrap), I sat on the couch dreaming of turkey and my mother’s pumpkin pie.
Soon, however, Vicky heated up our dinner on the gas stove. I have issues with this stove. To light, I turn on the gas, light a match and cautiously edge my hand forward. POOF, a huge flame cloud...
Watch
NYT: Gettleman on upcoming Sudan referendum →
For background, in 2005, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) ended a war in Sudan between the largely Arab north and tribal, animist south. In accordance with the CPA, Sudan is mandated to hold the upcoming referendum to determine a secession of the south.
Slow-moving preparations and disputed borders heighten the potential for sporadic violence during or following the referendum....
NYT: War Crimes Trial Begins for Congolese... →
A precedent setting case? We shall see.
Orphanage care
Four weeks in Douala and vague familiarity settles over the city. Once appearing as a singular mass of buildings, distinct quartiers (neighborhoods), such as the posh Bonapriso and residential Bonamoussadi are presently distinguishable.
My favorite part of the day begins around 8:00am. After my taxi drops me off at the Petite Marche (small market), in Logbaba, I greet Solanage, the SYFOEV...
NYRB: Foreign Aid for Scoundrels →
Thought-provoking article on the moral and practical difficulties involved with foreign aid.
