Call for Papers

Gambian Renaissance: Reducing Dystopic Frontiers

Banjul, The Gambia

29^th and 30^th of June, 2018

Today, the slogan ‘New Gambia’ is almost on everybody’s lips. It is easy to imagine that the phrase is being used to depict the period after Jammeh’s autocratic regime when democratic ideals and basic universal human rights were suspended and trampled upon. Although the Jammeh regime’s demise may have given the term ‘New Gambia” greater public recognition, it is essential that we open up the field of discussion centred around our shared responsibility in shaping the direction of travel of the new Gambia.

The buzz term ‘New Gambia’ translated as Gambian Renaissance reveals a can’t-wait posture, an impatience towards the adoption of new paradigms for the development of The Gambia in all spheres of endeavour: democracy, education, entrepreneurship, governance, sports for health and wealth, etc. In this regard, a pertinent question the new Gambian is expected to ask and help provide an answer to is “What are the people’s responsibilities in the arduous task of rebuilding the New Gambia?” ‘People’ is used here advisedly: anyone identifying him/herself with The Gambia has the right to contribute to this discourse.

As the country has begun a new political life, with hopes of true democracy in the offing, the New Gambia Movement in collaboration with the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of The Gambia, wishes to provide the space to debate and discuss issues predicated on various axes of development, with a view to exploring and proposing policies that will help revamp the different sectors of human endeavor in The Gambia. In view of this, individuals are invited to develop papers to be presented in an international colloquium scheduled for the 29^th and 30^th of June, 2018.

Areas of discussion shall include but not limited to the following broad thematic areas:

Civic education and the production of responsible citizens
Women and gender roles in the New Gambia
Sustainable Tourism
Role of Gambians in sustained transformative changes in the new Gambia
Harnessing education for good governance
Legal reforms
Press freedom
Youth employment (unemployment and underemployment)
Assessing and Reforming Gambia’s electoral system
Improving our health delivery system
Promoting respect for human rights and the rule of law
Local governance system
Leadership and mentorship schemes
Entrepreneurship, etc.

Colloquium proposals should include the following information:

Lecture, communication or round table discussion (or workshop), drama
Presentation of the general problematic
Presentation of the main points and topics studied
Examples to illustrate your point
Key Words (5)
First and last names of the speaker (or speakers)
Institutional affiliation of presenter (s) (university, centre, faculty, laboratory, etc.) or Corresponding or email address or presenter

Submission of proposals:

Interested individuals are invited to develop papers to be presented at the international colloquium scheduled for the 29^th and 30^th of June, 2018. Interested individuals are asked to send their biodata together with their abstracts/proposals not exceeding 250 words or short movie no more than 5 mins long to the address below on or before the 15^th of December, 2017: [log in to unmask]

The Committee of the colloquium will evaluate all the abstracts/movies.

Timetable:

Selection of papers: February 1, 2018
Selected participants notified: February 25, 2018
Distribution of the provisional programme: May 30, 2018
Final programme: June 15, 2018
Colloquium Dates: 29^th and 30^th of June, 2018.

Venue of Colloquium:

The Colloquium will take place at the School of Arts and Sciences, The University of The Gambia.

Warm wishes,
New Gambia Movement.