ImagiNation Afrika recently received a grant from the Tran-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership to begin a new, year-long program, called Men Na Nekk, which I was able to help lay the groundwork for. The project is aimed at teaching multimedia skills to students in southern Senegal, an area below the Gambia called the Casamance Region. Because it is one of the poorest regions of Senegal, the area is prone to youth radicalization, which ImagiNation Afrika is trying to prevent with Men Na Nekk.
When it begins, the project will reach several hundred students in three regions of Senegal through a variety of 15-day intensive camps. One camp focuses on leadership training and the promotion of moderate and tolerant ideologies. Two other camps will teach basic photography and film production skills, and they will allow students to make short films talking about what Islam means to them. There will also be a film festival where student’s films will be showcased.
The project is being organized in cooperation with some graduate students from the University of Michigan. My role in the activities surrounding Men Na Nekk has been to work closely with the graduate students via Skype meetings to finalize the list of materials needed for the project within the parameters of the $180,000 budget. It’s been great to be able to take on this responsibility in ImagiNation Afrika’s project because I feel like I’m finally contributing something to the organization.