Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA) - NOTICE OF SESSION
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
4:30 – 6:00 p.m.
Galileo’s Gallery, Students’ Union Building
University of Lethbridge
International Repercussions of the Eco-crises: East Africa
The UN FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization) projects that the greatest
number of people in history will be starving this year, with over 1
billion going to bed hungry. In Eastern Africa, this reality is
exacerbated by persistent drought.
In a world threatened by simultaneous economic and ecological crises,
thousands of billions of dollars are made available on short notice for
banks and financiers. Should the poorest of the poor suffer even more
because of financial profligacy of the moneyed elite?
Justin Odera will talk about the plight of his Acholi people in the Sudan,
displaced by civil war and now coming home after 15 years from the Kenyan
and Ugandan refugee camps to face hunger, and a void in education and
medical care. Justin will also speak about those of his people who have
come to Alberta and how they are faring in this time of crises. In our
interconnected world, this is a story we should be told.
Speaker: Justin Odera
Justin Odera was born in 1973, during a period of civil war. His Acholi
family hometown was Pajok in the Magwi district, eastern Equatoria
province, Southern Sudan. Justin lived through twenty-nine brutal war
years as well as the fragile life in refugee camps, before arriving in
Canada in 2001.
The Acholies have been living along the shores of East Africa’s rivers and
lakes for the past six centuries. The traditional territories of his Luo
speaking tribe are the borderlands of western Uganda, north-western Kenya
and Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria province.
Justin is the Program Director of Southern Sudan Canada Acholi Progressive
Education Association (SSCAPEA), an Alberta based, non-profit organization
dedicated to health, education, economic aid and community development
amongst war weary families hailing from the refugee camps of East Africa.
Moderator: Alex Masse
Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Time: 4:30 - 6:00 p.m.
Location: Galileo’s Gallery, Students’ Union Building, University of
Lethbridge
Cost: Free
This session is co-sponsored by SACPA, the University of Lethbridge
Students' Union (ULSU) and the Lethbridge Public Interest Research Group
(LPIRG).
Visit the SACPA website: http://www.sacpa.ca
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