Newsletter # 5, Introduction

Hello dear SLAFMIG follower,

Here we are again with some fresh updates to dish up after a busy few months since our last newsletter in July 2021.

We start with the main news and activities from Mali. Assa and Aline report on the first forum against descent-based slavery organized by Donkosira in Kayes (31 July-1 August 2021). Marie Rodet also reports on her most recent visit to Mambiri (Kita region of Mali) in August 2021.  Despite his motorcycle accident, John Kalapo managed to make a best of video of Donkosira’s theatre tours in Diéma, Kayes and Nioro in August 2021.

Last July, in Bamako, an EMiFo workshop brought together administrative and judicial authorities from the Kayes, Koulikoro and Ménaka regions to discuss the issue of descent-based escalation. Following this training, a report with recommendations has been issued, which has been submitted to the Malian Ministry of Justice and the Malian Ministry of Territorial Affairs. One of our key Donkosira team members, Mamadou Cisse, has also given an interview on Kayes TV; which you can find in its entirety in this newsletter edition. Donkosira has signed an agreement with Kayes TV to cover our future activities in Mali.

Furthermore, this newsletter gives us the opportunity to highlight some of our interns and research fellows, who have done tremendous work for the project behind the scenes, these are Nolwenn Marie Marconnet, Aline Desdevises and Leah Durst Lee. They all describe what they have learned and taken away from the project for their future careers, now that they are leaving us and move on to new jobs, studies and careers. We wish them best of luck.

Lotte and Marie have organised an international writing workshop in Gilleleje (Denmark), where some of the contributors to our special issue on EMOTIONS for the Journal of Migration History met up and discussed each other’s work, some general concepts and methodological challenges in a lovely setting, close to the Danish Sea. One of Lotte’s new cohort of interns, Sophia Stille is sharing a short report on this.

Lotte has been busy in early July and early September with finally travelling down to Paris to meet up with some Gambana key figures and interview them about their backgrounds, experiences and knowledge about the emergence and activities of the anti-slavery movement Gambana in Soninke transnational space. A reflection on the filming aspect of these visits can be read in her blogpost.

Leah Durst Lee, Nolwenn Marconnet and Lotte Pelckmans have presented a paper at the online AFRAB (African Abolitions) conference, of which Nolwenn and Leah wrote a short impression. Nolwenn and Lotte also made a presentation on the role of social media in the Gambana movement at the MITRA conference.

Finally, Prof. Camara’s PhD student Fousseyni Diabate presents some of his research material on the importance of legal instruments to fight against descent-based slavery in West Africa.

We hope you all enjoy the read about our busy SlaFMig summer months.

We look forward to hearing from you!

With all our best regards,

Lotte and Marie

In name of the SLAFMIG project team