List of Speakers for the Women & Genocide in the 21st Century Symposium

Fatou Bensouda

Fatou Bensouda joined the International Criminal Court as their Chief Prosecutor in 2011 after previously holding the position of the ICC’s Deputy Prosecutor since 2004. Before joining the ICC Ms. Bensouda had served the people of Gambia in many different legal capacities. Between 1987 and 2000 Ms. Bensouda served as Senior State Council, Principle State Council, Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, Solicitor General and Legal Secretary of the Republic, and Attorney General and Minister of Justice. Ms. Bensouda then moved to the international stage serving as a delegate to the UN Conference on Crime Prevention, and as a delegate of Gambia to the Preparatory Commission for the International Criminal Court. She worked as a Legal Adviser and Trial Attorney at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. She then rose to prominence as Senior Legal Adviser and Head of Legal Advisory Unit from 2002 to 2004.

For FatouBensouda’s official International Criminal Court biography:

http://www.icc-cpi.int/en_menus/icc/structure%20of%20the%20court/office%20of%20the%20prosecutor/Pages/theprosecutor2012.aspx

Stephen J. Rapp

Stephen J. Rapp was appointed in 2009 as the Ambassador at-Large, heading the Global Office of Criminal Justice at the U.S. State Department. Before his appointment however, Mr. Rapp served as Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone starting in 2007. Mr. Rapp was placed in charge of prosecutions such as Liberian President Charles Taylor and other persons suspected of committing atrocities during the civil war in Sierra Leone. During this time he became the first person to earn a conviction on the charge of recruitment and use of child soldiers, sexual slavery, and forced marriages under international humanitarian law.

From 2001 to 2007 Mr. Rapp served the United Nations as Senior Trial Attorney and Chief Prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. He was appointedin 1997 as U.S. Attorney in Iowa, where he served two four year terms. Prior to his appointment Mr. Rapp worked as an attorney in a private practice and was elected to the Iowa Legislature.

For Stephen Rapp’s official biography:

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/129455.htm

Eric Reeves

Eric Reeves is a Professor at Smiths College who teaches a wide variety of courses, from Shakespeare to the History of Criticism, from Milton to the Technology of Reading and Writing. Professor Reeves has written about Sudan for the past 15 years and has become recognized as an expert in the study of Sudan and Darfur. He has studied Sudan’s culture, recent political crisis, as well as the humanitarian issues that have arisen as a result. On multiple occasions Professor Reeves has been consulted for advice concerning Sudan by humanitarian and human rights organizations. He has also been asked to testify in front of Congress several times. Professor Reeves has published two books concerning the Darfur conflict; in 2007 he published A Long Day’s Dying: Critical Moments in the Darfur Genocide, while in 2012 he completed Compromising with Evil: An Archival History of Greater Sudan, 2007-2012. Over the last couple of years Professor Reeves has been awarded multiple honorary degrees in recognition of his groundbreaking research.

For Professor Eric Reeves’ official biography:

http://www.smith.edu/english/faculty_reeves.php

Gregory Stanton

Gregory Stanton is the President, and Founder, of Genocide Watch, an organization dedicated to predicting, preventing, and punishing acts of genocide as well as other forms of mass murder committed anywhere throughout the world. Dr. Stanton is also a Research Professor in Genocide Studies and Prevention at the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution of George Mason University.

From 2007-2009 Dr. Stanton was President of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, and in 1999 he was Chair of the International Campaign to End Genocide, the world’s first anti-genocide alliance.

Dr. Stanton served in the State Department (1992-1999), during this time he drafted the United Nations Security Council resolutions which resulted in the creation of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, the Burundi Commission of Inquiry, and the Central Africa Arms Flow Commission.

He served as a legal adviser to the RUKH, a Ukrainian independence movement, for which he was named the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America’s Man of the Year in 1992.

For Dr. Gregory Stanton’s official biography:

http://scar.gmu.edu/people/gregory-stanton

Ndimyake Mwakalyelye

Ndimyake Mwakalyelye is an anchor for Voice of America reporting for many different shows. The television show that she is most well-known for is called “In Focus”, which broadcasts in Africa, in this show Ms. Mwakalyelye reports on a multitude of issues.

Ms. Mwakalyelye has a very strong interest in Africa as well as other developing nations, and puts an emphasis on the struggles of individuals (especially women and children) in order to raise awareness of the crisis that have arisen.

Ms. Mwakalyelye was born in Tanzania and raised in Zimbabwe, she later moved to the United States to go to school and achieve a Bachelors degree from Howard University and a Masters degree from American University.

For NdimyakeMwakalyelye’s official biography:

http://speakerpedia.com/speakers/ndimyake-mwakalyelye

Niemat Ahmadi

Niemat Ahmadi is the Founder and President of the Darfur Women Action Group as well as the Director of Global Partners for United to End Genocide. Formerly, Ms. Ahmadi held a position with the Save Darfur Coalition, an organization which is driven to giving a voice to the Sudanese diaspora spread around the world. She is one of the founders of the Darfuri Leaders Network, a group of over twenty US –based organizations, all of whom worked together to help promote peace and security in Darfur. She also served as an adviser during the inter-Sudanese Darfur peace talks in 2006.

Ms. Ahmadi has a long history of helping the people of Sudan during her career working with NGOs. She has held positions with Oxfam Great Britain, Intermediate Technology Development Group, and the United Nation’s World Food Program. She was also an executive member of the Darfur Assessment Mission, a coalition of six Sudanese non-Governmental organizations who documented human rights abuses in Darfur during the crisis.

Ms. Ahmadi was born in Darfur; she was forced to leave, however, after two attempts on her life. She then moved to Kenya before traveling to the US where she has been helping give a voice to the people of Darfur.

For Niemat Ahmadi’s official Biography:

Niemat Ahmadi’s

Khalid Gerais

Khalid Gerais is a board member of Voices for Sudan, an organization which works to give a voice to the Sudanese diaspora community and help end the political crisis. Mr. Gerais is also the co-founder of Nubia Project, an organization which advocates for the protection of Nubian artifacts and culture against the flooding due to the building of dams by the government of Sudan.

Mr. Gerais has participated and attended prestigious events numerous times, at the US State Department, US Congress, and Hudson Institute. He has spoken at many colleges and universities on the topic of Kush Heritage in order to help bring more attention to the issue as well as educating the younger generation on a topic which is not widely discussed in the classroom.

For Khalid Gerais’ official biography:

http://www.zoominfo.com/p/Khalid-Gerais/1468253653

Honorable Thomas H. Andrews

Thomas H. Andrews is President and Chief Executive Officer of United to End Genocide. A former Congressman from Maine, Tom most recently served as National Director of Win Without War, a coalition of forty national organizations promoting a more progressive national security strategy that calls for prudent use of military engagement. He has worked to promote democracy and human rights throughout the world including Indonesia, Cambodia, Yemen, Algeria, Serbia, and Ukraine among many others. A long-time advocate of democracy and human rights in Burma, Tom has worked closely with the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma, facilitated the creation of the European Burma Network and served as General Secretary of the Nobel Peace Laureate Campaign for Aung San Suu Kyi. Tom is a Senior Advisor to the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, chaired by former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Tom was elected to the Maine House of Representatives in 1982, the Maine Senate in 1984 and the United States House of Representatives in 1990. Tom also served as president of New Economy Communications, a not-for-profit organization providing strategic planning and communication services to individuals and groups advancing labor and human rights issues.

Marion Arnaud

Marion Arnaud is the current representative for the office of the United Nations Secretary General on Genocide Prevention. She is a strong advocate for discussing conflict resolution and has participated in numerous End Genocide Action summitsas a panelist. Ms. Arnaud works with numerous ongoing conflicts and works to bring awareness to political and civilian issues at hand by working with the United Nations Press Release. Ms. Arnaud has a Master of Arts in Conflict, Security and Development from the University of Leeds, England and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from McGill University. Her work focused on the Responsibility to Protect in Darfur, which she began upon working at an internship in 2006. Ms. Arnaud has also worked on various educational and humanitarian projects ranging from France to Peru. She has also worked with providing briefings of the United Nations to the public as the officer for the Project Officer at the International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect.

Ms. Arnaud has also participated in the 2000 Millenium Summit in which she worked on the reports on the status of crimes against humanity in North Korea and the responsibility for preventing war crimes.

Reverand Dr. Kemi Onanuga

Rev. Dr. Kemi Onanuga is the Founding President for the Pawla Organization and the Co-founder for the African Immigrant Caucus (AIC) as well as Ambassador for the United Nations. She also working on bringing advocacy to issues in Nigeria and working with Jesus House as well as MD State Coordinator for the campaign launched in response to the kidnappings of women and girls in Nigeria. Her work with Jesus House was to alleviating the damages of the violencein Nigeria and also in outreach efforts within the United States. She is an author and life-coach with her work as a role model well-known to young generation leaders. She also works as an administrative professional in Business Management and has a Doctorate in Theology. She is the Minister in Charge of the Pastoral Care Ministry at Jesus House DC and the Executive Director of the Redeemers’ Community Development Corporation.

Reverend Kimberly Barnes

Reverend Kimberly Barnes is the pastor Gethsemane African Methodist Episcopal Church in Landover, Maryland. She is co-pastor with her husband Reverend Ronald Braxton. This is her first pastorate position which she began in 2010. Before joining Gethsemane AME Church she was the assistant pastor of Metropolitan AME Church in Washington D.C.

Reverend Barnes also serves as the Executive Director and Founder of Voices for Hope. She has been volunteering in her community for many years, including volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club. When she was working as the assistant pastor for Metropolitan AME Church she became a co-facilitator of the Darfur Interfaith Network. While in this position Reverend Barnes organized many different protests including a protest on the Sudanese Embassy in Washington DC. Her activism lead to Reverend Barnes being nominated by the Washington Chapter of the American Jewish Committee to travel to Israel with a delegation of pastors and inspect the Palestinian Israeli Conflict.

For Reverend Kimberly Barnes official biography:

http://www.zoominfo.com/p/Kimberly-Barnes/1166954651

Jeffery Eide

Having spent a majority of his life living and working abroad, Jeffrey Eide became strongly intertwined with human rights and especially women’s rights in particular as a vehicle for progress in the world. The resistance to women’s progress cemented his passion. Now living the USA, Jeffrey heads the education and media outreach committee at the Fargo Rape and Abuse Crisis Center, where his current focus is The Redefining Masculinity Project, which aims to educate about attitudes and the role men play in preventing assault.

Professor Ahmed Adam

Professor Ahmed Adam is an internationally known Sudanese politician who is from Darfur. He gained his law degree from Sudan before moving to the UK to get a degree in public international law from Westminster University. Mr. Adam quickly became one of the most prominate voices for the people of Sudan on the international stage. He became one of the principle negotiators on behalf of the people of Darfur in peace talks sponsored by the United Nations, the Arab League and the African Union.

Professor Adam is currently working on a book called Darfur Betrayed: An Insiders Perspective which will analyze the peace process and the regional and international response to it as well as the Darfur crisis since 2004. From 2012 to 2014 Ahmed Adam was a visiting professor at Columbia University. For Professor Ahmed Adam’s official biography:

http://hrcolumbia.org/visiting/bios.php

El-Fadel Arabab

El-Fadel Arabab is a survivor of the Darfur genocide and has become an activist speaking at many events about Darfur and the importance of bringing President Bashir to justice.

When Mr. Arabab was only 12 years old the Janjaweed attacked his village. He managed to escape and get to Khartoum where he lived for years as a homeless child on the streets. He then found a relative in the city who managed to get him to Egypt where he stayed until 2004 when he traveled to the US.

Mr. Arabab is the secretary and lecturer of the Fur Cultural Revival Organization which is an organization committed to rising the governments awareness of the Darfur genocide, they also help serve the Darfur community in the Portland area.

For El-Fadel Arabab’s official biography:

http://endgenocide.org/el-fadel-arbab-arrest-omar-al-bashir-bring-justice-to-me-and-my-people/

Jo-Marie Burt

Jo-Marie Burt is a senior fellow at WOLA with her focus on Latin American Studies. She teaches political science at George Mason University and is acting as the co-director of the Center for Global Studies. Her research addresses political violence and state power, human rights and transitional justice, and social movements in Latin America.

She also directs a research project on the prosecution of perpetrators of grave human rights violations committed in Peru (special regards to its armed conflict) and in Latin America more broadly. For more information see the project website at http://rightsperu.net)

Zeinab Mohamed Blandia

Zeinab Mohamed Blandia is a Muslim peacemaker from Sudan and has been involved in creating community and maintaining peace in the Nuba Mountains which is one of the most conflict-affected and neglected regions of the world. She is the founder and director of Ruya, or “Vision,” which is an organization in Kadugli in the south and also in Omdurman in the north where Zeinab trains and cultivates fellow “women peace ambassadors.”She works in the Nuba Mountains to develop economic skills of women through teaching on subjects such as savings accounts. Her groups together identify conflict issues and work with peacebuilding at the level. She is also involved in the program “Women Bridging” which allows women to exchange vists within the state as well as trains illiterate women in solar engineering. She is working in training women in technology as well as conflict resolution methods in indigenous areas. For more information, go to: http://www.sandiego.edu/peacestudies/institutes/ipj/programs/women-peacemakers/about/zeinab-mohamed-blandia.php

Femme

Femme is a documentary depicting different voyages of women across the world who are involved in global society and the ways in which society can be healed from previous conflict. Women in this documentary discuss and lead in religious, scientific, historic, political, and entertainment issues that require advanced and multi-tiered solutions. The documentary seeks to highlight the work of women around the world in hopes of opening the door to conversation and women’s involvement in world issues. For more information, go to Femmethemovie.com

A Problem From Hell

Inspired by Samantha Power’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book A Problem From Hell, this multi-faceted documentary interweaves Raphael Lemkin’s struggle with the courageous efforts of four individuals keeping his legacy alive: Luis Moreno Ocampo, Chief Prosecutor of the ICC; Samantha Power, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations; Ben Ferencz, a former Nuremberg prosecutor still tenaciously lobbying the UN for peace, and Rwandan Emmanuel Uwurukundo, UN Refugee Agency Field Director.

Elizabeth Bohart

Elizabeth Bohart is the Director for Outreach Strategy and the Executive Producer with Watchers of the Sky. She worked with strategic planning in Eastern Africa and also worked with an UK based consultancy on assisted private equity. She oversaw the development of the film and its educational outreach that targeted middle and high school curriculum. She is a strategist behind the development of the film’s program and community engagement. She is also on the board of directors of Maloto which is a nonprofit organization based on Malawi. Bohart also works with a violence-preventative organization that works to teach young people conflict resolution skills.

Amelia Green Dove

Amelia Green Dove is a producer, filmmaker, and journalist. She was a field producer for the filmmaker Michael Moore’s Academy Awared feature documentary and was an associate producer for Bill Moyer. She worked as a researcher for the BBC Open University division in London and has worked with Edet Beluberg on The Recruiter. She is also the film outreach Engagement Campaign Manager for Watchers of the Sky.

Omer Ismail

Omer Ismail was born in the Darfur region of Sudan and is the Senior Enough Advisor. For the past 20 years, Omer worked with international organizations on human rights and relief efforts. He founded the Sudan Democratic Forum and helped develop a think tank for Sudanese intellectuals who were assisting with the development of democracy in Sudan. He also founded the Darfur Peace and Development organization to spread awareness of the ongoing problems in Darfur and worked as policy adviser with agencies in crisis management. Ismail was also a fellow at Harvard University for the Kennedy School of Government.

Bama Athreya

Bama Athreya is the Senior Specialist for Labor and Employment Rights at USAID. She formerly was the Executive Director of United to End Genocide which is a collaboration with the Save Darfur Coalition and the Genocide Intervention New York. She has spent many years with her dedication to human rights, ending genocide, and preventing human rights atrocities. She worked in the 1990s to expose mass atrocities by Exxon Mobil in Aceh as well as lived in Cambodia during the United Nations Transitional Authority attempt to end the civil war. Athreya also is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and of the National Committee on US- China Relations and holds a B.A. in Comparative Literature from the University of Pennsylvania. She also is an appointed member of the special Consultative Group on Forced and Child Labor and publishes on issues of child labor in countries abroad.

Norrie Kurtz

Norrie Kurtz was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1943 during World War II. Her family moved to a small resort town in upstate NY when she was 12. After receiving her Masters degree, Norrie worked as a speech pathologist in a school for neurologically impaired youngsters and subsequently as an audiologist for 20 years at Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital in NYC.

Ambassador Mathilde Mukantabana

Mathilde Mukantabana presented her credentials as Rwanda’s ambassador to the United States on July 18, 2013. The Washington post is Mukantabana’s first diplomatic position of any kind. She is also non-resident ambassador to Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina.

She came to the United States in 1980 to attend Sacramento State University, where she earned an M.A. in history in 1986. She also married a professor, Alexandre Kimenyi, who taught linguistics, ethnic studies, French and African languages. He was a Rwandan activist whom she had known in Rwanda. Mukantabana went on to earn another master’s degree, this one in social work, with the hope that it might help her rebuild her country.

Mukantabana began teaching history at Cosumnes River College in Sacramento in 1994. That was also the year of the Rwandan Genocide, in which thousands of Tutsi were massacred by members of that country’s Hutu majority. The same week that she was hired by Cosumnes River, she learned that among those killed were both her parents, three sisters, two brothers, six aunts, four uncles and all of her nieces and nephews.

Ikhlas Mohammed

Ikhlas Mohammed is a Sudanese youth leader with United States Institute of Peace’s Middle East & Africa team, with with responsibility for conducting a research project in Women Role and Conflict Resolution in Darfur. From 2010 up 2013 she was working as a translator and interpreter with United Nations and African Union Mission in Darfur in Zalingei. Currently she is working with UNAMID/ Khartoum Office in Security Section since 2013; she also worked as Volunteer Teacher with Sudanese National Association for Blinds from 2007 up 2010. She was working as communication and coordination secretary in National Staff Association in UNAMID, and Published Nafaj Magazine that discusses the National Staff concerns in UNMAID and the sociocultural issues of the local citizens in Zalingei and the role of the mission in Zalingei.

Ikhlas has a bachelor degree in arts and humanities sciences department of English language from University of Juba, and she is a master degree holder in Gender and Migration studies from Ahfad University for Women in Sudan.