Episode 88: In the Grassroots of Democracy with Gemima Neves Barlow

Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week we meet our first Cape Verdian guest by way of Angola and New England in the United States. She's Gemima Neves Barlow, the deputy regional director for Southern and East Africa at the National Democratic Institute base in Washington, D.C. In in her 20-year tenure at NDI, Gemima has successfully implemented a wide range of democracy programming across the African continent, especially West and Southern Africa. Starting as Program Officer for Southern and East Africa, she supported electoral integrity and political party strengthening programs in Angola, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Over the years, Gemima has expanded her technical expertise on democratic development in Africa, managing NDI’s largest country programs in West Africa as a Program Director for the Central West Africa Region (Anglophone). She has also coordinated several large international election observation missions in such countries as Ghana, Nigeria, and Liberia and served in NDI offices in Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Nigeria, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Prior to joining NDI, Gemima was a program specialist at the Africa-America Institute (AAI) designing and implementing cross-cultural exchange programs for African activists in the areas of conflict resolution, good governance, citizen engagement and human rights. For NDI and AAI respectively, she also organized and led study missions to South Africa for delegations of Iraqi women leaders and U.S. Fulbright teachers. In our conversation you'll come away with a greater understanding of the grassroots work that is necessary in supporting a strong, functioning democracy and much, much more! Where to find Gemima? www.ndi.org (https://www.ndi.org/) On LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gemima-barlow-5295161/) On Twitter (https://twitter.com/ndiafrica) What's Gemima reading? Black Bottom Saints (https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B07Y89JXBZ&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_ZQR0PYVBE6G3W4YBHB67&tag=glocalcitiz0e-20) by Alice Randall Just as I Am: A Memoir (https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B07Y89JXBZ&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_ZQR0PYVBE6G3W4YBHB67&tag=glocalcitiz0e-20) by Cicely Tyson What's Gemima watching on YouTube? Amber Ruffin (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxej9nPf6TqFyfsiez1_P3w) Karen Brit Chic (https://www.youtube.com/user/WhereDidUGetThatNY) Angela Mashelle (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUWOuDU2xtjQwhkxt1q6Tjg) Cassie Thorpe (https://www.youtube.com/user/casscass2102) Other topics of interest: Africa-America Institute (https://www.aaionline.org/) Afrobarometer (https://afrobarometer.org/) Global Democracy Index (https://www.eiu.com/n/campaigns/democracy-index-2020/) On Dem Tech (https://www.wired.co.uk/article/government-technology) The Arab Spring began in 2010, more than a decade ago (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/arab-spring/) About Cape Verde (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Cape_Verde) *When you click and purchase books using the links above, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for your support! Special Guest: Gemima Neves Barlow.