Mr Yilma Tafere Tasew, Editorial Co-ordinator

Yilma Tafere Tasew was born and grew up in Ethiopia. He was a teacher by profession. He left Ethiopia in 1991, to exile in Kenyan refugee camps. While he was in Kenya, Yilma was a refugee community leader. He has done a lot of advocacy for the refugee community and has worked as a social worker for the Lutheran World Federation at Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya.

While he was in Kakuma Camp, he also established the first Refugee news bulletin, KANEBU/ Kakuma News Bulletin. Then in 1995, with the assistance of two Australian students who came to visit the camp, he helped to be published a book called “Tilting Changes, an anthology of refugee writing”, which is a collection of refugee writings from twenty-eight refugees poems and stories from refugee writers, including Yilma.

In 1997 Yilma was invited by the UNHCR (the UN refugee agency) to work for the social and community services section in their Kenyan operation base at Nairobi.

In July 1999, he came to New Zealand under the Refugee Quota Programme, since his arrival in New Zealand Yilma has worked in a number of capacities in Wellington as an Education Consultant at Karori Learning Centre, as Cross Cultural Worker for the Refugee and Migrant Service, and at the New Zealand Immigration Service.

Yilma is a Public Speaker in Refugee and Diaspora issues. He has presented papers for government, NGOs, universities, and related national conferences around New Zealand.

One of the founders of Writers International ( NZ), a Writers group in Wellington, New Zealand, Yilma has recently published two volumes of Books: “Diasporic Ghosts” (2005), and “Agonising Wounds” (2006). Yilma has also recently completed a BA in International Relations at Victoria University of Wellington.

Dr Christopher LaMonica, Senior Editor

Chris LaMonica is a Lecturer in International Relations. His research interests include international relations theory and practice, African politics, and development issues. Prior to entering academia Chris worked with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, France, the Harvard Institute for International Development (HIID) in Cambridge, MA USA, and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in Lusaka, Zambia. Before teaching at VUW he taught International Relations, International Development and Sub-Saharan African History at Boston University and at the University of Rhode Island.

Current Research Projects

Chris is currently working on the second edition to his 2004 book on international politics. In this second edition, his aim is to further identify both parallels and differences of "non-Western" political thought with the "Western" classics as they are generally taught in IR theory. He is also working on a political history of sub-Saharan Africa, with particular attention to African political thought.

Ms Elise Googe, Co-Editor

A Kiwi Pom who grew up in Wanganui, Elise returned to the UK in 1996 to study Performing Arts before returning to New Zealand in 2000 to study Film and Television Production. Elise has worked for TVNZ and currently Te Papa as a Production Assistant and Event Producer. Elise has also worked extensively in Theatre, Lighting, Stage Managing, and Producing. Her hobbies include rock climbing and scouring second hand shops for old, collectible, ceramic pieces. She also dabbles in the odd bit or creative writing, producing poems for friends, family and her own personal journals.

Mr Thomas Banda, Board Member

Thomas Banda, born in Zambia now resident in New Zealand where he is currently working as Africa Programme Manager with Volunteer Service Abroad (VSA). VSA has been New Zealand's leading volunteer placement agency since 1962, placing people with skills and experience in carefully selected assignments in the Pacific, Asia and Africa regions. Thomas who frequently travels to Africa is in charge of overseeing the operations in the East and Southern part of Africa. The main focus of the VSA programme in Africa is to help reduce poverty, improve living conditions and create long-term sustainable livelihoods by supporting the development process within the selected countries of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Zambia.

Prior to coming to New Zealand, Thomas worked in journalism and as a Senior Investigations officer for the Anti Corruption Commission in Zambia. Thomas has lived in New Zealand since 1990. Before joining VSA he worked as an Analyst with the Community Development Group of the Department of Internal Affairs and was involved in the preparation of the bid to establish the Office of Ethnic Affairs. He holds a diploma in Journalism from Africa Literature Centre, a Pan African Journalism School in Zambia, a BA in Public Policy and an MA in Development Studies from Victoria University and an MBA from Massey University. He is also a graduate of the International Leadership Programme run by the UN Leadership Academy in Amman’ Jordan.

Thomas is past President of the Africa Association of New Zealand and is an active and supportive member of the African community in Wellington. His interest are soccer, jogging and world music.

Prof Margaret Clark, Board Member

Margaret Clark is Professor of Political Science. Before joining the staff of Victoria University she taught in Malaysian, Australian and North American universities. In conjunction with the Stout Research Centre and the Association of former Members of Parliament she has organised a series of conferences and publications on New Zealand political leaders. She maintains an interest in Southeast Asian as well as New Zealand politics. She co-ordinates the School's first year and honours programmes.

Dr Ramon Das, Board Member

Ramon holds a BA from Carleton College, an MA from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and a PhD from the University of Maryland. He has been teaching at Victoria since 1999. Research Areas Ramon works mainly in moral and political philosophy. He is especially interested in questions about ethics and international relations, as well as questions about what responsiblities ordinary citizens have to alleviate global suffering. Other research areas include philosophy of law, philosophy of economics, and moral psychology. He is currently writing a book on the ethics of globalization.

Dr Mourtada Deme, Board Member

Dr Mourtada Deme is currently Director for a CEPPS program in Nigeria working on electoral reform after the controversial 2007 elections held in Nigeria.  His research interests include institution building, good governance, the rule of law and elections in developing countries, with a particular focus on international election observation.  Most recently, Dr Deme coordinated the National Democratic Institute's Long Term Observer Mission to Sierra Leone's
2007 national elections. He previously served on UN pre-electoral assessment missions and worked on published a book entitled Law, Morality, and International Armed Intervention  in 2005, analyzing the effects of international democracy promotion efforts on domestic politics by using Liberia as a case study. He has also taught North-South Relations and African Politics at Boston University
and African History at University of Rhode Island.

Dr Deme received his Ph.D. in International Relations from Boston University and his Master's in international law from the University of Bordeaux, France.

Dr Victoria Mason, Board Member

Victoria Mason is a Lecturer at Lancaster University. Born in South Africa, her areas of specialization are Islamophobia and the politics of North Africa and the Middle East.