Fulbright U.S. Student
Grantee Newsletter

The Opportunity of a Lifetime

Sustainability is a word difficult both in translation and in assessment within the Ukrainian context. Ukrainian civil society is still at an early stage, and the response to human trafficking, even earlier. Yet there are over 60 domestic organizations in Ukraine that are active in the fight against this crime and my research has taken me to nine thus far. These nine organizations, spread across the largest country in Europe, have taken part in a series of case studies to provide me with a deeper understanding of the sustainability of their work, and indirectly, the issues the Ukraine still faces along its path towards creating its own identity.

The part of my program that has been the most revealing has been the self-assessment; this is when I ask the staff and directors of the nine organizations to answer questions about themselves, and what sustainability means to them. One very powerful story came from a young woman who suffered as a trafficking victim in Western Europe. Upon her return to Ukraine, she started her own non-governmental organization to assist other victims of trafficking. Her work has helped to provide reintegration services as well as legal assistance through a network of lawyers who work closely with her organization. When asked about her leadership style in the organization, she quietly bowed to her colleagues and said that they are the leaders in many respects, and that she will always do what she can to help victims of modern day slavery.

Elise Garvey, 2007-2008, Ukraine

As a Fulbrighter, you are given a unique opportunity to utilize your position and credibility to get a clearer view of the topic you are researching. In a part of the world where people still ask whether or not you, as an American visitor, are a spy, it is encouraging to be able to reach out to people and organizations under the Fulbright umbrella to make contacts on a still sensitive topic in society and government. It has been - and continues to be - the opportunity of a lifetime.

A Haven of Peace

I’m currently writing from the monsoon-drenched former capital of Tanzania, Dar-es-Salaam. About a month ago, I finished my Critical Language Enhancement Award studying Gujarati. I recently began my Islamic Civilization Fulbright grant, which was a type of Fulbright grant that was focused on the study of Islamic societies and cultures (it is no longer offered). People are constantly surprised when they find out that I’m not studying the national language, Kiswahili. My research in Tanzania addresses the Asian-Tanzanian communities, looking in particular at narratives of the 1964 Zanzibar Revolution and questions of identity.

Asians have been in East Africa for more than half a millennium, but the ancestors of most of the current Asian population arrived during the last century and a half during the British Raj. All of the remaining Asians have been touched and changed by Africa to various degrees, but they remain unmistakably South Asian.

The independence of Tanganyika and the 1964 Zanzibar Revolution mark a major turning point in African-Asian relations. The union of Zanzibar and Tanganyika to form Tanzania was never truly harmonious. Now, those tensions dominate the political landscape. 

Iqbal Akhtar, 2007-2008, Tanzania

I’m in a fortunate position to have a connection to Tanzania. My mother is Tanzanian from the Ithnasheri community, and thus I live with my extended family here in the city center. This provides me with exceptional access for my research, coupled with the fact that our family is originally Zanzibari, and left a short time prior to the revolution. I have travelled the country since I arrived and made many visits to Zanzibar itself. This is a country that has an unparalleled history, natural beauty and rare animals that are the stuff of legends. There are many challenges living here including obtaining basics such as water and electricity, but the cultural depth and hospitality make them manageable. I’ve met some incredible people with stories of a reality so different from our American reality. Spirituality is everywhere, and in so many dimensions. As a student of religious studies, I literally learn something new every day. Dar-es-Salaam is a unique “haven of peace” and provides communal harmony in a continent awash with political and ethnic strife. It has the best of South Asian culture and religion, and in many ways, it’s Emperor Akbar’s ideal of “Hindustan” created in a distant land.