SAR Press Release:

SAR/SRF scholar to give a talk at Kent State University on May 5
(Press Release - SAR-PR-05-16)

Dr. Emmanuel Tatah Mentan, a political scientist and journalist from Cameroon assisted by the Scholars at Risk Network will visit Kent State University, a member of Scholars at Risk, to participate in the Fourth Biennial Conference of the International Academy for Intercultural Research on May 5, 2005.

Dr. Mentan will participate on a panel that will explore conflict and mediation experiences in Africa. His talk is themed "Stopping War before it Starts: Testing Preventive Diplomacy in Twenty-First Century Cameroon."

The conference coincides with the 35th anniversary of the shootings that occurred on the campus of Kent State University in May 1970.

Mentan's visit aims to raise awareness about Kent State's participation in the Scholars at Risk Network by highlighting threats facing scholars like Mentan and ways university communities can work to defend them. Scholars at Risk is an international network of more than 100 universities and colleges working to promote academic freedom and to defend the human rights of scholars worldwide. For more information about Scholars at Risk, please visit: http://scholarsatrisk.nyu.edu or contact (212) 998-2179.

Before fleeing to the United States in 2001, Mentan was a vocal critic of the current regime in Cameroon. His remarks and subsequent writings put him at odds with authorities, and subsequently, he was subject to harassment, threats and violence. Fearing for his safety, he fled to the U.S. where he first worked as a visiting professor at the University of Minnesota and the University of Missouri. His current visit at Illinois Wesleyan University, a founding member of Scholars at Risk, is supported by a joint grant from Illinois Wesleyan and the Institute of International Education's Scholar Rescue Fund.

Kent State University joined the Scholars at Risk Network in 2002 and has been an important supporter of its activities to date. Kent State is working to bring a threatened scholar to campus for a longer visit. Dr. Charles Nieman, Director of Kent State's International Student and Scholar Services, serves as liaison to the Network. Dr. Nieman will be attending the upcoming Scholars at Risk biennial meeting and conference on April 28-29 in New York.

"We are so grateful for the support Kent State has given Scholars at Risk, particularly from Dr. Nieman's office, the Office of University Diversity and Academic Initiatives, as well as International Affairs," said Carla Stuart, program officer of Scholars at Risk. "Dr. Mentan's visit will be an excellent way to strengthen on-campus awareness of Kent's efforts to promote academic freedom and support threatened scholars," added Stuart.

Dr. Mentan's visit is part of the biennial conference of the International Academy for Intercultural Research to be held on May 4-7, 2005 at Kent State University. The International Academy for Intercultural Research aims to provide a forum where senior intercultural researchers, academics, and trainers can exchange ideas, theories, research and successful training approaches. Pre-registration is required for the event. For more information about the Academy and the upcoming conference, visit: http://www.interculturalacademy.org

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