CURRICULUM VITAE Dr. Rachael Diang a Official Address: Languages: Department of Theatre Arts and Film Technology Kenyatta University P.O. Box 43844, Nairobi, Kenya Email: diang a.rachael@ku.ac.ke/rdianga@gmail.com English (Excellent), Kiswahili (Excellent) French (Basic) 1. ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS 2013 - PhD (Film Studies) 2007 - MA (Literature, with a thesis on Film Studies) 2002 - B.Ed. (English/Literature) Second Upper Division 2. OTHER RELEVANT TRAININGS DATES INSTITUTION COURSE NAME/DESCRIPTION September-October 2015 OSSREA- Organisation for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa Research Methodology Training (A course on Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Approaches in the Social Sciences) Ongoing Alliance Francaise de Nairobi French Language Course (A course leading to Diploma in French) July August 2008 Maisha Film Lab Maisha Filmmaker s Lab, Kampala Uganda (Mentor-led, hands-on training in screenwriting, film directing and film production). February-March Infotech Training Certificate in Desktop Publishing 2007 Centre, Nairobi February-May Kenyatta University Certificate in Computer Applications 2001 Computer Centre 3. WORK EXPERIENCE Current Employment since August 2013 Lecturer, Department of Theatre Arts and Film Technology, Kenyatta University. My main research/teaching interests lie within Postcolonial Media and Cultural Studies, Research Methods, Screenwriting and Film for Development. August 2009 August 2013: Tutorial Fellow (Film Technology), Department of Theatre Arts and Film Technology, Kenyatta University. May August 2009: Film Research Assistant at Twaweza Communications, Nairobi, Kenya. (Researched for the Production of an award winning documentary film, History of Film in Kenya, 1909-2009) 2008-2009: Part-time Lecturer at the Department of Theatre Arts and Film Technology, Kenyatta University 2008 2009: Part-time Lecturer at the Department of Literature, Kenyatta University 1
2008-2009: Consultant Editor for Macmillan Publishers, Kenya. 2006-2007: Editorial Assistant at Longhorn Publishers Limited, Nairobi, Kenya (Edited a series of twelve pupils books on HIV/AIDS) 4. PUBLICATIONS Books/Monographs Diang a, Rachael. African Re-creation of Western Impressions: A Focus on the Kenyan Film. Saarbrucken: LAP, 2011. Book Chapters 1. Diang a, Rachael. Trans-formal Aesthetics and Cultural Impact on Sembene Ousmane s Explication of Xala in Sembene Ousmane and the Politics of Culture, Lexington, 2015. 2. Diang a, Rachael. Marriage and Sexuality in the Indigenous Kenyan Film in Human Sexuality in Africa: Beyond Reproduction by Eleanor Maticka-Tyndale, Richmond Tiemoko and Paulina Makinwa-Adebusoye. Published by Jacana Media, 2008. 3. The Status of Filmmaking in Kenya in Amakula Kampala International Film Festival Catalogue (2005 Edition) Kampala: Amakula, 2005. Refereed Journals 1. Diang a, Rachael, The Status of Women in Kenyan Film in Jahazi Reflections on the Creative Economy in Kenya Vol. 2, Issue 1, 2015. 2. Diang a, Rachael, Charles Kebaya & Wangari Mwai. Community Theatre and Development Practices in the Nyanza Region of Kenya in Journal of Pan-African Studies, Vol. 8, No. 6, September 2015. http://www.jpanafrican.com/vol8no6.htm 3. Diang a, Rachael. Ngugi wa Thiong o s Language of African Theatre Re-visited in International Journal of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, Vol. 2, No. 5, December 2014. http://www.ijlass.org/data/frontimages/gallery/vol._2_no._9/5._48-52.pdf Conference Proceedings Transcending Borders: Two Kenyan Films Traversing Cultural Boundaries through Diaspora in Across Borders: Benefiting from Cultural Differences. Nairobi: DAAD, 2005. Other Publications Two Years of Film Festival for Schools: An Adjudicator s Take in Edufilmer Magazine, April-September 2014 Edition 5. FILM PRODUCTION EXPERIENCE Producer/Director/ Executive Producer Drugnets (2015) A Fahari Films Documentary film on Drug and substance abuse among primary school children in Kisumu County. Producer/Director The Invisible Workers (2013) A Fahari Films documentary film on Capacity Building for Domestic Workers, funded by IDAY Kenya. 2
Continuity/Costume/Make-up artist Uhiki (2012), A documentary film Traditional Culture and Environmental Conservation, Directed by Matrid Nyagah and Produced by Kimani Njogu at AHADI Kenya with support from Rockfeller Foundation. Producer and Storywriter Our Strength (2012) A Twaweza Communications film produced with Support from Ford Foundation. CONFERENCE/SEMINAR PAPER PRESENTATIONS/ WORKSHOP FACILITATION September 22 nd 24 th Paper presenter and Panelist on The Role of Film in Development Communication during the 9 th FilmAid International Film Festival in Nairobi. August 19 th -22 nd 2015 Presented a paper on Representations of Gendered Identities in Kenyan TV Drama at the 2 nd East African Literary and Cultural Studies Conference held in Makerere University, Uganda. June 24 th 27 th 2015 Presented a conference paper on Appropriation of the wood Identity in Film Marketing Practices at the 2 nd International Interdisciplinary Conference on Africa Looking East or West? At Kisii University, Eldoret Campus. May 18 th -21 st May 2015 Presented a conference paper/film entitled, Drugnets at a NACADA Conference on Alcohol and Drug Abuse held at Bomas of Kenya, Nairobi. February 5 th, 2015 Facilitated a workshop on Film Production and Marketing at the Kenya National Schools and Colleges Drama Festivals Lake Region training workshop held from 4 th -6 th February, 2015 in Kisumu, Kenya. December 2 nd, 2014 Presented a paper, Representation of Wartime Gender Spaces in Rwanda Genocide Films, at a seminar organized by the School of English Philology, Free University, Berlin, Germany. October 29 th, 2014 Presented a paper, Practices and Efficacies of Community Theatre in Fostering Development in Nyanza, Kenya, at the First International Research Conference held between 29 th -31 st October at Chuka Univeristy, Chuka, Kenya. October 28 th, 2014 Facilitated a workshop on Film Criticism at the Udada International Women s Film Festivals (25 th -29 th October, 2014) at Goethe Institut, Nairobi, Kenya. September 3 rd 2014 Presented a paper on Grounding Popular Images in Transnational African Cinemas at DAAD Project, North South Literary and Cultural Interactions: Movements 1-5 September 2014 at Free University, Berlin, Germany. August 13 th 2014 Panelist and presenter on Refugee Protection in Kenya and the Impact of Film and Alternative Media on Social Change at FilmAid International s 8 th Annual Film Festival held from August 12 th -13 th 2014 at Alliance Francaise Nairobi Kenya. September 2013 - Themes in Kenyan Film: Seasons and Reasons presented at East Africa @ Fifty conference held from 10 th 12 th September 2013 at the University of Nairobi, Kenya. June 21 st 2013 The Role of Critical Analysis in the Development of a Film Industry presented at Kenya Film Commission s Annual Film Conference and Exhibition held at Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Nairobi, Kenya. 3
June 21 st 2013 Style and Content in Selected Message Kenyan Message Films: 1980-2009 presented at the Post-graduate Seminar organized by and held at Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya. February 2013 Facilitated a film production workshop for Kenya Film Commission in Nyeri, Kenya September 2012 African Cinema and the Evolving Masculinities Paper presented at the Scholars Network on the Wellbeing of African American Men Conference held from 14 th - 16 th September 2012 at the Mason Inn and Hotel, Fairfax, Virginia, USA. May 2012 - Facilitated a one-week screenwriting workshop for Kenya Film Commission in Mombasa, Kenya. May 2011 Facilitated a one-week screenwriting workshop for Kenya Film Commission in Kisumu, Kenya. July 2009 - Of Oral Traditions and Film in Africa: The Kenyan Situation presented at a Seminar on Remembering Prof. Atieno Odhiambo and Bantu Mwaura, organized by Twaweza Communications at the Goethe Institut, Nairobi, Kenya. October 2008 - What is Kenyan Cinema? A Historical Explication presented at the Women s Panorama under the theme of Women in Kenyan Cinema organised by the Kenya International Film Festival held from 22 nd October -2 nd November 2008 in Nairobi, Kenya. September 2005 - Oral Narratives and Film in East Africa: An Example of Simbi Nyaima presented at the East African Film Congress organised by Amakula Kampala International Film Festival held from 15 th 25 th September 2005 in Kampala, Uganda. July 2005 Quest for Identity in the Films from the Dhow Countries: The Case of Fungu la Kukosa and Naliaka is Going presented at the Monsoons and Migrations conference organised by the 8 th Zanzibar International Film Festival held between 1 st 10 th July 2005 in Zanzibar. 6. PARTICIPATION IN CONFERENCES/WORKSHOPS/SEMINARS January 27 th -31 st, 2015 Participated in National Workshop for Drama Festival Trainers held at the Kenya School of Government, Baringo, Kabarnet, Kenya. April 23 rd -25 th, 2014 - Participated in Leadership and Entrepreneurship Conference organized by Pan-African Christian University, Nairobi, Kenya June 28 th 30 th 2013 Participated in Screen Production and Research conference held within the 16 th Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF), 2013, jointly organized by ZIFF and Murdoch University in Zanzibar. January 2011 January 2013 A participant in a Film/Theatre for Development in East Africa workshop series organized and led by Prof. Jane Plastow, University of Leeds, UK. 4
July 2012 Participated in a SONY Professional workshop on Camera Angles conducted under AITEC - Broadcast Film and Africa Music Conference Held at Oshwal Centre, Nairobi on 10 th and 11 th July, 2012. November 17-20, 2011 Participated in African Studies Association Annual meeting in Washington, DC, USA. 7. POSTGRADUATE SUPERVISION Student Name Thesis Title University Year of graduation Addamms Gender Micro-aggression Motif in Kenyatta University Dec. 2014 Mututa Films Featuring Steven Kanumba Francis M. Cinematography in Hillary Ng weno s Kenyatta University Thesis Irungu The Making of a Nation Submitted Ladislaus Dynamics of Space in Scene Design in Kenyatta University Ongoing Ondieki Gabriel Kimani Thuku Selected Kenyan Films Narrative Disposition of Non-verbal Elements of Sound Design in Selected Kenyan Drama Films Kenyatta University Ongoing 8. ADMINISTRATIVE EXPERIENCE July 2015 Appointed member of the committee spearheading the establishment of Kenyatta University TV station (KUTV) and head of the sub-committee on Overall Content Quality Assurance. June 2014 to date Appointed Assistant Organizing Secretary for the Association of Film Producing Educational Institutions in Kenya (AFPEIK) August 2013 to date - Appointed Postgraduate Studies/Colloquium Coordinator and Advisor for the Department of Theatre Arts and Film, Kenyatta University. 2010 - Appointed member of the organizing Committee and Head of Drama Subcommittee for Kenyatta University s annual Culture Week festivals. 2009 to 2013 Appointed Examinations Coordinator for the Department of Theatre Arts and Film Technology, Kenyatta University, Kenya. 2006 Appointed member of the secretariat for the 2006 edition of Kenyatta University s Culture Week. October 2005 Appointed member of the organizing committee for the 2005 edition of African Cineweek of Nairobi 9. MEMBERSHIPS AND OTHER PROFESSIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO SOCIETY October 2015 A member of the film Judging panel at Udada, Women s International Film Festival, held from 15 th -20 th October, 2015 in Nairobi. June 2015 to date Member of Association of Media Women in Kenya. 5
April 7 th -17 th 2015 - Appointed National Film adjudicator for the annual film festival within Kenya National Schools and Colleges Drama Festival, held in Nakuru, Kenya. June 2014 to date Appointed Assistant Secretary and Member of Association of Film Producing Educational Institutions in Kenya (AFPEIK) January 2014 to date Member of Kenya Film and Television Producers Association April 16 th -24 th, 2013- Appointed National Film adjudicator for the annual film festival within Kenya National Schools and Colleges Drama Festival, held in Mombasa, Kenya. April 8 th 20 th 2012 Appointed National Film adjudicator for the inaugural film festival within Kenya National Schools and Colleges Drama Festival held in Kakamega, Kenya. 2010 Appointed member of the organizing committee for the annual Kenyatta University Culture Week. 2009 to date Member of Kenya Non-fiction Authors Association. October 2005 Appointed member of the Jury for African Cineweek of Nairobi, a Nairobi-based film festival (Later, Kenya International Film Festival) 10. PERSONAL INTERESTS Freelance Editing Works Edited Include 2015 The Judiciary: Report on Baseline Employee Engagement/Satisfaction and Work Environment Survey by Sigmund Peak International Ltd. 2015 The Judiciary: Baseline Customer Satisfaction Survey By Sigmund International Ltd. 2014 Environmental Factors and Procurement Regulatory Compliance by Public Universities in Kenya by Kennedy Nyambega Ombuki, PhD thesis, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. 2008 to 2009 Editing/Proofreading English and Literature books for Macmillan Kenya (Publishers) Ltd. 2008 Death Strike (a novel) by Wallace Mbugua. 2008 Opportunities and Challenges of Community- based Conservation in Naro Moru, Mount Kenya (Thesis) by Veronica Ngima, Kenyatta University. 2008 Shifting Irrigation and its Effects on Community Livelihood and Environmental Quality: a Case of Lower Ewaso Nyiro, Isiolo District (Dissertation) by Nicodemus N. Nzombe, Kenyatta University. 2008 Assessing the Effectiveness of Imenti Forest Reserve s Electric Fence in Mitigating Human- wildlife Conflict in Meru Central District, Kenya (dissertation) by Rose Kaugiria, Kenyatta University. 2006 An Assessment of the Needs of Orphaned and Vulnerable Children within Central Division, Mwingi District, Kenya (dissertation) by Patricia Nzilu, Kenyatta University. 2006 Factors in Initial Drug Use among Students in Mixed Public Day Secondary 6
Schools in Nairobi Province (dissertation) by Priscah Riunga Kangai, Kenyatta University. 2006 Disaster Management and Extreme Events in Kenya by Isaac Kirui and Nelson Mango (book chapter) Kenyatta University. 2001 Husbanding the Land: Agrarian Revolution and Socio- technical Regimes in Luoland, Kenya by Nelson Mango (PhD thesis) Wageningen University, The Netherlands. 11. REFEREES Available on Request. 7