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University of San Diego Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice

 

 

Women PeaceMakers Program

Made possible by a grant from the Fred J. Hansen Foundation

2005 Peace Writers Biographical Abstracts

 

Ozlem Ezer

Istanbul, Turkey

Growing up in Istanbul, Ozlem Ezer spent a great deal of time working with very diverse groups and organizations. Recently, she worked with the UNDP in Ankara, and served as a teaching assistant in various universities. With a BA in English Language and Literature, and a MA and Ph.D. in progress in Women's Studies, her area of expertise is on genres in women's life writing as well as women's travel literature since the 17 th century. Currently, she is writing her dissertation, volunteering at a women's shelter, and writing women's stories and interviews for a feminist journal published in Turkish. Ozlem enjoys traveling around the world, immersing herself in new cultures, people and languages. For the PeaceMaker Program, Ozlem hopes to combine her literature background with an understanding of feminism and journalistic skills to document Thavory Huot's story of peacemaking in Cambodia.

 

Lucia Gbaya-Kanga

San Diego, CA

Originally from Sierra Leone, Lucia Gbaya-Kanga's family left the country during turbulent times when she was young. She was raised in Philadelphia and recently moved to San Diego where she teaches Composition and Literature at City and MiraCosta Colleges. As an author of dramatic poetry, she has performed at various venues in Philadelphia and San Diego. Her work focuses on issues such as: fragmentation, displacement, exile, war, and relationships between mother and child. She is published in Sunshine Noir (an anthology published by City Works Press) and will have an article published in the upcoming edition of Chain - a literary magazine. She currently co-host a specialty show "illfonix" on KSDS Jazz 88 and is involved in various upcoming projects with community artists, activists, and educators. She is excited about the opportunity to document and learn from, the experiences of Emmaculeta Chiseya of Zimbabwe.

 

Emiko Noma

Portland, OR

Emiko Noma grew up in northern California and now lives in Portland, Oregon, where she is a student in the Conflict Resolution Graduate Program at Portland State University. Her studies focus on nonviolence and international conflict resolution. She has written for the Peaceworker , a monthly newspaper in Oregon, and recently presented a scholarly paper at a peace conference at the University of Notre Dame. In her undergraduate work, Emiko received Bachelor of Arts degrees in English and Religious Studies from York College in York, Nebraska. She has traveled extensively throughout Japan, Europe, and China. Emiko is humbled by and enthusiastic about the opportunity to work on the Women Peacemaker Project. Emiko says she will strive for her words to do justice to the life and work of Sr. Pauline Acayo of Uganda.

 

Maia Woodward-Dyson

Larnaca, Cyprus

Born to a Cypriot mother and British father, Maia Woodward-Dyson grew up in the United Kingdom after her family fled the conflict in Cyprus in 1974. Gaining a Masters Degree in Peace Studies at Bradford University, she went on to work with NGO's in Cyprus, the UK, Mexico and the Middle East, before joining the BBC. Currently a freelancer focusing on women, conflict, and human rights issues, she continues to be moved by the dedication of women globally working for peace. Maia is looking forward to using the written word, rather than her microphone to document the inspirational life of her Peacemaker partner, and to working as part of a team at the IPJ. She hopes that this experience may move her toward print journalism, and more collaborative written projects involving extraordinary women of peace. Maia will document the story of Mary Ann Arnado from the Philippines.


 

 

 

 

Contact Information:
Erika Lopez, MA
Women PeaceMakers Program
Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice
University of San Diego
5998 Alcala Park
San Diego, CA 92110
USA
Fax: 1.619.260.7570
* Alternative fax number: 1.619.260.7809
E-mail: erika.lopez@sandiego.edu