Scholars at Risk speaker to discuss fleeing Zimbabwe radio job for Canada
February 27, 2020LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Farai Gonzo, a former Zimbabwean broadcaster assisted by the global Scholars at Risk Network, will speak at the University of Louisville March 3 about fleeing the African country after being tortured and imprisoned for critical reporting of the government.
Gonzo’s free, public talk – “Media in Zimbabwe: My Experience as a Journalist, Why I Fled Zimbabwe and My Journey to Canada” – will begin at 4 p.m. in Room 100, Bingham Humanities Building.
Her talk is part of the Scholars at Risk Speaker Series and is co-sponsored by UofL’s Provost Office and the College of Arts and Sciences’ philosophy and comparative humanities departments, as well as the Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Consortium. Scholars at Risk is an international organization devoted to protecting scholars and academic freedom.
Gonzo came to Canada after working as head of radio programming for the Zimbabwean Broadcasting Corp., where she went from being an international award winner to an enemy of the state for her investigative reporting of issues such as homelessness and access to water and education.
Gonzo is currently a Massey College fellow at the University of Toronto, where she is pursuing a doctorate in social justice education. She previously was a visiting scholar at Centennial College’s Institute for Global Citizenship and Inclusion and has a master’s and bachelor’s degree from University of Zimbabwe. She also has been a radio intern at the United Nations’ New York headquarters and a consultant for a variety of nongovernmental organizations.
In addition to her March 3 lecture, Gonzo will speak to faculty and students from various disciplines during her visit.
For more information, contact Tracy Eells, vice provost for faculty affairs, at 502-852-6720 or eells@louisville.edu. Information about the Scholars at Risk network is at www.scholarsatrisk.org.
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EDITORS: Gonzo’s photo is attached.