Malian organisations Dankosira and Voice4Thought Academy (V4T) have received a €120,932 research grant from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to develop an abolitionist mobile game.

In September 2021 a group of people considered slaves were attacked by other Malians for celebrating Independence day.

Slavery was officially abolished in colonial Mali in 1905. However, it is still ongoing, people are forced to work without pay for families that enslaved their ancestors. This is what is referred to as descent-based slavery.

UN human rights experts said. “The attacks brought to light the fact that descent-based slavery is still socially accepted by some influential politicians, traditional leaders, law enforcement officials and judicial authorities in Mali.”

The grant which is through Dr Marie Rodet from SOAS University of London is aimed to continue to make the history of slavery better-known and to raise awareness against descent-based slavery in Mali through a mobile game. The collaborators intend to co-design the mobile game with young Malian villagers from western and central Mali and make it ultimately a factor of peace.

Dr Marie announced an opening for two bilingual (French/English) student interns in the gaming against slavery in Mali project.

The skillsets needed are game design with a focus on narrative design and regional familiarity or history of West Africa. The internship is set to begin on the 1st of March 2022 and will last for six months. It is a remote work opportunity and the interns will be expected to work on average 30 hours per week.

Compensation will be €300 per month and the interns will receive this amount no matter where they are located in the world. The interns will be required to work closely with an international team of scholars and game developers.

They will collaboratively develop a narrative framework using Twine under the direction of the project lead and the supervision of VALUE Foundation. The narrative will be drawn from respectful cultural collaborations and research excellence under the supervision of award-winning scholars on the subject.

The work will be remote and communication will be through SLACK. Interns will be funded to travel to Mali and participate in a Twine Game Jame with Mali youth in summer 2022.

Desired Skills include:

Coding (HTML and CSS)
Familiarity or willingness to learn a (narrative) game engine
Game narrative design
Independent autonomous work
Interest in African public history
Familiarity with Mali is an asset

How to apply:

To apply please submit a CV (1-2 pages) and a cover letter (max 1 page), stating your motivation for your preferred position, and your relevant skills, knowledge, background, and experience. Please submit them as separate files and in PDF form. Send your applications to: info@value-foundation.org.