Gabriel Faimau (2009, 2012 ISSRPL, 2012 EPA)

Gabriel Faimau received his Ph.D in Sociology from the University of Bristol, United Kingdom, in 2011. His Ph.D thesis focuses on the politics of recognition and the representations of Islam and Muslims in the British Christian News Media. He also holds a Master’s degree in Social Science Research Methods from the same university. He was one of the recipients of the Overseas Research Scholarship (ORS) offered by the University of Bristol in 2008. His research interest includes the politics of intercultural and interfaith dialogue, Muslim-Christian relations, religion on the Internet and sociology of media. He has published numerous research articles in various academic journals such as Journalism Studies, SVDVerbum, Perspektif Journal of Religion and Culture and Journal of NTT Development Studies. His Op-Eds have been published in news outlets such as The Jakarta Post, Common Ground News Service, Mmegi Daily, Tabengan Daily and Kupang Pos. He is also a Contributing Scholar to the State of Formation. He co-edits the interdisciplinary Journal of NTT Development Studies. He has been actively involved in various community development projects in Botswana. Currently he is a lecturer and Head of Research at the Kgolagano College in Botswana.

Joseph Gaie (2012 EPA)

Gaie is currently the Head of the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Botswana. He holds a Diploma in Philosophy from the Seminary for Zimbabwe, a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Humanities (Theology and Philosophy major) from the University of Botswana, Master of Science in Philosophy (MSc) from the University of Edinburgh and a Doctor of Philosophy in Philosophy (PhD) from the University of Essex. He teaches Ethics courses at the University of Botswana (UB). He was a visiting lecturer in philosophy at the University of West Indies and Open University of Zimbabwe. He is also a member of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at the University of Botswana, and has been a member of the University of Botswana-University of Pennsylvania (UB-UPenn) HIV intervention methods research team. Gaie was a Fogarty Africa Bioethics Training Program Fellow at Johns Hopkins University in 2010. He has done research and published extensively about HIV/AIDS epidemic in the context of Botswana. His articles appear in international journals, such as African Journal of AIDS Research (AJAR), Caribbean Journal of Philosophy, Journal of Moral Education, BOLESWA Journal of Theology, Religion and Philosophy (BJTRP) and Missionalia. In addition to numerous articles and book chapters, he has also published The Ethics of Medical Involvement in Capital Punishment: A Philosophical Discussion (Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2004) and co-authored The Concept of Botho and HIV/AIDS in Botswana (Zapf Chancery, 2007) with Sana Koketso Mmolai.

Pearl Magashula (2012 EPA)

Magashula is a Bachelor of Laws graduate from the University of Swaziland and is currently working as a legal officer for Universal Builders Botswana (Pty) Ltd, one of the largest real estate companies in Botswana. Before that she worked as an associate attorney at Sadique Kebonang Attorneys, a firm which amongst others, specializes in Human Rights Law and Family Law. Ms Magashula’s passion for Human Rights developed at a fairly young age when she volunteered at Lesang Bana Care Centre an organisation that advocated for the protection and assistance of Orphans and Vulnerable Children. The organisation had a feeding programme, a pre-school as well as care facilities for OVCs. Ms Magashula also worked with Save the Children Swaziland during her tenure with the University of Swaziland. She is interested in advocating for the rights of marginalized and minority groups and it was in pursuit of this interest that she wrote as her independent legal research paper (final thesis), as partial fulfilment of her Degree program, a paper entitled “Battered Woman syndrome, a Defence to Culpability; a View Geared towards Reform, Focus on Botswana and Swaziland”. Ms Magashula is a member of Ditshwanelo, a Botswana based Human Rights group as well as the Botswana Network of Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS.