My University of the World, a memoir by Neill McKee
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My University of the World
This memoir takes the reader ona many-faceted ride through my long career. In the opening chapter in 1970, inIndia, the reader joins me as a young cinematographer, learning my new craft“on the hoof.” I traveled alone on a shoestring budget on rickety old trainsand buses while documenting the lives of Canadian volunteers. That job lastedtwo years and, to boot, I married Elizabeth, an American woman I met in Japan,in a humorous ceremony in Lusaka, Zambia, after our honeymoon atVictoria Falls. The adventures continued when we settled down in Ottawa,Canada, to have children. There, I was hired by the International DevelopmentResearch Centre to roam the developing world and make about 30 films on theirmany projects in education, rural development, agriculture, post-harvesttechnology, fisheries and aquaculture, health care, water and sanitation—thelist goes on. Some of my creations won awards.
After 15 years of traveling,editing, and producing, I was granted a sabbatical to do a Master of Science inCommunication at Florida State University (FSU). These new credentials led meand my family to Bangladesh, in 1990, where I became the leader of acommunication team for UNICEF—the United Nations Children’s Fund. (Lucky forme, Elizabeth is an artist with a portable career, and her growing talent isfeatured in my memoir.) In Bangladesh, I applied all I had learned in myearlier years and at FSU. The highlight of the job came when I forged aregional team of researchers, artists, and program officers to create anentertaining TV/video and comic book series on Meena, an empowered animatedgirl cartoon figure, who cleverly negotiates withher peers, family, and community for gender equality in education, health care,and many other child rights. By then, I knew that stories, rather than simplemessages, would be discussed in families and communities—a better chance tochange behavior and social norms.
The success in Bangladesh led meto become the regional communication officer for UNICEF in Eastern and SouthernAfrica, where I led the agency’s early attempts to contain the growing HIV/AIDSepidemic and launched Sara, the adolescent girl—entertaininganimated film and comic book stories of young girls fighting for their rights.In 2001, I joined Johns Hopkins University (JHU) in Baltimore, USA, to dosimilar work, frequently traveling to Asia, and after three years I was askedto lead a JHU project in Moscow, Russia, at the time Putin was tightening reinson society. Except for a brief epilogue, my memoir ends with my final post inWashington, D.C. (2009-2012) as director of a large global communicationproject with millions of dollars to program and 140 staff members to manage—agreat challenge, employing all I had learned throughout my career.
Although I started as a “one-manfilm crew,” as described in my book, I was influenced and mentored by many ofthe multi-national people I met and worked with through the years. Theseexperiences led me to become a leader of creative teams; an author andco-author of books, articles, and manuals on development communication; afacilitator and trainer of hundreds of people; and a mentor of others. Ilearned how to negotiate around roadblocks and apply principles such as genderand racial equity, and skills such as emotional intelligence. My careerentailed so many changes and chances to grow and learn that I decided to titlethis memoir “My University of the World.”
About the Author
Neill McKee is acreative nonfiction writer based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. My University of the World: Memoir of anInternational Film & Media Maker is a stand-alone sequel to his firsttravel memoir, Finding Myself in Borneo:Sojourns in Sabah, which has won three awards. McKee holds a bachelor’sdegree from the University of Calgary and a master’s degree in communicationfrom Florida State University. He worked internationally for 45 years, becomingan expert in the field of communication for behavior and social change. Hedirected and produced a number of award-winning documentary films/videos,popular multimedia initiatives, and has written numerous articles and threebooks in the field of development communication. During his internationalcareer, McKee was employed by Canadian University Service Overseas (now CUSOInternational); the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada;UNICEF in Asia and Africa; Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; theAcademy for Educational Development and FHI 360, Washington, D.C. He worked andlived in Malaysia, Bangladesh, Kenya, Uganda, and Russia for a total of 18years and traveled to over 80 countries on short-term assignments. In 2015, hesettled in New Mexico, where he uses his varied experiences, memories, andimagination in creative writing.
Find Neill online:
Author’s website: https://www.neillmckeeauthor.com/my-university-of-the-world
Author's digitallibrary: https://www.neillmckeevideos.com/(These are most of the film and media projects covered in the memoir – producedby the author from 1970 to 2012.)
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/neill-mckee-b9971b65/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/McKeeNeill/
