My University of the World

Distinguished Favorite, Independent Press Award (2024) for Career

Finalist, Book Excellence Awards (2024) for Autobiography

Neill McKee takes us on an entertaining journey through the developing world from 1970 to 2012. His memoir is filled with compelling dialog, humorous and poignant incidents, thoughts on world development, vivid descriptions of people and places he visited and worked in, and over 200 images (ebook and hardcover in color), all of which bring readers into his "University of the World." The story starts when he becomes a "one-man film crew," documenting the lives of Canadian CUSO volunteers working in Asia and Africa as teachers, medical doctors, nurses, engineers, agriculturalists, foresters, technicians, and a biologist. He learns the craft of filmmaking and meets and marries Elizabeth "on the hoof." The story is enlivened throughout by their challenges and adventures together, and Elizabeth's growing artistic talent and creations. Beginning in 1975, the young couple settles in Ottawa and starts a family, while Neill roams the world for Canada's International Development Research Centre. His award-winning films depict the agency's philosophy and search for solutions to problems in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, aquaculture, rural development, education, health, water and sanitation, and more. Then in 1990, McKee joins UNICEF in Bangladesh, and later in Africa, where he initiates long-lasting multimedia programs for child health, with a focus on empowering girls. In 2001, he moves to Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA, and then to Moscow, Russia, where he oversees similar initiatives. That experience leads him to a memorable last post in Washington, D.C. as director of a large global communication project. Throughout the short chapters and in a brief epilogue, McKee reflects on the long-term impact of the projects he documented and of his media creations. This is a book for anyone interested in world affairs and development, film and multimedia production, the use of media for behavior and social change, exotic travel, and interesting career choices.

Acknowledgments. . xiii

Part One: Learning to Make Films and to Love....1

1. An Itinerant Cinematographer in India....3

2. Making My First African Films....21

3. An Engaging Trip to Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, and Japan....37

4. A Lettered Love Affair....55

5. Forty Days in Ghana....69

6. Our Marriage and Travels in Southern and Eastern Africa....85

7. Serendipitous Transitions....107

Part Two: Juggling Filmmaking and Homemaking....113

8. Stretching the Earth, and the Filmmaker....115

9. Healthy Filmmaking at Home and Hearth....145

10. Getting an Education on Education....159

11. Making Films on Food for Africa....167

12. Documenting Oysters in Mangrove Swamps and Seas....181

13. Filming Fish from the Earth's Vast Oceans....193

14. Meanwhile on the Homefront....209

15. Harnessing the Monsoons in Sri Lanka....221

16. Clean Water and Sanitation for the Developing World....239

17. Finding Solutions for Campesinos in South America....263

18. Filming Multipurpose Trees Around the World....291

19. Adventures in the Forests of China and Southeast Asia....311

20. Uprooting and Retooling in Tallahassee, Florida....325

Part Three: My Years as a Media Producer and Facilitator....339

21. Becoming a Multimedia Producer in Bangladesh....341

22. Creating Our Own Kenyan Village....367

23. Travels and Creations in Eastern and Southern Africa....377

24. A Brief Sojourn in Uganda....395

25. Finding Myself in America....409

26. Russia: Life and Work in Our Last Overseas Posting....431

27. Our Final Period in Russia and Travels Thereafter....453

28. Last Post in Washington, D.C.....471

Epilogue....483

Chapter Notes....489

Repeated Acronyms....501

About the Author....504