John Aerni-Flessner
@lesothojohn.bsky.social
Assoc Prof, African History, MSU, RCAH.
Dreams for Lesotho: http://undpress.nd.edu/9780
Historical Dictionary: tinyurl.com/3tyha6jt
Publications here: https://tinyurl.com/ynvwp6c5
Lesotho, Southern Africa, development, borders, running, Michigan
Dreams for Lesotho: http://undpress.nd.edu/9780
Historical Dictionary: tinyurl.com/3tyha6jt
Publications here: https://tinyurl.com/ynvwp6c5
Lesotho, Southern Africa, development, borders, running, Michigan
Pinned
John Aerni-Flessner
Articles by John Aerni-Flessner.
africasacountry.com
Hello to all my new followers!
As handle suggests, mostly Lesotho/South Africa stuff here.
Academic writing can be found in above links.
Non-Academic Writing:
AIAC: africasacountry.com/author/john-...
M&G: mg.co.za/author/john-...
Daily Maverick: www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/johna...
As handle suggests, mostly Lesotho/South Africa stuff here.
Academic writing can be found in above links.
Non-Academic Writing:
AIAC: africasacountry.com/author/john-...
M&G: mg.co.za/author/john-...
Daily Maverick: www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/johna...
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
Important letter from the University of Michigan AAUP chapter and @aaup.org national challenging the expansion of surveillance practices at our university: umaaup.org/2026/01/23/a...
AAUP Sends Letter of Concern Regarding Expanding Surveillance at the University of Michigan
January 23, 2026Via email and physical mailDomenico Grasso, President, University of Michigan3190 Ruthven Building1109 Geddes Ave.Ann Arbor, MI [email protected] President Grasso,The AAUP (…
umaaup.org
January 23, 2026 at 7:03 PM
Important letter from the University of Michigan AAUP chapter and @aaup.org national challenging the expansion of surveillance practices at our university: umaaup.org/2026/01/23/a...
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
The song exists in the historical record as history of defiance to slave catchers, to family separation, to immoral detention and capture and forced migration.
January 23, 2026 at 7:40 PM
The song exists in the historical record as history of defiance to slave catchers, to family separation, to immoral detention and capture and forced migration.
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
"My mother, she sing and pray to the Lord to deliver us out of slavery," he said. "She always said she thankful she was never sold from her children."
January 23, 2026 at 7:40 PM
"My mother, she sing and pray to the Lord to deliver us out of slavery," he said. "She always said she thankful she was never sold from her children."
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
In 1937, W.L. Bost, at the time 88 years old, then living in Asheville, North Carolina, sang it to a WPA interviewer as an example of "one old song we use to sing when we meet down in the woods back of the barn" when he was enslaved as a child.
January 23, 2026 at 7:39 PM
In 1937, W.L. Bost, at the time 88 years old, then living in Asheville, North Carolina, sang it to a WPA interviewer as an example of "one old song we use to sing when we meet down in the woods back of the barn" when he was enslaved as a child.
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
Some history of this song. It got famous featured in O Brother Where Art Thou, included because Allison Krauss knew it as "Down to the Valley to Pray" having learned it from Doc Watson. But it is much older...
MSP airport. Clergy risking risking arrest and a huge gathering of protesters. The song is, “Down to the River to Pray.”
January 23, 2026 at 7:36 PM
Some history of this song. It got famous featured in O Brother Where Art Thou, included because Allison Krauss knew it as "Down to the Valley to Pray" having learned it from Doc Watson. But it is much older...
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
“The humanities are essential to a healthy, multicultural democracy... At a moment when human inquiry and cultural expression are increasingly devalued, we are proud to support organizations that keep this work vibrant and accessible for all.” bit.ly/4bMPd7J
MacArthur Awards $10 Million to Strengthen the Humanities
bit.ly
January 23, 2026 at 4:56 PM
“The humanities are essential to a healthy, multicultural democracy... At a moment when human inquiry and cultural expression are increasingly devalued, we are proud to support organizations that keep this work vibrant and accessible for all.” bit.ly/4bMPd7J
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
Clifton Crais’s book out in UK today:“In this radical rethinking of modernity,…Crais argues that the era between 1750 and the early 1900s – seen by many as the birth of the Anthropocene – should instead be known as the Mortecene: the Age of Killing.” #academics www.panmacmillan.com/authors/clif...
The Killing Age by Clifton Crais
Find out more about The Killing Age by Clifton Crais
www.panmacmillan.com
January 23, 2026 at 3:37 PM
Clifton Crais’s book out in UK today:“In this radical rethinking of modernity,…Crais argues that the era between 1750 and the early 1900s – seen by many as the birth of the Anthropocene – should instead be known as the Mortecene: the Age of Killing.” #academics www.panmacmillan.com/authors/clif...
New film on the #shepherds (#balisana) of #Lesotho, called #Kabelo. I believe it is filmed entirely in #Sesotho. Coming out sometime this year.
kabelofilm.com
kabelofilm.com
kabelofilm.com - Kabelo the film
Website for Kabelo the film
kabelofilm.com
January 23, 2026 at 2:41 PM
New film on the #shepherds (#balisana) of #Lesotho, called #Kabelo. I believe it is filmed entirely in #Sesotho. Coming out sometime this year.
kabelofilm.com
kabelofilm.com
@theguardian.com puts out a decent article on the history and present of #Siphuthi being spoken in #Lesotho and #SouthAfrica. It became an officially recognized language in Lesotho last August:
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
‘I thought it was going to perish’: the remarkable revival of an endangered language in Lesotho
Concentrated among 1,000 people in the remote Daliwe valley, siPhuthi has gained a dictionary, a Bible translation and official recognition thanks to intrepid linguists and activists
www.theguardian.com
January 23, 2026 at 2:25 PM
@theguardian.com puts out a decent article on the history and present of #Siphuthi being spoken in #Lesotho and #SouthAfrica. It became an officially recognized language in Lesotho last August:
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
Getting my book from the library means that the library keeps it in stock and people will find it and read it and the book will live and I love that for my book
Someone said to me, "I'm sorry but I got your book from a library." Nobody should ever apologise for that. You read my book! That's brilliant! I grew up hanging out in libraries and the idea of a world without them fills me with dread. Without libraries, authors, like readers, will only suffer.
January 20, 2026 at 1:56 PM
Getting my book from the library means that the library keeps it in stock and people will find it and read it and the book will live and I love that for my book
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
On the subject of World Cup boycotts, this is a story which ought to be much better known: why African countries decided not to compete for a place at the 1966 tournament. One of Fifa's most shameful moments, which hardly ever gets a mention.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-a...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-a...
How Africa boycotted the 1966 World Cup
The BBC's Piers Edwards explains the little-known story behind the African boycott to the 1966 World Cup, the only World Cup in history to have been snubbed by an entire continent.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 20, 2026 at 11:46 AM
On the subject of World Cup boycotts, this is a story which ought to be much better known: why African countries decided not to compete for a place at the 1966 tournament. One of Fifa's most shameful moments, which hardly ever gets a mention.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-a...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-a...
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
Just now discovering that #SouthAfrican academic and activist Renfrew #Christie passed away. He did his PhD on the history of #electricity generation is South Africa so he could figure out how to sabotage RSA's #AtomicBomb efforts during #apartheid.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/w...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/w...
Renfrew Christie Dies at 76; Sabotaged Racist Regime’s Nuclear Program
www.nytimes.com
January 16, 2026 at 3:40 AM
Just now discovering that #SouthAfrican academic and activist Renfrew #Christie passed away. He did his PhD on the history of #electricity generation is South Africa so he could figure out how to sabotage RSA's #AtomicBomb efforts during #apartheid.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/w...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/w...
Just now discovering that #SouthAfrican academic and activist Renfrew #Christie passed away. He did his PhD on the history of #electricity generation is South Africa so he could figure out how to sabotage RSA's #AtomicBomb efforts during #apartheid.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/w...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/w...
Renfrew Christie Dies at 76; Sabotaged Racist Regime’s Nuclear Program
www.nytimes.com
January 16, 2026 at 3:40 AM
Just now discovering that #SouthAfrican academic and activist Renfrew #Christie passed away. He did his PhD on the history of #electricity generation is South Africa so he could figure out how to sabotage RSA's #AtomicBomb efforts during #apartheid.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/w...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/w...
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
2/2 These giant salaries make the jobs too attractive for financial reasons alone and too valuable to loose; they seem to strain the relationship between executive leaders and ordinary faculty and stuff. They likely erode trust within the organization and separate presidents from their communities.
January 15, 2026 at 1:01 PM
2/2 These giant salaries make the jobs too attractive for financial reasons alone and too valuable to loose; they seem to strain the relationship between executive leaders and ordinary faculty and stuff. They likely erode trust within the organization and separate presidents from their communities.
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
Pres. Mantella (GVSU) points out Michigan's public universities represent 6 percent of Michigan's GDP by themselves.
January 13, 2026 at 3:35 PM
Pres. Mantella (GVSU) points out Michigan's public universities represent 6 percent of Michigan's GDP by themselves.
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
The four R1 public universities of Michigan have a presence in every one of Michigan's 83 counties, not just turtling up on main campus.
January 13, 2026 at 3:31 PM
The four R1 public universities of Michigan have a presence in every one of Michigan's 83 counties, not just turtling up on main campus.
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
Pres. Guskiewicz (MSU) is talking about the unique economic contribution of the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, a facility unrivaled anywhere else in the United States and a draw for researchers from around the world.
January 13, 2026 at 3:28 PM
Pres. Guskiewicz (MSU) is talking about the unique economic contribution of the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, a facility unrivaled anywhere else in the United States and a draw for researchers from around the world.
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
Part of the revenue is because alumni earned approximately $89.2 billion, $15.7 billion of which is estimated to be incremental earnings due to a higher earnings premium stemming from their degrees.
January 13, 2026 at 3:26 PM
Part of the revenue is because alumni earned approximately $89.2 billion, $15.7 billion of which is estimated to be incremental earnings due to a higher earnings premium stemming from their degrees.
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
The public universities are responsible for generating $7.1 billion in tax revenue per year to the State of Michigan.
January 13, 2026 at 3:25 PM
The public universities are responsible for generating $7.1 billion in tax revenue per year to the State of Michigan.
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
The public universities are directly or indirectly responsible for 129,311 jobs statewide (63,801 new jobs and indirectly
supporting an additional 65,510 jobs)
supporting an additional 65,510 jobs)
January 13, 2026 at 3:25 PM
The public universities are directly or indirectly responsible for 129,311 jobs statewide (63,801 new jobs and indirectly
supporting an additional 65,510 jobs)
supporting an additional 65,510 jobs)
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
That's a 28x multiplier for the $1.6 billion that the state invests annually in university operating appropriations.
January 13, 2026 at 3:23 PM
That's a 28x multiplier for the $1.6 billion that the state invests annually in university operating appropriations.
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
The net economic impact of the 15 public universities in FY2024 was $44.9 billion - in other words, public universities add nearly $45 billion per year to the entire state economy that would not exist without the universities.
January 13, 2026 at 3:22 PM
The net economic impact of the 15 public universities in FY2024 was $44.9 billion - in other words, public universities add nearly $45 billion per year to the entire state economy that would not exist without the universities.
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
The 2026 MASU Economic Impact Report is a commissioned, independent study of the economic impact of the 15 public universities of Michigan. The report is available here: www.masu.org/sites/defaul...
www.masu.org
January 13, 2026 at 3:20 PM
The 2026 MASU Economic Impact Report is a commissioned, independent study of the economic impact of the 15 public universities of Michigan. The report is available here: www.masu.org/sites/defaul...
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
A three-year $750,000 grant awarded to the Michigan College Access Network aims to bring humanities-centered education modules to incarcerated individuals across the state.
Story from @bensolis1.bsky.social
Story from @bensolis1.bsky.social
Michigan prison college programs get $750K grant to expand humanities education • Michigan Advance
A three-year $750,000 grant awarded to the Michigan College Access Network aims to strengthen and expand education programs in the state’s prison system. The grant will support the continued developme...
michiganadvance.com
January 12, 2026 at 7:44 PM
A three-year $750,000 grant awarded to the Michigan College Access Network aims to bring humanities-centered education modules to incarcerated individuals across the state.
Story from @bensolis1.bsky.social
Story from @bensolis1.bsky.social
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
My latest:
Leo Brent Bozell III is the conservative activist picked by President Donald Trump to represent the US in South Africa.
A history of opposition to the country's ANC during its struggle against apartheid makes him a controversial choice...
www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20...
Leo Brent Bozell III is the conservative activist picked by President Donald Trump to represent the US in South Africa.
A history of opposition to the country's ANC during its struggle against apartheid makes him a controversial choice...
www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20...
Why the new US ambassador to South Africa could strain relations even further
Leo Brent Bozell III, the conservative activist picked by President Donald Trump to represent the United States in South Africa, is preparing to begin his new role as ambassador after being confirmed…
www.rfi.fr
January 10, 2026 at 2:23 PM
My latest:
Leo Brent Bozell III is the conservative activist picked by President Donald Trump to represent the US in South Africa.
A history of opposition to the country's ANC during its struggle against apartheid makes him a controversial choice...
www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20...
Leo Brent Bozell III is the conservative activist picked by President Donald Trump to represent the US in South Africa.
A history of opposition to the country's ANC during its struggle against apartheid makes him a controversial choice...
www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20...