Master and Mugu 227In recent years, a format involving conference scams has been gaining
prominence. Such scams invite people to register for international confer-
ences on topics i nva r iably associated w it h development d iscou rse—h i v/
aids awareness, racism and child abuse, youth health, and so on—and
aim to collect registration fees from would-be participants. The themes
of such bogus conferences would suggest that development workers and
academics are the primary target group. In April 2010, I received the fol-
lowing email for conference participation through the Listserv of the
Africa-Europe Group for Interdisciplinary Studies (aegis):
Following my role as the Chair of the UN-AU Panel on Peacekeeping
Operations in A frica, the Foundation for World Wide Cooperation, which
I chair, in cooperation with The Johns Hopkins University SA IS Bologna
Center, will present the conference “A frica: 53 Countries, One Union” to
be held in Bologna on 21 May 2010. The conference will address the strong
need for continental integration of A frica as a prerequisite for political,
social and economic development.
The Draft of the Conference Program is attached for your information.
I do hope that you will be interested to attend it. Should you wish to be
present, please fill out the Registration Form and return it to the e-mail
address indicated therein, not later than 10 May 2010.
Best regards,Romano Prodi
President
Foundation for World Wide CooperationOne of the list members, historian Jan-Bart Gewald, immediately replied:
“Why is it that I have a strong 419 feeling with this call?” It eventually
transpired, however, that the conference and the call for participation
were genuine. Although Gewald’s question was intended to be rhetorical,
its possible answer is disquieting. Romano Prodi’s letter had a number
of signifiers that sounded alarm bells: a prominent and internationally
renowned sender, internationally established institutions, and a confer-
ence title and theme that are—I regret to note—as full of development
jargon as any of the bogus conferences announced in 419 scam letters. As
fraudulent copies of genuine correspondence, scam emails have become