Batamaka Some from Burkina Faso, is a Doctoral student in Anthropology. Research is on Cotton Production, Economic Disempowerment of Rural Women and Environmental Effects in Burkina Faso. He hopes to highlight the factors underpinning environmental degradation and the marginal postures of women in the cultivation of cotton. Batamaka has taught for seven years in Burkina Faso, as a high school teacher of English as well as a professor at private higher schools and at the University of Ouagadougou. He has presented papers at conferences and received numerous awards including the Casa Grande Honorable Mention Award, the National Science Foundation Summer Research Grant, several Wenner-Gren Foundation grants, an Excellent Teacher Distinction award, and two Best Short Story Writer Prizes.