Past events
An Evening of Southern African Memory, Brighton Fringe 2012
Tuesday 22 May
On what was the hottest day of the year so far, around 100 people gathered at the Friends’ Meeting House in central Brighton for a free evening of poetry and discussion about memory and identity in post-apartheid South Africa and its surrounding countries.
The event started at 6pm with people sitting on the green eating some homemade African food they’d picked up from our student volunteers, Diana and Jurate, in return for donations to the Southern African Scholarship Fund at the University of Brighton.
At 6.45pm we moved indoors and the audience heard from three fantastic poets with southern African heritage: Leeto Thale, Kate Kilalea and Kayo Chingonyi.
University of Brighton professors David Stephens and Gina Wisker followed their readings by opening up questions about the role of memory and identity both on a collective and individual level. They explored questions about memory within southern Africa itself, as well as for southern African immigrants living in England and raised questions about what the role of a poet should be: do they have a responsibility to be political and write protest poetry or can they be political if they are true to themselves and honestly reflect on their experiences – however banal the subject matter may initially seem. This led to some very emotive discussion among all the speakers as well as with the audience.
Kayo talked about the space in between his two identities: English and Zambian, and about the challenges as well as opportunities this creates in helping him to see himself and the world differently. Leeto spoke of the failures of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the social and economic issues that are yet to be addressed and the importance of south African citizens confronting memories of apartheid to be able to learn from the past. He also talked about the relationship between health and identity and the part memory plays in this, while Kate spoke of her sense of alienation when she returns to SA and the battle between her individual collective identity as a white south African now living in London. She said,
‘When I was studying at the University of Cape Town, I felt pressure to discover and reflect my poetic position in relation to South Africa. I spent a lot of time in the library trying to decide whether I would be a lyrical or protest poet. At UEA, I was relieved of these patriotic obligations because nobody was really that interested in my nationality. Until then, I hadn’t realised how hard I had been trying to represent a collective identity, and it was a relief to give it up. I stopped trying to write poems about South Africa (analysing and exploring it as a subject) and began to just use South Africa, no strings attached, as raw material for poems.’
The evening continued outdoors until 9.30pm, raising £230 through food donations and with many people expressing an interest in supporting the Southern African Scholarship fund whether through running similar events, donating, taking part in the university’s annual sponsored bike ride: Brighton Cycle for Southern Africa, or by becoming a trustee.
Brighton Cycle for Southern Africa 2012: a Green Week event
The second ever Brighton Cycle for Southern Africa took place on Sunday 11 March 2012, with 59 people cycling 40 miles from Brighton to Hastings. The event was organised by the University of Brighton, as part of its annual Green Week, to raise money for the Southern African Scholarship fund.
Twenty-five volunteers, from staff, students, alumni and friends of the university, helped make the day possible. The winning group were Caroline and Charlotte Little, Jonathan Burnill and Marco Guerreiro, and lecturer Cedric Christie who arrived at 11.50am. They beat last year’s record by 10 minutes, finishing in two hours and 35 minutes. Business student Joshua Aburrow-Newman braved cycling all the way back to Brighton, arriving at 5.30pm. We also had our first tandem cyclists take part in the event with School of Education students Emma Waters and Emma Furlong hiring their bike ‘Terrence’ for the day. You can view a photo album of the event at Brighton Graduate Association Facebook page and also to our Students’ Union Facebook page.
In total, we have raised an amazing £9528.78! This is thanks to everyone’s fundraising efforts and Santander Universities’ matched-funding of £2100. This means we are able to continue funding medical scholars from the Lusaka Teaching Hospital in Zambia and extend our current support to fund more scholars from southern Africa to attend other postgraduate short professional courses run through the university, which will directly benefit the wider community when they return home.
Brighton Cycle for Southern Africa 2011
The first ever Brighton Cycle for Southern Africa took place in September 2011 and raised over £7000 for the Southern African Scholarship Fund! The event involved 34 staff, students, graduates and friends of the University of Brighton cycling 40 miles from our Moulsecoomb campus in Brighton to our campus in Hastings. Product Design graduate Andrew Marshall stole the limelight by finishing in 2 hours and 45 minutes, while others decided to take it a more leisurely place and do some sightseeing along the way. Interior Architecture graduate Gregg Virostek sounded like he certainly made the most of the day, what with exploring Sussex campus, Middle Farm, Arlington Reservoir, an exhibition at the De Le Warr Pavilion, going for a swim at Cooden Beach, stopping of for mussels and a pint and finally exploring Hastings Castle, all while raising money for a fantastic cause! You can view photos from the day on the Brighton alumni Facebook page.
Public talk: Crime, Education and Health in Post-apartheid Southern Africa, 2 November 2011
The evening brought together three leading academics and a nurse consultant from the University of Brighton to discuss challenges facing South Africa and its neighbouring countries.
In two twenty minute talks, David Stephens and Peter Squires explored the links between education and crime and examined the impact of apartheid on surrounding countries. Melanie Newport and Eileen Nixon then outlined the Brighton and Sussex University Hospital link with University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia and how health partnerships can assist in addressing the critical problem of health care worker shortages in sub-Saharan Africa.
The event ended with a question and answer session between the speakers and the 150-strong audience of alumni, students, staff and friends of the university. Host for the evening was chair of the Southern African Scholarship Fund at the University of Brighton Students’ Union, Harvey Atkinson.
You can view the slides from the presentation below:
