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ANU Africa Network
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This website was established in 2013 by David Lucas, and renovated and relaunched in 2020 as part of a project to increase awareness of Africa and African studies in the ANU and the ACT, funded by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Another outcome of that project was a major research report, published in August 2021, African Studies at the Australian National University and in the Australian Capital Territory, analyzing the past, present and future of the study of Africa at the Australian National University and the wider Australian University sector.
The major innovation on this updated website is the creation of the ACT Africa Expert Directory which lists experts on Africa from institutions around the ACT, primarily the ANU. We will continue to curate this list, offering a key resource for media, government and non-government organizations seeking expert facts and opinions on Africa. Individuals can request to be added to the list by contacting the website managers.
Another notable addition is the expanded directory of PhD theses on Africa produced in the territory’s universities, a solid measure of the vitality of the study of Africa in the city of Canberra.
Reviewing these directories, it is revealing to note that the vast majority of research on Africa is produced by disciplinary experts (environmental scientists, economists, demographers, etc.) rather than area studies experts. This means that the study of Africa is woven into the fabric of the research culture of the ANU and the ACT’s other universities in ways that are not necessarily apparent.
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Catherine Hamlin
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In a letter to the Canberra Times on 30 April 2020 the Reverend Robert Willson of Deakin, in a piece entitled ‘A life well lived’, noted while that the present pandemic had rightly dominated the news, the death of Dr Catherine Hamlin should not go unnoticed
Catherine was born in Sydney in 1924 and in 1958 she and her husband Dr Reg Hamlin went to Ethiopia to set up a school of midwifery in Addis Ababa. More than 60,000 Ethiopian women suffering with obstetric fistulas have received surgery at the Hamlin Fistula Hospitals
Over several decades the Australian government and AUSAID supported the Fistula Hospital ( see for example https://www.sydney.edu.au/medicine-health/news-and-events/2020/04/14/commemorating-humanitarian-catherine-hamlin-.html )
Here are extracts from the Official Obituary from Catherine Hamlin Fistula Foundation (see https://hamlin.org.au/obituary/ )
‘The world is mourning the death of Australia’s most renowned obstetrician and gynaecologist, Dr Catherine Hamlin AC, who died, age 96 at her home in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Wednesday March 18th, 2020.
‘Catherine, together with her late husband Dr Reginald Hamlin OBE, co-founded Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia, a healthcare network treating women who suffer from the debilitating effects of an obstetric fistula – a horrific childbirth injury.’
Her husband Reg died in 1993.
‘She was much-admired for her work in Australia and globally. She was twice nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, has been recognised by the United Nations as a pioneer in fistula surgery, in 1995 Catherine was awarded Australia’s highest honour – the Companion of the Order of Australia, in 2018 she was named NSW Senior Australian of the Year. In 2012, the Ethiopian Government awarded Catherine Honorary Ethiopian Citizenship and in 2019 the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed presented her with Eminent Citizen Award in recognition of her lifetime of service to the women of Ethiopia.’
In 2020 Catherine celebrated her 61st year in Ethiopia, having lived most of her life there.
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Nigerian art at the NGA
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The National Gallery of Australia in Canberra purchased six Bini/Edo items and one ‘Bronze had in the Udo style’ in 1973, some with interesting provenance.
Some of these used to be on display but are probably in store. At the time writing (April 2020) of this is irrelevant because the NGA is closed because of COVID-19.
One of the best items (with photos online) is
‘Bini or Edo people, Royal Court of Benin
Northern Niger Delta, Kingdom of Benin’
Portuguese soldier, firing a gun mid-18th century
https://artsearch.nga.gov.au/detail.cfm?irn=44148
Asking NGA staff about a ‘Benin bronze’ will not help.
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ANU Law: Dahl and Ochan
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African activities at ANU are often understated. Here are two examples.
MARCUS DAHL
The quote below describes the experience of ANU alumnus Marcus Dahl (BSc/LLB (Hons) ’18).
See https://law.anu.edu.au/news-and-events/news/ursula-hall-johannesburg-anu-law-scholar-pursues-passion-law-global-stage
‘Marcus recently concluded a six-month placement as a foreign law clerk at the Constitutional Court of South Africa. He described the country’s Constitution and Bill of Rights, forged amid the challenging transformation from the injustices of the colonial and Apartheid eras, as “some of the most progressive and aspirational such documents in the world”.
“It was a privilege and honour to be welcomed into South Africa’s highest court as a foreign clerk, and my diverse friends and colleagues in this country taught me much about the role of law and rights in society. South Africa is a beautiful and complex country, and I am very grateful for (ANU College of Law Dean) Professor Sally Wheeler having mentioned to me the opportunity to apply at a time when I was only writing applications to Australian courts.
“Australia and its legal system have a lot to learn by looking to legal systems overseas, which have tried things differently, and this particularly seems to be the case in the fields of human rights law, immigration law, administrative law and Indigenous affairs.
“South Africa and Australia have much more in common than one would assume, and I’m very glad that I ignored the advice of those who said I should never risk moving to Johannesburg, which I’ve found is one of the most amazing cities in the world,” he said
PRISCA OCHAN
Prisca Ochan is a Uganda-born law student. Identifying as an African Australian she was President of ANUASA in 2019.
Prisca reports that she
‘was recently recognised as an Inspiring Woman at ANU Law who is “reshaping the world” this International Women’s Day. In my interview I detail the importance of particularly acknowledging the varied experiences of women and how our intersecting identities can shape our experiences. I also talk about my hope for a more diverse legal profession in the future, one in which there are more faces like mine, among other things. ‘See
https://law.anu.edu.au/news-and-events/news/inspiring-women-anu-law-prisca-ochan