̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge - Rowan Williams

20 Years of Mandela Magdalene Scholarships

ta385 — Fri, 06 Nov 2015 12:04:19 +0000

Honoured by the presence of His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene of Ghana, the event celebrated the increasing strength of Cambridge’s relationships in Africa and the exciting prospect of establishing the ̽��ֱ��’s first Professorship in African Archaeology.

̽��ֱ��Mandela scholarship scheme supports South African graduates of outstanding academic ability and leadership potential to take up a place at Cambridge. Successful applicants are expected to return to South Africa to work or study after completing their course to ensure that their knowledge is shared at home.

In 1995, Nelson Mandela wrote to Magdalene to approve the use of his name for the scholarship: “Our country is in dire need of skilled men and women to service our new democracy. We are deeply grateful that Magdalene College took the initiative to assist."

Among those who have benefited from the scholarship scheme is Dr Jongi Joseph Klaas, a shepherd boy from South Africa’s Eastern Cape who went on to become an academic, government advisor and diplomat. Dr Klass received a PhD in Sociology from the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge as a Mandela Magdalene Scholar and later returned to South Africa to teach at Rhodes ̽��ֱ��. He then joined his country’s government, serving as an expert to the United Nations Security Council in New York and as a diplomat in Ethiopia.

To mark the scheme’s twentieth anniversary, the Master of Magdalene College, Dr Rowan Williams, received the Asantehene and his entourage, together with leading scholars of the African continent. Together, they participated in a pivotal discussion about the achievements and future of African archaeology. In his keynote speech, the Asantehene expressed his support for further initiatives to bring African students to study in Cambridge, and the importance of developing a history of Africa by Africans.

Professor Cyprian Broodbank, Director of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research at Cambridge, then invited Dr Catherine Namono ( ̽��ֱ�� of the Witwatersrand), Professor Adebayo Folorunso ( ̽��ֱ�� of Ibadan) and Professor David Phillipson (Cambridge) to present their visions for African Archaeology. Dr Namono drew on her personal experience as Uganda’s first female archaeologist to discuss the transformation of African archaeology and the importance of reclaiming knowledge production for Africans, a message reiterated by her fellow speakers.

Nelson Mandela gave his blessing to the idea of establishing a Professorship in African Archaeology at Cambridge. Of all the world’s inhabited continents, Africa, the crucible of civilisation, is the least well understood in terms of its archaeology. Cambridge has a long tradition of working with African archaeologists but a lack of senior academic leadership in the field poses an obstacle to further advances.

̽��ֱ��Mandela scholarship anniversary therefore provided an auspicious occasion to launch an endowment campaign which, it is hoped, will make this Professorship a reality.

On 16-18 October, Cambridge launched its largest philanthropic campaign to date. ̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� and Colleges are seeking to raise £2 billion to support investment in research, education and resources to ensure that Cambridge continues to have a global impact for generations to come. For more information on the campaign and the initiatives it supports, see cam.ac.uk/YoursCambridge

Magdalene College recently celebrated the twentieth anniversary of the Mandela Magdalene scholarships which support graduates from South Africa in pursuing postgraduate study at Cambridge.

Our country is in dire need of skilled men and women to service our new democracy

Nelson Mandela (1995)

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GCSE students discover the wonders of German

ta385 — Thu, 18 Jun 2015 13:32:27 +0000

This goes down well with the assembled crowd, 115 GCSE and A-level students, accompanied by 37 teachers, representing 30 schools from across the UK.

̽��ֱ��event (held on 13 June at Murray Edwards College) is part of the Cambridge Online German for Schools (COGS) programme run by the ̽��ֱ��’s Department of German and Dutch.

Other highlights of the day include a talk by Mike Mitchell, an award-winning translator of German literature into English; workshops and a panel discussion on the merits of translation.

Among the distinguished panelists is Dr Rowan Williams, Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge, and himself a translator of German poetry. Dr Williams describes growing up in a bilingual household and how this continues to inform his love of and respect for translation. Yet more inspiration comes from Duncan Large, Director of the British Centre of Literary Translation, Paul Kaye from the European Commission and Fiona Rintoul, a writer and translator.

During the course of the day, speakers, students and teachers exchange views about the joys and frustrations of translation, but are unanimous about the cultural importance of learning languages.

̽��ֱ��day ends with Cambridge’s Dr John Guthrie giving a talk to launch 'Germans in Britain', a touring exhibition from the Migration Museum Project, which is currently on display at Murray Edwards College, followed by a Q&A about studying German at the ̽��ֱ�� today.

̽��ֱ��event was generously supported by the Schröder Fund, Cambridge.

̽��ֱ��Cambridge German Network is part of the wider Think German Network initiative across the UK. ̽��ֱ��aim of the network is to support the teaching and learning of the German language, to facilitate contacts between institutions interested in German culture and to promote the collaboration of academic and business partners.

COGS is a forum developed by the Department of German and Dutch at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge for teachers of German at all levels to share user-reviewed classroom materials.

“A human translator will beat any machine any day” proclaims Klaus Fritz, the translator of the Harry Potter books into German.

“A human translator will beat any machine any day”

Klaus Fritz, translator of Harry Potter into German

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A memorial to Nelson Mandela to mark centenary of Arch and Anth tripos

th288 — Thu, 12 Mar 2015 11:41:36 +0000

451 delegates from around the world attended the Centenary celebration of the establishment of the Archaeology and Anthropology degree at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge.

̽��ֱ��degree has attracted a broad range of participants including royalty, politicians and diplomats as well as leading academics.

Events included a reception in the Archaeology and Anthropology Museum and a formal dinner at Magdalene College where College Master Dr Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury, was guest speaker.

Nelson Mandela visited Magdalene to accept an honorary Fellowship ten years ago

Dr Williams said: “In a world where it is easy to polarize between humanities and sciences, which can sometimes cripple intellectual adventurousness, here is a field of study which has managed to weave them together with colossal creativity.”

“I know Nelson Mandela was deeply committed to the establishment of this Professorship in his own time and he gave his blessing to early discussions about it. As we look to the future we have many reasons for thinking that this is a natural, proper and worthy memorial for the ̽��ֱ�� and Magdalene College.”

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� has extensive collections of African archaeology and anthropology.

Dr Simon Stoddart of the Department said: “In the last hundred years so much which is profoundly creative and innovative in this field came from this relatively small group in Cambridge.

“Today enormous investment in modern infrastructure and cutting edge research facilities is spearheading the continuing success of the Department as a world-leading force.”

̽��ֱ��Department of Archaeology and Anthropology is part of the Faculty of Human, Social and Political Science (HSPS).

Photo Credit: Howard Guest

A campaign has been launched to provide a Mandela Professorship in African Archaeology at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge.

I know Nelson Mandela was deeply committed to the establishment of this Professorship in his own time and he gave his blessing to early discussions about it.

Dr Rowan Williams

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