IX Events and Commemorations

CentenaryYear Dr Nel n Mandela. On Friday 7 December 2018 in honour of the 100th birthday of our Honorary Fellow, Nelson Mandela, a special event was held in the Cripps Building. The programme began with an exhibition arranged by the Archivist, with advice from Dr Hyam; this was followed by a panel discussion chaired by the Master on the legacy of Mandela in education, looking forwards as well as back. Members of the distinguished panel included Her Excellency the High Commissioner of South Africa, Nomatemba Tambo, John Simpson (Honorary Fellow and Foreign Affairs Editor, BBC), Professor Christopher Cramer; and Professor Dubow. We heard a vigorous and illuminating discussion about South Africa since apartheid, with personal memories of Mandela from Ms Tambo (whose father, Oliver Tambo was a lifelong comrade and friend of Mandela and who headed the African National Congress in exile). Mr Simpson spoke amusingly and self-deprecatingly about interviewing Mandela. We also heard short presentations on their work from scholars currently studying at Magdalene, including Menzi Nxumalo, Lindsay Williams, and Tefo Mosienyane.

N i’ Haven. On Friday 3 May, Magdalene College hosted a number of events to help raise funds for Nkosi's Haven, an HIV/Aids home for children and families in Johannesburg, South Africa and named after Nkosi Johnson, the young Aids activist who died in 2001. Nkosi's Haven offers residential, holistic care and support, and aims to empower residents to become responsible and contributing members of society. The Fundraisers included a garden party in the Master’s garden, a raffle and a BA formal dinner that evening. The garden party was attended by the Master, the Chaplain, Fellows, and a number of students currently studying at the College. The Fundraisers were organised by Alison Green, MPhil Arts Education at Magdalene, with assistance from the College MCR. Alison oversees a year-round programme for Nkosi’s Haven when she is in South Africa, ensuring that the residents have access to quality Arts events in and around Johannesburg. For more information, visit: www.http://nkosishaven.org/.

Parnell Le ture. This year’s Parnell Lecture was given by Professor Claire Connolly in the Sir Humphrey Cripps Auditorium on Monday 25 February 2019. Her title was ‘Too Rough for Verse? Sea Crossings in Irish Culture’. (See p 75)

Linde ann S ien e Day. In March 2019, 180 pupils from local primary schools came to a Lindemann Science Day organised by Professor Raven as Chair of the Lindemann Trust. The Trust awards prestigious fellowships for early-career scientists to work in the United States, but for the first time invited Year 6 children to hear about latest scientific research. Dr Gregory, Mr Riche and Zach Bond (Director of Studies for Chemical Engineering) gave inspiring presentations to a rapt and enthusiastically interactive audience in the Cripps Auditorium. As one parent wrote afterwards, ‘as parents of kids in a struggling state school, this kind of event meant a lot more to us, and to many people, than the somewhat medialed efforts Oxbridge can excel in. And since Rowan Williams himself has called out Cambridge for being one of the most unequal parts of the country, I think it is excellent you’re looking to Magdalene’s own doorstep with such efforts’. More are planned for next year.

Dr Gregory is showing Year 6 children how air pockets behave as a sound wave travels past them.

May Ball, 19 June 2019. Organising a May Ball is never a simple task, but the committee can usually take strength from the knowledge that it is planning much the same event that others enjoyed in decades past. Not so in 2019! With the construction of the new College Library in full swing, and a large portion of the Fellows’ Garden lost to the building site, many members of College wondered whether there would be a Ball at all. Speculation was put to rest by two engineers Max Nussbaumer (2012), and Mr Riche (2011), who stepped forward as President and Vice-President respectively, offering their experience from previous Ball committees to ensure that Easter Term would end with our customary celebration.

Highlights of the Ball included our headline act: R&B and Pop artist Mabel, a spectacular cabaret show in Formal Hall, and the ever-popular all-night champagne bar under the Pepys cloisters. Guests at the Master’s Reception were treated to a sit-down dinner before the Ball, accompanied by live music from the bandstand. We were pleased to welcome back many distinguished alumni, not least Honorary Fellow John Simpson who brought a number of guests to celebrate his birthday. Once again, the Ball Committee would like to thank the College Staff for their help and assistance, as well as Mr Morris who valiantly served a second term as Senior Treasurer.

Dancing in Hall (photo: Miral Mirr)