Two students debate in New York

As a result of Rhodes University’s exceptional performance in the Pan-African Universities Debating Competition (PAUDC) in Botswana last year, two Rhodes debaters (Ingrid Cloete and Clive Eley) have been invited to a prestigious debating tournament in New York, USA.

The IDEA/HWS (International Debate Education Association and Hobart and William Smith Colleges) Round Robin takes place from 2 to 4 April 2010. The event is an invitation-only tournament including 16 teams who have won regional competitions around the world. Ingrid and Clive will represent both Rhodes and Africa at this event.

The IDEA/HWS aims to bring together an elite and internationally diverse group of debaters and adjudicators each year for a weekend of debate at the highest level. The tournament will be set up in a unique pre-paired Round Robin, ensuring that every team debates against every other team exactly once in the preliminary rounds. Their goal is to facilitate great debating and to recognise the skills and accomplishments of great debaters and adjudicators.

While in New York, Ingrid and Clive will also attend the Colgate University Invitational Tournament (the weekend before the IDEA/HWS Round Robin) held in Hamilton, New York. Most of the teams attending the IDEA/HWS Round Robin will be attending Colgate IVs as a warm up.

Clive Eley and Kabwela Chisaka (current chair of debating at Rhodes) have also been asked to attend a Youth conference in Nairobi, Kenya, organised by the Open Society Institute, from 13 to 20 March on youth, democracy and new media in Africa.

The conference is organised by the East African Open Society Institute (OSI), a non-government organisation, set up for the promotion of public participation in developing democracies. Youth Africamp will bring together 100 Africans between the ages of 20 and 29 to discuss the African Youth Charter, the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance and the role of New Media in mobilising young people.

Ingrid is in her fifth and final LLB year and Clive in his fifth year of study, studying towards a Master’s in Chemistry. Kabwela Chisaka is a fourth year Biotechnology honours student.

Pic: Clive Eley.