CAMD Scholar Program Commences with ‘A Glimpse of South Africa, Through the Voices of Its Youth’

Presentation to include musical performance by South African ensemble Matimba ya Ripfumelo

September 17, 2009 —The Office of Community and Multicultural Development (CAMD) launches a fourth season of its Scholar Program with a presentation by Mandisa Mjamba ’10 on South African youth and their relationship with music and politics. Mjamba’s presentation, along with a performance by the musical ensemble Matimba ya Ripfumelo, will take place Friday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m., in Kemper Auditorium, 5 Chapel Avenue, Andover, Mass. The event is free and open to the public.

According to South African native Mjamba, her country’s young citizens are the society’s true powerbrokers. Mjamba identifies South African youth as the “core of the political struggle” and will examine how they wield this power through politics and music. Vuyelwa Maqubela, instructor in English, served as Mjamba’s faculty advisor for the project.

Matimba ya Ripfumelo, a group of young South Africans whose lives have each suffered loss due to HIV or AIDS, will also perform.

Created in 2006, the CAMD Scholar Program awards small stipends and faculty advisement to a group of students wishing to rigorously explore their interests in multicultural topics during their summer vacations. This is the first of five CAMD Scholars presentations scheduled into January 2010. All are free and open to the public. The remaining programs are:

• Oct. 14, 2009: Alessandra Powell ’11, “Dreams: Lost in Translation? The Impact of Immigration on Childhood Aspirations.” Advisor: Susanne Torabi, international student coordinator
• Nov. 18, 2009: Jae-Hyuk You ’10, “Asian Americans in Political Leadership.” Advisor: Christopher Jones, instructor in history and social science
• Jan. 18, 2010 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day): Bijan Torabi ’10, “The Stigma of Class.” Advisor: Thomas Kane, instructor in English
• Jan. 29, 2010: Lily Shaffer ’10, “The Changing Face of Judaism: A Search for Jewish Identity in North America.” Advisor: Rabbi Michael Swarttz, chaplain