Enterprise Lectures 2008
In 2008 we welcomed Kate Adie, Marion Christmas and David Crystal
Kate Adie: Into danger
Tuesday 4 November 2008
Kate Adie is the main presenter of the BBC’s long-running programme From Our Own Correspondent on Radio 4. She grew up in Sunderland, read Swedish at Newcastle University and started her broadcasting career in local radio in Durham, later becoming the BBC’s Chief News Correspondent. She has twice been named ‘Reporter of the Year’ by the Royal Television Society and won awards for her coverage of the US bombing of Tripoli and the brutal end of the Chinese students’ demonstration in Tiananmen Square in Beijing.
She spoke about her book Into danger: people who risk their lives for work, in which she explores the question: why are some people attracted to dangerous jobs? The most dangerous job of all, she revealed to a surprised audience, is that of the food taster, a job you cannot train for and in which you only get one chance. The former BBC Chief News Correspondent, whose reporting career gained notoriety after her coverage of the siege of the Iranian embassy in 1980, dismissed the ‘myth’ that journalism is inherently dangerous: “danger is only incidental to the job”. Adie argued that honour and belief are two key factors that can move individuals to pursue careers that are truly dangerous. “Consider the case of bomb disposal officers who wake up every morning with the knowledge that they will face life-threatening experiences.” By contrast, reporters, she said, are only ‘birds of passage’ who face risks incidentally in their search for evidence, for “the voices that have something to say with conviction and enthusiasm”.
Kate Adie took the audience through her own experience of the history of women’s involvement in reporting, the impact of technological advances such as the introduction of costly satellite dishes in the protocols of live reporting, the emergence of global reporting network agencies which have facilitated the delivery of 24-hour instant reporting, and her encounters with danger while looking for “a piece of the jigsaw puzzle”, the truth. In order to do his/her job in conflict zones, the prime goal of a reporter must be to survive: “a journalist’s job is to report trouble, not to deal with it.”
Marion Christmas MBE JP: I'll build you one - an African adventure
Tuesday 20 May 2008
Africa fundraiser Marion Christmas MBE JP delivered an inspirational presentation about her experiences in Gambia on 20 May, as part of the Enterprise Lecture Series. The lecture, titled I’ll build you one – an African adventure, told the story of Kaira Konko, a scout lodge in Soma, Gambia, built following a promise Marion made to four Gambian Scouts in 1992.
“I had never been to Africa, never built anything. My husband was horrified when he heard”, she recalled. “He said: ‘How are you going to do it? Where are you going to get the money?’ I had no idea.” But Marion did raise the money needed to fulfil her promise through her scout group, the Hampshire Venture Scouts, and generous people who heard about the project. The Lodge was opened in 1998 by the British High Commissioner. After the Lodge was built, Marion set her sights on rebuilding Soma Lower Basic School to help improve standards of education and quality of life, providing classrooms, a resource centre, a well and water taps.
Having heard about Marion’s work, the Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire and Chancellor of the University of Winchester, Mrs Mary Fagan JP, asked to become Patron of the Kaira Konko Scout Fellowship, which supports the Kaira Konko Scout Centre. The University pledged £8000 to the Kaira Konko Scout Fellowship, which was used to build a new classroom block.
Marion’s achievements in Soma, to name but a few, extend to providing rice to help feed the poorest families, repairing wells and improving living conditions, and sponsoring children through school or college. Marion was awarded an MBE in 2004 for her services to the people of Gambia.
Accompanying Marion at the lecture was Lamin Jarjue who was one of the scouts Marion had made a promise to back in 1992. Though exceptionally bright, he was living in terrible conditions and unable to fulfil his ambitions of gaining a degree. With the help of sponsorship, Marion was able to enrol Lamin into Farnborough College of Technology to study accountancy; he subsequently studed for a Chartered Accountancy qualification and runs a small business in Gambia.
Find out more about the University's involvement with Gambia.
Professor David Crystal: The future of Englishes
Wednesday 5 March 2008
In the past twenty years, English has established itself as a global lingua franca - but what exactly does this mean? Just how many people do speak English in the world today? What are the reasons for this dominance, and is it likely to continue, or will other languages eventually displace English? In The future of Englishes, David Crystal explored these questions, and described what is happening to the language as a result of its achieving a global reach. New varieties of English are appearing, raising the possibility that English will evolve into a family of languages, much as Latin did a millennium ago. Certainly, English is becoming a new kind of language as a result of these changes, and its investigation (or exhibition, as in the case of the English Project) demands that we take on board fresh cultural perspectives.
Professor Crystal’s lecture was followed by a statement from Professor Christopher Mulvey, marking the launch of the campaign to create the English Project, an educational charity. The English Project believes that the greatest treasure of our heritage is the English language and that it is our greatest gift to the world. It is the language of Shakespeare and the rap artist. It is a passport to every continent. Many countries are already setting up treasure houses to display their languages, but there is no place where the English language is fully presented to the public. The English Project plans to put that right by opening a permanent English Language Exhibition in Winchester in 2012.
David Crystal is Honorary Professor of Linguistics at Bangor University. He is the author, co-author, editor or translator of over one hundred books on a wide variety of subjects. He is the recipient of an OBE for services to the English language, and his book titles include The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language and The stories of English. He is the language consultant for the English Project.
David Hunt, Baron Hunt of Wirral, PC, MBE, was a member of the Cabinet during the Margaret Thatcher and John Major administrations. Lord Hunt is chairman of Beachcroft LLP’s financial services division and is regarded as a major figure in the world of insurance and financial services. He is Chairman of the English-Speaking Union and is a dedicated supporter of the English Project.
Christopher Mulvey is Emeritus Professor of English at the University of Winchester. He is the author of numerous articles and books in the fields of English and American Studies, Managing Editor of Winchester University Press and a director of the English Project.
Find out more about the English Project