Dr Kenneth Kaunda, first President of Zambia, is to open a conference at the University of Cambridge marking the 40th anniversary of the Rhodesian unilateral declaration of independence (UDI).
Dr Kenneth Kaunda, first President of Zambia, is to open a conference at the University of Cambridge marking the 40th anniversary of the Rhodesian unilateral declaration of independence (UDI).
The two-day conference, UDI Forty Years On: Liberation, Confrontation and Co-operation, is being organised by CRASSH (the Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities).
In 1965, the Rhodesian unilateral declaration of independence (UDI) was front page news. Today, almost 40 years later, Zimbabwe is again making headlines. The 40th anniversary of UDI presents a unique opportunity to consider the declaration's impact on southern Africa and reflect upon a region that has been, and continues to be, a source of disquiet not only for Africa, but also for Britain, the Commonwealth and the international community in general.
Dr Kaunda led Zambia to independence and served as the first President of the Republic of Zambia from 1964 to 1991. He was also in the forefront of the efforts to liberate all Africa, serving as the President of the Pan - African Freedom Movement for East, Central and Southern Africa in 1962 and as Chairman of the Organization of African Unity from 1970 to 1973.
The conference aims to promote interdisciplinary dialogue and co-operation. It will also encourage academics and former policy makers to consider ways in which their own insights and expertise might be relevant to the search for solutions to the challenges southern Africa currently faces. The conference will focus on the international repercussions of UDI and on its longer-term effects upon Zimbabwe and southern Africa.
Speakers include: Lord Carrington, Former Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs; Krishnan Srinivasan, Former deputy Secretary-General of the Commonwealth; Professor Stephen Chan, SOAS, University of London; Professor Christopher Hill, University of Cambridge; Professor Ian Phimister, University of Sheffield; Professor Bizeck Phiri, University of Zambia; and Professor Terence Ranger, University of Oxford.
UDI Forty Years On: Liberation, Confrontation and Co-operation takes place from September 21 to 22 at The Pitt Building, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, CB2 1RP.
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