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Pandas national champions Getting hip to the funding game The Kaplan awards Women’s hockey squad reaches the top The net generation is looking for scholarships Read about the winners in its third year. and bursaries in all the right places. of our top research prize. 2 3 10 UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA Volume 37 Number 13 MARCH 3, 2000 http://www.ualberta.ca/folio U of A, Africa Society welcome a literary giant Wole Soyinka stresses the need for restitution in Africa and around the world By Dan Rubinstein r. Stephen Arnold has seen Nigerian DNobel laureate Wole Soyinka speak The following is an excerpt from Soyinka’s lecture, about half a dozen times. But Soyinka’s Chang Tina “Scars of Memory, Prospects for Reconciliation”: speech at the Jubilee Auditorium Feb. 25 f course Europe is also part of the human race will forever stand out in his mind. Oat least, so we would like to believe – and “Every time I see him, every time I thus it is incumbent on Europe to tread the same read him, every time I hear him – he gets path in seeking a closure with its ignominious better and better and better,” said the past where it denied an entire race its humanity, professor of comparative literature min- invoking even divine authority simply in order to utes after the man considered by many to pursue its own economic prosperity in the be Africa’s finest writer stepped off the mundane world. The mass displacement and stage to a standing ovation. “He’s a world enslavement of the African peoples is an albatross treasure, and we on the neck of European claim to civilization that are very fortunate needs to be exorcised, and the keyword yet again “Every time I see him, to have him here.” is restitution, also known as reparations. It is not At one point our business to propose how this is done – let the every time I read him, during his talk, slaving nations – European or Arab – seek their entitled “Scars of own path to closure. The language here is not one every time I hear him Memory, Pros- of vulgar material payment, no! But the pects for Recon- imagination is not bereft of symbolic concepts – he gets better and ciliation,” Soyinka that are both dignified and eloquent – let the referred to the search for these be part of their own act of better and better. He’s concept of saints penance and expiation. passing among us. a world treasure, and That’s one of the Wole Soyinka called South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission a bold, humane, original feelings that arose and troubling model to which the rest of the world should pay attention. we are very fortunate in Arnold’s mind as he listened to “What was really great about it was I present day Nigeria, the Balkans and and coordinator of the Africa Society – and to have him here.” someone he calls a felt the whole address was a piece of art,” even western Europe, which still must it’s at the forefront of Soyinka’s thinking, “supreme figure” said Salima Bandali of the International come to terms with its historical role in writing and lecturing these days. – Dr. Stephen Arnold, in world literature. Centre. “It was so poetic and poignant. I the slave trade. He called South Africa’s “Poetry and drama are his tools,” said comparative literature Soyinka, who expected him to be very fluid and pas- Truth and Reconciliation Commission a Smith, who considers Soyinka an impor- was awarded the sionate – and he was.” bold, humane, original and troubling tant figure for two reasons: “One is Nobel Prize for literature in 1986, was in Carolyn Helgeland, a fourth-year po- model to which the rest of the world Soyinka as a person and what his life Edmonton to deliver the keynote address litical science student who’s studying should pay attention. represents. He sets an outstanding exam- at this year’s Africa Society conference, Nigeria in class, was impressed by “The South African experience has ple as an African intellectual, a role model dubbed Prospects for an African Renais- Soyinka’s sheer speaking ability and his unquestionably blazed a vital trail to- to look up to. But his life also symbolizes sance: Culture, Development, Reconcilia- wonderful voice. “He was very compel- wards healing,” he said. “Humans need the belief in democracy, human rights tion. ling,” she said, “and he has a very unique closure. It is a deep, urgent need. It is not and justice and the struggle for them The mezzanine of the Jubilee was perspective.” yet time to write off the past. It has a vital against incredible odds. To many people, packed by people eager to immerse them- “I thought he was really eloquent in correlation to the present.” Soyinka is a symbol. But he’s also an ac- selves in words of wisdom from this poet, bringing forward the main issues of truth After years of exile from Nigeria, tivist.” playwright, director, novelist, essayist, and reconciliation,” added soil sciences Soyinka was welcomed back recently to The purpose of the Friday and Satur- scholar and political activist. He is per- graduate student and Amnesty Interna- lend his support to the democratization day conference, explained Smith, was to haps best known for The Man Died: Prison tional volunteer Shampa Chakraborty. and anti-corruption efforts that have been foster a local dialogue about Africa and Notebooks of Wole Soyinka, an account of “It is something that has to be addressed. slowly emerging since the death of Gen- provide an opportunity for constructive the two years he spent in jail in the late You can’t start to heal until the perpetra- eral Sani Abacha in 1998 (under whose thought. 1960s, much of it in solitary confinement. tors understand what their wrongs were.” rule writer and activist Ken Saro-Wiwa Too often, she said, all we see in the That work is not only a personal memoir Soyinka spent the bulk of his time was executed in 1995). west are constant depictions of African war but also an indictment of a corrupt system talking about the need for truth or full This, of course, is a very fragile transi- and hunger: “There are 53 countries and we of government by a defiant, outspoken disclosure as a necessary exorcism en tion, says Dr. Malinda Smith, a political tend to only hear about a handful. That’s and profound critic. route to rebirth – a notion relevant in science professor at Athabasca University one of the things we’re trying to change.” Pandas hockey team wins first national championship Squad will be honoured at Golden Bears game in special ceremony Friday night By Dan Rubinstein ast year, when the Concordia University “We always felt that we had the ability LStingers beat the University of Alberta to win it, although perhaps Concordia is a Pandas 2-0 to capture the CIAU women’s more consistent team. They’ve been Dugas Derek hockey championship, the game, unfortu- national champions for a number of years nately, was not as close as the score indicated. and their program has been around a lot Pandas coach Howie Draper feels longer than ours. But I think we all knew Concordia dominated that game, adding if we put together a strong game, we’d be to its long pedigree of nation- able to win.” al titles. After that 3-2 semi-final But this year, his U of A “It’s absolutely amazing… victory, however, McGill was squad returned to the cham- no second-rate opponent – pionship tournament at I knew we were going to do especially with Kim St-Pierre Montreal’s Concordia it – but now that we’ve of the national team between University with redemption the pipes for the Martlets. on their minds. And when done it,wow!” The Pandas peppered St- they beat the Stingers in a Pierre with shots, 30 over the shootout to advance to the — Danielle Bourgeois first two periods and a total of finals on Sunday, Feb. 27, they 43 in the game. But it wasn’t knew how much they had matured. until nearly seven minutes into the second, “Concordia has kind of been the on a power play, that they finally broke benchmark for us,” said Draper, whose through. crew went on to shut out the McGill Lori Shupak was playing point, Martlets 2-0 to win the Canadian champi- stepped around a pick and lifted a shot Pandas squad basking in the glory of victory, after defeating the McGill Martlets and the Concordia onship in just their third year in existence. towards the net with Shelley Reynolds pro- University Stingers, the defending champions. viding a perfect screen in front of St-Pierre. “I knew she couldn’t see the puck,” finals was a motivating factor. “It added finals in its first season last fall. Shupak said about the until-then unbeatable fuel to our fire,” she said. “We weren’t “They kind of showed us that any- goalie. “It was just a matter of hitting the going to let them beat us again.” thing is possible,” he said. net. I was a huge relief to get that one goal.” Shupak, who was there last year, says After the victory over McGill, the “I knew we’d get it even- even a second place finish in Pandas returned to their Montreal hotel to Volume 37 Number 13 tually,” added Draper. “St- 1999 didn’t convince many celebrate, and then the women on the team OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, Pierre was outstanding.

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