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Recent Awards,
Acknowledgements and Events
DEVELOPMENTS IN BRIEF
Centre for African Literary Studies
launches the Priebe Collection
African literature researchers from
around the world now have an additional
reason to visit the Centre for African
Literary Studies (CALS) on the Pietermaritzburg
campus after the launch of ‘The Priebe
Collection’. This follows the acquisition by
CALS of a large collection of African literary
material from Dr Richard Priebe, an Emeritus
Professor of English and African Literature
at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)
in the USA.
Passionate about African literature and
a collector of literary material which dates
back to when he was a young boy, collecting
old comic books and musical records,
Professor Priebe became fascinated by, and
began researching and collecting, literary
material published and produced in Ghana,
which comprises the greater part of his
collection. “When I went to Ghana I did not
have books, the libraries did not have books,
so I went out to find them.” He recalled
buying books from children who were selling
them on the sidewalk. He said he was
honoured to be in Africa and that his
research and books have found a new home
at CALS.
Dr Richard Priebe (left) at the launch of the Priebe Collection.
VCU’s Associate Dean of Graduate
Studies in the School of Engineering, and
Director of the VCU and University of
KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) Partnership Programme,
Professor Rosalyn Hobson, spoke
about the similarities between the two
universities and said they also plan to
continue with the popular staff and student
exchanges. “I believe UKZN is the Premier
University of African Scholarship,” she said.
Adapted from an article that originally appeared
on the UKZN website, www.ukzn.ac.za.
Centre for Rural
Health
appoints new
Director
The Centre for Rural Health (CRH) on the
Howard College campus of the University
of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) has appointed
Dr Bernhard Gaede as its new Director. After
qualifying as a doctor, Gaede joined the
Health Systems Trust (HST) in 1998 and
worked in the Bergville district. He then
moved to Emmaus Hospital, also in the
Bergville district, from the year 2000 where
he worked variously as Hospital Manager,
Medical Manager, and Medical Officer. He
has been involved extensively with rural
health advocacy through the Rural Doctors’
Association of Southern Africa (RuDASA), as
well as the Rural Health Advocacy Project.
The CRH works to improve the health of
rural communities through research, capacity-building
and advocacy. The Centre works
closely with the public health system, community
networks, and the University to improve
the health care offered to underserved
communities in rural areas. It has a large
multi-year grant from The Atlantic
Philanthropies for some of its rural programmes.
Dr Gaede is looking forward to working
closely with medical students and encouraging
‘rural friendliness’ during their years
of study and practice. “It is an intensive
learning experience working out in the rural
areas. It opens your eyes to how much
change you can make working away from
urban medical centres,” Gaede said. His appointment
is the first step in setting up the
new Department of Rural Health at UKZN –
the first academic department of its kind in
the country.
Dr Bernhard Gaede, newly appointed
Director of the Centre for Rural Health.
Adapted from an article that originally appeared
on the UKZN website, www.ukzn.ac.za.
10 UKZN Foundation www.ukzn.ac.za/ukznf