Nigeria 2013

The Nigerians should have got the prize for travelling furthest to get to Bulawayo for PAUDC 2011. There are no direct flights from Zimbabwe to Nigeria so it took three days apparently!
However ... the tables will turn when Calibar, Nigeria hosts PAUDC 2013. Southern and East Africans get ready to trek! The tournament, true to its mission, will eventually take itself to every corner of the continent. We look forward to seeing Nigeria and plenty of other West African teams in 2013!

PAUDC 2011 Final Tab

Winners
University of Pretoria Debby Nixon & Katherine Harding

Finalists
University of KwaZulu Natal (Howard College Campus) Seham Areff & Kameel Premhid
University of Pretoria Debby Nixon & Katherine Harding
Rhodes University Dylan Smith & James Eckron
University of Cape Town Tristan Von Zahn & David Harris

Best Adjudicator
Ansuya Rungasamy University of Pretoria

Top 10 Speakers
Name Position Total points Average

Seham Areff 1 726 80.66
Kameel Premhid 2 720 80
Debby Nixon 3 716 79.55
Dylan Smith 4 710 78.88
Katherine Harding 5 709 78.77
Kevin Segadimo 6 704 78.22
James Eckron 6 704 78.22
Tristan Von Zahn 8 700 77.77
Peter Sleeman 9 698 77.55
Tumo Moremedi 10 697 77.44
Nicole Graham 10 697 77.44
Sibusiso Tshabalala 10 697 77.44


Top Speakers by Country
Country Name University

Botswana Kevin Segadimo University of Botswana
Cameroon Binyou Maarbius Cameroon Debate Association
Namibia Keith Vries Polytechnic of Namibia
Nigeria David Ejim University of Calabar
South Africa Seham Areff University of KwaZulu Natal (Howard College Campus)
Swaziland Wandile Dludlu Swaziland
Tanzania John Changae St. John's University of Tanzania
Uganda Georgina Seera Uganda
Zimbabwe Mlungele Nsikani National University of Science and Technology

Grand Final Scenes - Bulawayo City Hall

Final Won by Tuks UP

In an all South African final at Bulawayo City Hall, Tuks UP (University of Pretoria) took the PAUDC trophy.
Other finalists were Rhodes University, University of Cape Town and University of KwaZulu Natal.
The motion was:
This house will let the African Union handle all peacekeeping operations.

PAUDC 2012 will be held in Pretoria, South Africa
PAUDC 2013 Will take place in Calibar, Nigeria

Teams prepare

Teams Prepare for Octo-finals

Teams Prepare for Octo-finals

Zim Teams Exit after Octo-finals

Three Zimbabwe teams broke to the Octo-finals in PAUDC - National University of Science and Technology (NUST) from Bulawayo, Lupane State Universtity (LSU)from Matabeleland North, and Africa University (AU) from Mutare.

The Octo-final motion was: This house would ban the payment of bride price.
NUST Team B (given the name Gambia for the tournament) were Closing Opposition.

Mlungele Nsikane and Negus Shonhiwa gave stirring performances, incorporating valid extensions, rebuttals and analyses. However, competition was stiff and they did not quite make it. Nevertheless, in the PAUDC rankings they hope to rank at 25th and 26th.

Unfortunately, hopes of breaking to the quarter-finals were dashed for all three Zimbabwean teams. After the announcement of quarter-finalists, the Zimbabwe teams gathered to commiserate and do a post-mortem. Some reasons suggested for failing to break to the quarter-finals were:

- Not enough international exposure.
- Linked to this, inadequate funding for tournament attendance.
- Insufficient recognition and support from Zimbabwean universities and society at large.
- Insufficient training and practice (within debate clubs, within institutions).
- Insufficient feedback - geared towards eliminating errors and enhancing debate performance.
- Not properly ascertaining, before entering debates, crucial significances: i.e. why it is that we are debating this motion, why it matters and what are the fundamental issues? (This is where the South African teams outshone everyone else).
- Argument extensions need work. i.e. What constitutes a valid and persuasive extension?
- More attention to structure and specific role-fulfilment.


Nevertheless, considering that Nationals have not been going long in Zimbabwe and students have largely organised and trained themselves, I think the teams from the host nation can hold their heads up high. In any event, they have made valuable international friendships, joined a large network of African debaters, public speakers and adjudicators, and gained immeasurably from the experience.

With the necessary support, I have no doubt they will rise to the challenge of PAUDC next year in Pretoria!

NUST Team B Break to Octofinals!

NUST TEAM B have broken through to the Octo-finals, which will be held at Falcon at 9am this morning. There has been stiff competition. Wish us luck!

Quarter-finals and semi-finals will follow later today, with the Final being held in Bulawayo on Saturday evening.

Some of the Motions

There have been some interesting debate motions. Some are as follows

- This house would establish brothels at military bases.

- This house believes at no stage in their lives do children have any financial obligation to their parents.

- This house would require governments to outsource their police force to private companies.
(This debate led to numerous definitional challenges owing to a widespread misunderstanding of the term outsource. Nevertheless, all got through the debate in the end.)

- This house would force its citizens to test for HIV.

- This house would require government to establish vocational high school in addition to (ordinary) high school.

- This house would cap family spending on funerals in Africa.

- This house would have a special tax on high earning sportsmen.

- This house will not involve the electorate in decisions involving the environment.

- This house would ban payment of bride price.

- This house would prefer Saif al Islam Gaddafi to stand trial before the ICC as opposed to being tried by the NTC in Libya.

- This house would introduce the death penalty for high profile cases of public corruption.

- This house would let the African Union handle all peacekeeping operations.

Checking In & 1st Day

The NUST team arrived, excited, on Sunday evening. Re-acquaintances were made with old friends and rivals from previous tournaments.
Most teams have by now arrived and settled in, though the Cameroonian team is still on their way - we hope.

Visiting teams who have driven here from South Africa, Botswana and Namibia complain of having to pay fines or bribes, repeatedly, once in Zimbabwe, to opportunistic traffic police. I was astounded by the amounts. From one road block to the next it is as if the police are waiting for them. A young woman from Namibia (now absolutely fleeced of her money) told me she was pleased to be here but can't wait to get back to her own country, where she says corruption is not nearly so rife.

Students from other countries also seem surprised by the cost of basics here in Zimbabwe. One young woman from the University of Fort Hare said she couldn't believe how R100 went almost nowhere in a convenience store.

Nevertheless, there is a buoyant mood today at Falcon: there is a very friendly, happy atmosphere. This morning we were welcomed to 'the most widely attended and fastest growing universities debating competition on the African continent'. The organisers of PAUDC are making every effort to ensure a successful tournament.

It was a day of training and workshops for both adjudicators and speakers, followed by the Opening Night celebration.

The gathering of PAUDC delegates was addressed by Zimbabwe's Deputy Minister for Higher and Tertiary Education, Senator L. A. Tapela, who whole-heartedly endorsed the event and even enjoyed a few moves on the dance floor!


The debates start tomorrow...

Matobo Hills and Khami Ruins near Bulawayo

Bulawayo City Hall - Site of Grand Final 10th December 2011

Brief History of NUST Debating Society

National University of Science and Technology ( http://www.nust.ac.zw/ ) teams competed at the World Debating Championships in Gaberone in January 2011 but it was not until March 2011 that the NUST Debating Society (NUSTDES) came into formal existence, with the adoption of its constitution.

The elected president of the society, Mlungele Nsikane, a second-year Applied Science student, is also the reigning Zimbabwe champion. He led the team to victory at Chinhoyi University of Technology in August 2011.

The purpose of the society, declared in its mission statement, is 'promoting critical thinking and engagement skills.'

Fulbright scholar, English Language Fellow, and visiting lecturer Lauren Schroff was greatly involved in the establishment of the society, advising the team and taking it to the South African 'Nationals' in Pretoria in July 2011.

Following Ms Lauren Schroff's return to the United States, Dr Drew Shaw took over as the Society's patron and adviser.

Other patrons include:
Pro Vice Chancellor, Professor S. Sibanda, Professor Peter Mundy, and Dean of the Faculty of Communication and Information Science, Dr Lawton Hikwa

The NUST Debating Society, assisted by debaters at Lupane State University and school teachers across the city, organised a Schools Debating Championships in Bulawayo in October 2011. The competition was held at Eveline Girls High School, and the winning team was from Christian Brothers College. A trophy was awarded, the standard of school debating was impressive; and this will now be an annual event in the Matabeleland capital.

NUST PAUDC TEAM MEMBERS

PAUDC, like the World University Debating Championships, uses the rules of the British Parliamentary debating system, which are explained on http://worlddebating.blogspot.com/p/rules.html

The NUST Debating Society will send two teams to PAUDC.

Team A: 

Zimazile Bango and Lovejoy Nleya

Team B:

Mllue M Nsikani (Society President) and Negus O. Shonhiwa (Team Captain)

ZIMBABWE PAUDC 2011

The time has finally come for PAUDC 2011 and excitement is mounting in Matabeleland, Zimbabwe.

PAUDC (the Pan African Universities Debate Championship) was established in Gaberone, Botswana, in 2008 with a view to 'creating a sustainable culture of competitive debating across the African continent'.

The first two championships were held in Botswana, and the third in Namibia. As debate culture takes hold across African universities, the championships have grown from strength to strength.

The fourth is to be held in Zimbabwe from 4th to 11th December 2011 and delegates from Botswana, Cameroon, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda and the host nation are soon to arrive.

Aims of PAUDC (as seen on the official website)
http://www.africandebating.org/paudc/index.php/tournament-history/

1) To bring together university students from across the African continent to engage in competitive debating that will increase their critical thinking skills and foster key leadership skills

2) To create a platform for the establishment of an African Universities Debating Board which will facilitate the dissemination of training materials, coordination of Pan African debating events and cooperative fundraising efforts for international tournaments and training sessions 

3) To create a forum in which the general African citizenry can be exposed to new ideas, discuss topical issues and thus be challenged to think critically 

4) To build a culture of debate, that extends from the universities to schools and all areas of society 

5) To develop structures that spread, support and encourage debate throughout the African continent, acting as an impetus for the development of debating in Africa by incentivizing debaters to represent their university and country at an accessible but prestigious international competition 

VENUE - FALCON COLLEGE, ESIGODINI - 4TH-11TH DECEMBER 2011

50km from Bulawayo, on the Johannesburg Road, lies the independent boys boarding school Falcon College http://www.falconcollege.com/ (which also happens to be my alma mater).  It is quite incredible to think my old school will be the venue of the continent's largest debate tournament - a convergence of bright young minds from across the continent, as they duel for Africa's ultimate accolade in debating.

The grand final will be held in Bulawayo's City Hall on Saturday 10th December, commencing at 6pm. 

Over the next week I will be posting updates on the progress of the tournament. As a Zimbabwean, I should declare I am biased in hoping a team from the host nation will get as far as the finals! 

Also, since I am a patron and advisor to the NUST (National University of Science and Technology) Debating Society (here in Bulawayo), I have a keen interest in seeing them get as far as possible in the competition. As the reigning Zimbabwe champions, they are a team to watch! They also did extremely well in the South African 'Nationals' in July 2011.  www.facebook.com/debate.nust

Drew Shaw, Lecturer, National University of Science and Technology, Bulawayo