You wait all year and then just as it is coming to a close the best event of the year happens. The inaugural Devaki Jain lecture took place today, the guest speaker was Graca Machal and I was fortunate to be the photographer for this event. I go to many lectures where I am photographing but also listening, you learn so much. This was a magnificent lecture by the most articulate, intelligent and charming speaker I have had the good fortune to photograph and hear in 2015. Dealing with women’s rights in Africa, making the case for education and empowerment. Asking that we consider men and women as humans rather than as sub sets and recognising the value of each. Making the case that in education those who can pay should, those who can contribute should do that and those who can’t get it for free, because the world cannot make all education free to everyone but can to those who can’t pay. When asked from the audience about the Rhodes Must Fall campaign she suggested that we cannot re-write history and rather than always looking to topple maybe we should look to raise up the new heroes of Africa, well we could take that lesson and tell it to the whole world. When asked whether women should toughen up in position of power she said that men maybe should soften. Inspirational lecture, wonderful person.
