Exploring the magic and mystery of Mexico

January 25, 2008

More than 240 members of the Country Women's Association (CWA) of NSW will immerse themselves in the colour and drama of Mexican history, culture and politics when they gather for the 38th Annual CWA Weekend Country of Study School at the University of New England.

This is a record number of delegates to the annual event at UNE, which will begin this year on Friday 1 February and continue through the weekend.

Heading the impressive list of guest speakers is the Second Secretary of the Embassy of Mexico in Australia, Mr Emmanuel Trinidad, who will present a "Welcome to Mexico" at the formal dinner on Friday evening, and an "Overview of Mexico" on Saturday morning [2 February] to open the study program.

The invited speakers include prominent writers and academics with close personal ties to – and interests in – Mexico. The journalist and novelist Erina Reddan will discuss the writing of her novel Lilia's Secret in a talk titled "Magic, mystery and murder in Mexico", Dr Blanca Tovias de Plaisted from the School of History and Philosophy at the University of NSW will talk about "Violence and religion in the history of Mexico", and Dr Lilit Thwaites from La Trobe University will present "Two key women of Mexico": La Malinche (the Indigenous partner of the conqueror Hernan Cortes) and the artist Frida Kahlo. Other visiting speakers will focus on diverse aspects of Mexican culture and politics.

A Mexican "cultural experience" on the Saturday evening will feature members of the celebrated Sydney-based entertainment company "The Real Mexico".

The CWA Study School, hosted by UNE's Earle Page College and organised by the UNE Conference Company, is one expression of the long-standing relationship between the University and the CWA. The Vice-Chancellor of UNE, Professor Alan Pettigrew, will welcome the delegates to the University during Friday night's dinner, while the Armidale Dumaresq Mayor, Councillor Peter Ducat, will welcome them to Armidale.

Sharon Gallen, Manager of the UNE Conference Company, said the Study School was one of the longest-running annual events hosted by the University. "The weekend is designed to give participants a real insight into the history, culture and society of a different country each year," Ms Gallen said.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at January 25, 2008 04:17 PM