Swiss scholar Conradin Perner will be speaking on both the Winona and Rochester campuses.
Winona State University will host Conradin Perner as part of the 2012-13 Lyceum season with “A Life Without Borders” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25, in Stark Hall, room 103.
Perner is a Swiss scholar, enthnologist and anthropologist who has worked in the fields of literature, ethnography, diplomacy and humanitarian causes. He lived in the southern regions of Sudan for almost thirty years, and is renowned for transporting the South Sudanese “Lost Boys” to Kenyan-based refugee camps to escape oppression and imminent threats by the Sudanese regime in power at the time. He also worked extensively in South Sudan for many years with different groups as a UNICEF consultant.
Perner is one of the founders of the Gurtong Trust – Peace and Media Project, an independent, not-for-profit, community-based project, which aims to remove all ethnic, political or personal obstacles on the way to unity, peace and mutual respect among South Sudanese.
The presentation is free and open to the public.
Perner is also author of the 1978 study “Living on Earth in the Sky: The Anyuak,” an Eight-Volume Monograph that was recently acquired by the Darrell W. Krueger Library. The first four published volumes will be presented at a reception from noon-1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 24, at library. The campus and community are invited to review the books, talk with the author and have their copies signed.
Perner will also present “Fighting for Peace, Culture and Human Dignity” at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 30, in Coffman Hall 206-208, WSU-Rochester Campus. Seating is limited, and registration is avaialable online.
Perner will share his experience of building civic society and democratic institutions from indigenous traditions in the new country of South Sudan. The project he led, dubbed “House of Nationalities,” aimed at uniting the multiethnic and multi-cultural communities of South Sudan and empowering them to use their collective wisdom and time-tested traditions to create lasting peace and nationwide civic society with respect for human rights, sustainable development, and participatory democracy. Perner will talk about his work with tribal leaders and civic communities in South Sudan.
The Lyceum Series aims to provide unique cultural enrichment and educational opportunities for the Winona and Rochester campus communities.
For more information, call Kathleen Peterson at 507-457-2913, email: KPeterson@winona.edu, or visit the Lyceum series website.
