INTERNATIONAL AFRICAN INSTITUTE
                                 19 - 24 September 1983
      The Vice-Chancellor and the Senate of the University of Botswana have kindly
given their agreement in principle that the 56th meeting of the Executive Council
of the International African Institute (IAI) be held on the campus of the University
of Botswana in the third week of September. It is intended that the Council
meeting will immediately be followed by the 11th IAl's distinguished seminar
series. NIR have kindly consented to act as host. It is expected that a group
of distinguished academics from different universities in Africa, Europe and America
will be brought together in Gaborone. Furthermore, the proposed seminar on
the "Professionalisation of Traditional Medicine" is of considerable current interest
and falls into one of the fields of NIR research priorities.
      For those who may need them here are a few facts about IAI.
     Origins
      The International African Institute is an international academic institution.
      Founded in 1926, it exists to promote the study and understanding of African
      societies, cultures and languages. With offices in Abidjan, Ibadan, London
      and Paris, the Institute today has unique resources as the only permanent
      International organization uniting the expertise of Anglophone and Francophone
      Africanists (particularly in the humanities and social sciences) all over the
      world.
      Aims
      Today, as in the past, the Institute's first priority is to encourage fundamental
      research and scholarly debate through research projects, seminars and publica-
      tions.
      With this commitment to the highest standards of objective enquiry in pure
      research in African Studies, the Institute also believes that it has a vital
      contribution to make to effective development.       Many development schemes
      in Africa fail because they are designed without informed knowledge of the
      specific social and cultural settings in which they are located.
      Publications
      These scholarly and practical aims are exemplified in the Institute's quarterly
      journal AFRICA (distributed by Manchester University Press) and in specialist
      books and seminar volumes published by the Institute (a list of publications
      is available on request).
      New Dimensions
      In the past, the Institute has tended to concentrate its activities on Africa
      'south of the Sahara'. In seeking to fulfil its responsibilities today, it is
      vital to enlarge the Institute's scope to include the whole of Islamic north
      Africa as well as paying due attention to the recently independent countries
      of southern Africa.
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