About Us - Kader Asmal Alumni

The Kader Asmal Alumni (KAA) is an association of awardees of the Kader Asmal Fellowship Programme (KAFP) for the completion of Master’s level studies at Irish universities. Launched with two fellows in 2013, by 2021 the KAFP has funded more than 100 scholarships across diverse domains, including Human Rights Law, Business Administration, Climate Change, Public Health and Agri-Studies at universities spanning the breadth of the Emerald Isle.

BRIEF HISTORY

KADER ASMAL ALUMNI

The Kader Asmal Alumni (KAA) was formed in 2017, first as the Irish Association of Students in South Africa (IASA); later becoming KAA (with permission from the Asmal family). The network was established to foster collaborations between the Kader Asmal Fellowship Programme (KAFP) recipients and broader Irish stakeholders, such as Business Ireland South Africa and the Irish Association of South Africa. The KAA serves to cultivate a sense of community among fellowship recipients; keeping alumni engaged with the work of the Irish mission in South Africa.

We aim to provide a platform for mutual learning, aiding the continued development of fellowship recipients. As part of Ireland’s programme of development cooperation, the KAA directly contributes to the promotion of the KAFP by supporting activities coordinated by the Irish Embassy in promotion of Irish Higher Education institutions.

The KAA uses local knowledge to support alumni, simultaneously promoting Ireland as ambassadors and advisors for current and prospective fellows.

BRIEF HISTORY

KADER ASMAL ALUMNI

The Kader Asmal Alumni (KAA) was formed in 2017, first as the Irish Association of Students in South Africa (IASA); later becoming KAA (with permission from the Asmal family). The network was established to foster collaborations between the Kader Asmal Fellowship Programme (KAFP) recipients and broader Irish stakeholders, such as Business Ireland South Africa and the Irish Association of South Africa. The KAA serves to cultivate a sense of community among fellowship recipients; keeping alumni engaged with the work of the Irish mission in South Africa.

We aim to provide a platform for mutual learning, aiding the continued development of fellowship recipients. As part of Ireland’s programme of development cooperation, the KAA directly contributes to the promotion of the KAFP by supporting activities coordinated by the Irish Embassy in promotion of Irish Higher Education institutions.

The KAA uses local knowledge to support alumni, simultaneously promoting Ireland as ambassadors and advisors for current and prospective fellows.

OUR OBJECTIVES

Connect all KAA members to career and entrepreneurial opportunities.

Promote Ireland as a study destination through the Kader Asmal network.

Foster an engaged and supportive alumni network that is accountable to its members.

ABOUT

KADER ASMAL

Professor Kader Asmal, a South African politician and anti-apartheid campaigner, was born on 8 October 1934. As a schoolboy Asmal befriended and deeply respected the African National Congress (ANC) leader Albert Luthuli, who moulded Asmal’s view of himself as part of a broader South African nation. When racial discrimination intenstified after 1948, Asmal witnessed harsh punishment of leaders associated with the ANC.

In 1958, he travelled to Britain where he studied law at the London School of Economics. He became a member of the ANC and joined the underground South African Communinist Party (SACP). In 1962, he became a lecturer at Trinity College Dublin where he lectured for 27 years focusing on human rights and international law. While at Trinity College he ascended to the role of dean of the faculty of arts. During his time in Dublin, he founded the British and Irish anti-apartheid movements and campaigned for a free and non-racial South Africa on the international stage. Professor Asmal acted as legal adviser to the exiled South African Non-Racial Olympic Committee and he also helped to establish the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, a non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting civil liberties and human rights of people in Ireland.

In 1984 he played a critical role in a two and a half year long strike which led Ireland to ban produce from South Africa.

Professor Asmal served as a member of the Constitutional Committee of the ANC in Lusaka and was responsible for drafting the ANC’s first Bill of Rights. He returned to South Africa in 1990 and was elected onto the ANC’s National Executive Committee. He served as Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry in the first democratic cabinet, and then went on to be appointed as the Minister of Education in 1999.

Professor Asmal was awarded the Order of Luthuli in Bronze by the Presidency for “His immense contribution to the liberation struggle, the South African education system and the environment”. Professor Asmal has been described as an extraordinary man of principle with strong values as he was always critical of those involved in corruption, even members of the ANC. He passed away on 22 June 2011 but his legacy lives on through his family and friends, the KAFP, the Irish embassy and those who uphold the values he lived by everyday.

BRIEF HISTORY

KADER ASMAL ALUMNI

BRIEF HISTORY

KADER ASMAL ALUMNI

OUR OBJECTIVES

ABOUT

KADER ASMAL

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