Africa’s 'voice’ in New Zealand

Press, 27 February 1980, Page 14

Africa’s 'voice’ in New Zealand

Doing what he described as the normal New Zealand thing led Mr Rupert Watson info a public relations job with a difference.

He is the-new director of the African Information Centre, a Wellington-based organisation aimed at improving relations between New Zealand and the African continent. The centre was established after the 1976 Olympic Games boycott to provide information about the 54 African states to anyone in New Zealand.

Like many other New Zealanders, Mr Watson and his wife, Donna, embarked on a trip to Europe, in 1974. On route, the pair both schoolteachers, visited West Africa and as their interest grew, returned twice in the next two years.

New Zealanders tended to stereotype the African continent as a place politically unstable and full-of dictatorships, Mr Watson said in Christchurch recently- ■ The centre was intended to - give them a greater understanding arid Africa

a “Voice” in New Zealand, he said.

Support for the centre comes mainly from Corso, church bodies and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is funding half this year’s budget of $16,000. Its board of trustees includes the president of the Federation of Labour (Mr W. J. Knox), the managing director of Wakaki N.Z. Refrigerating, Ltd, (Mr E. J. Neilson), the Rev. Angus McLeod, of the National Council of Churches, and two members of Parliament (Mr C. R. Marshall -and Mr M. Rata). .

Working from a oneroom office, the centre provides teaching material for at least 60 secondary schools. Among other requests, said Mr Watson, had been to brief the two New Zealand members of Parliament now in P.hodesia to supervise the coming elections. One strange call for help had come from the upset clients of a bogus African healer, who had toured New Zealand.

Mr Watson said - ; they were able to show the

home address'given by -the “healer” as false. The centre’s library was gathered from a wide variety of books, magazines and reports from organisations such as the United Nations and the Organisation of African Unity The material dealt with politics, economics, history, and culture, he said.'

“We are particularly interested in developments in West Africa, where there is a liberal wind blowing,” said Mr Watson.