Barbara Anderson to give lecture on women's education in Africa

Those interested in learning about the issues with women’s education in Africa may only need to travel as far as Flyleaf Books.

Barbara Anderson, a lecturer in the African, African American and Diaspora Studies Department and Associate Director of the UNC African Studies Center, will be speaking at Flyleaf Wednesday about women’s and girls’ education in Africa.

The lecture aims to inform the community about the education situation in Africa and, to an extent, the educational reform that needs to occur within the United States.

The lecture is part of the UNC Program in Humanities series called “Humanities in Action,” a program which focuses intensely on community outreach and offering opportunities for an academic discussion outside of a classroom setting.

“It is designed to bring contemporary and potentially controversial subjects out into the public as a means of getting dialogue and discussion and reflection on those topics,” said Max Owre, interim director of the Program in Humanities.

Owre said that while putting the “Humanities in Action” lecture series together, the group thought of Anderson as the right speaker for the topic and contacted her.

Anderson, who is no stranger to community outreach, said she was thrilled to join.

“I really enjoy working with the public, and while my primary duties are for working with faculty and students, I am really committed to working with the community to get people more involved about Africa,” she said. “That’s one of my missions with the African Studies Center.”

One of Anderson’s main goals is to not only discuss the differences in education across the African continent, but to suggest that the United States has similar problems in education.

“Some girls and women are phenomenally educated, and some are not,” she said. “I’m trying to shake the idea that all girls get the same education — that’s not true.”

She said geographic location, family history and socioeconomic status are limiting factors on education.

“Often, people are more interested in girls’ education in Africa and more comfortable in dealing with that than dealing with education in the United States,” she said. “I think that the relationship should be reversed. We need to focus on Chapel Hill, Carrboro and the U.S.”

“I try to use the talk on girls’ education in Africa, which people are interested in, and working it to focus on local problems.”

Jamie Fiocco, owner of Flyleaf Books, said that the relationship between the Program in Humanities and the bookstore is strong because both institutions serve the community.

“It’s a great opportunity to sit in on a lecture without having to enroll in a class,” Fiocco said. “It’s an easy way to hear an excellent, qualified speaker of a topic.”

She also mentioned how the Oct. 8 release of the book “I Am Malala” — the autobiography of Pakistani girls’ education activist Malala Yousafzai — makes the discussion about girls’ education relevant.

While admission to the event is free to UNC undergraduates, the cost is $18 for a pre-sale ticket and $20 for general admission. For UNC Alumni Association members, the cost is $8.

“We pay all of our speakers, and we are an organization,” Owre said.

“We need to recoup our costs, and at the same time there’s a value in having a price attached to it.”

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