University Archives
Africa Centre
The Africa Centre has its origins in the work of the Catholic organisation, the Sword of the Spirit (which later became the Catholic Institute for International Relations). It was established following a conference in 1958 of missionary orders and Catholic societies held to discuss the implementation of the Papal Encyclical 'Fidei Donum' on the future of Africa. Originally a Committee of the Sword of the Spirit, chaired by Patrick Wall, the Africa Centre became an independent organisation in February 1961. The Centre's main object was to promote education about Africa and its peoples, and it organised a number of projects, such as 'Books for Africa' and a 'Lay helpers' programme which sent Catholic volunteers to Africa.
The work of the Centre is documented in 28 files amongst the papers of Patrick Wall MP. These include correspondence, reports and memoranda about its foundation, annual reports, minutes of the Council of Management (of which Patrick Wall was the first Chair) and AGMs, newsletters, notices of meetings, accounts, and files on conferences and projects. [DPW/48]