The Tamar Golan Africa Center at Ben Gurion University
The Tamar Golan Africa Center was established in 2009 by the late Dr. Tamar Golan at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, with the aim of promoting and developing the field of African studies and multidisciplinary research on Africa in Israeli academia. As part of an engaged and active campus, the Center encourages undergraduate and graduate students in African Studies to move beyond a purely academic perspective and also engage with the political, social and cultural challenges facing the continent by initiating volunteer activities on campus, in the community and the African continent. The Center supports two academic programs in African Studies (BA and MA) that offer a wide range of courses in the fields of history, politics, culture, geography, art, religions, economics and development. The Centre holds academic and social conferences and events on campus throughout the academic year, with the aim of expanding and deepening the fields of knowledge on the continent of students and faculty members.
The program encourages that any community interventions, whether in social, cultural or more applied areas of science, agriculture or economics, reflect knowledge of history, politics, economics, social and cultural studies. The program encourages students to adopt a broader and more sustainable approach, to search for innovative approaches and to understand and weave these into community life.
Anatta began contributing to Central Africa (and thus to the undergraduate program in African Studies) from its establishment in 2009. The donation include daily operations of the Africa Centre, as well as the Inter-University Undergraduate Program in African Studies, and the Master's Program in Sustainable Communities in Africa. The donation facilitates international academic conferences, advances academic research through research grants to students and faculty, study tours throughout the African continent and in Israel, funding academic courses, publishing the book series "Now Africa" in cooperation with Pardes Publishing, and more. In addition, the Anatta Foundation's donation to the Master's Degree in Sustainable Communities in Africa enables African students to be brought to Israel to study in the program. The donation funds the tuition, housing, and living expenses of students in Israel during their studies.