The King's Community

The seminar is on the Social and Spiritual Life of Electricity in Tanzania’s Mission Hospitals and will be presented by both Dr Michael Degani, Department of Social Anthropology, University of Cambridge and his research collaborator Professor Vendelin Simon, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The talk will be followed by drinks so we can network and have further discussions.  Please find a notice attached and some further information below:

Abstract:

Electricity is a fundamental prerequisite to safe, effective, and healthcare services in rural African settings, yet it is often expensive, unreliable and unevenly distributed. Based on two months of ethnographic fieldwork conducted across five regions in Tanzania, we describe in this talk how Catholic mission hospitals mobilize institutional agency to navigate the precarious energy landscape. We show how they draw on their various networks of donors as well as the sedimentations of existing missionary infrastructure to create a patchwork of energy sources that include state connections, diesel generators, insertion into church powered mini-grids, and independent solar. We then show how this patchwork affects the rhythms, textures, and spatial patterns of work and care amongst nurses, patients, kin, doctors, administrators, and technicians. In drawing on these multiple sources, these institutions exemplify an important strategy for operating in resource-poor environments and embed electricity in an ethic of care.

The seminar will be online also:

https://cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/83738842359?pwd=aqn1Fr7lMQSbHn81pY3JthfpuTKlbZ.1

Meeting ID: 837 3884 2359 

Passcode: 918653

We would be delighted if Members who matriculated in and before 1975, and their guests would save the date for the Foundation Lunch taking place in College on Saturday, 21 March.

The charge to attend the Foundation Lunch is £35.00 per person. This price includes a three-course meal with wine, or non-alcoholic alternative.

This year marks the 60th Anniversary for Members from the class of 1966 and we would be particularly delighted if as many from the year as possible joined us for the Foundation Lunch and used it as an opportunity for an informal class reunion. Alternatively, the 50th Anniversary Reunion Dinner on 19 September is another occasion where we will encourage those from 1966 to use the event to celebrate their own milestone. 

How You Will Be Invited

Invitations to register for this event will be sent by email in the New Year. Hard copy invitations will only be sent to those without an email living in the UK.

Evensong 

As part of the programme, Members will be invited to attend a special choral Evensong in which returning members of the Choir are invited to sing. For more information please email the Choir Office: choir@kings.cam.ac.uk

Accommodation 

A limited number of college guestrooms are available to Members and can be booked in advance. For availability and prices please contact the Porters’ Lodge directly by emailing: guestrooms@kings.cam.ac.uk.

Guest rooms can also be booked at other colleges via the University Rooms website. If you wish to stay overnight in Cambridge but would like a few creature comforts (a television, room service etc), a number of city centre hotels offer a University members’ rate. Please visit:www.alumni.cam.ac.uk/benefits/camcard for further details.

Extra Information

The dress code for the day is smart casual.

The College would be happy to aid your networking with contemporaries before or after the event. If there is anyone you would like to get in touch with but have lost contact details for, just let us know. In compliance with the Data Protection Act, we will try to help.

Please understand that refunds will not be issued to event cancellations made less than 14 days prior to the event.

Future Events 

If you have programme suggestions or ideas that you would like to put forward for the Foundation Lunches of future years, please get in touch: events@kings.cam.ac.uk

King’s College invites Members from the classes of 2006, 2001, and 1996 to save the date for their reunion event in College on Saturday, 28 March 2026 to celebrate their 20th, 25th and 30th Anniversary since matriculation.

Members from 2005, 2007, 2000, 2002, 1995, and 1997 will also be invited to join the celebration.

Please note that there is a £65 charge to attend the formal dinner in Hall (Non-Resident Members and guests). Daytime only tickets will also be available. 

The full programme will be published when registration opens in January 2026. Daytime activities will be family friendly and will include an Easter egg hunt for children. This will be followed by a formal dinner in Hall.

Accommodation & Parking
A limited amount of parking will be available in College on 28 March and ensuite rooms at Harvey Court Building on West Road (Gonville & Caius College) will be available to book once registration opens for those who wish to stay overnight. 

How you will be invited
Invitations to register for the reunion and accommodation will be sent in the New Year. Further details will be shared once registration opens.

The 2026 Alan Turing Lecture will be given by Raymond E. Goldstein FRS, Alan Turing Professor of Complex Physical Systems. 

Further details on the event programme and registration will be available in the New Year.