By Fresher Diana

The Spoken Arts & Debate Society (SADS) emerged as winners of yet another international championship, the Global ESL Round Robin Championship, held late last month, and attracting a total of 20 teams from Africa and Asia, respectively.

Representing SADS in the tournament was Chantelle Mukabi (SADS, Chair) and Kagia Samuel (SADS, Vice Chair). The duo managed to win the Championship despite fierce competition, with Chantelle scooping two more wins as the Best Speaker of the Championship and Best Speaker of the Grand Finale. Kagia was also named as the Second-Best Speaker overall.

On the same weekend (May 23-26), the Society’s Logistics Officer Jeremiah Kashaka and its outgoing Interclub Coordinator Bienvenu Faraja representing SADS in the Zimbabwe Eliminations Debate Championships (ZODL). SADS was well represented with SADS Uganda and SADS Congo despite not winning the tournament.

For the Summer semester, SADS will be focusing on debates, with plans to train its members by participating in a number of international debate championships. One of the tournaments that the Society will be taking part in is the Korea World Universities Debate Championship which is set to take place from July 7-14. This is the most prestigious, highest level debate championship globally with prominent teams from all over the world. Chantelle Mukabi and Kagia Samuel have been granted a 100% scholarship by the Korea Worlds Convening Board due to their success in international debating thus far. In addition to her scholarship, Chantelle has also been selected as the Chief Adjudicator of Nuditate 2021, and an independent adjudicator in the North American Women and Gender Minorities Debate Championship 2021.

Other Society members who have received similar scholarships are James Wandui and Fresher Diana who have been offered sponsorship by world-renowned South African Judge Noluthando Honono (who will be part of the Adjudication team for Korea Worlds 2021 Championship, and Deputy Chief Adjudicator for the Belgrade Worlds 2022 Championship) to debate in Korea Worlds 2021.

In the course of the year, SADS will be debating in the African Nations Debate League 2021, in addition to attending the 2021 edition of the Pan African Universities Debate Championship to be held in Botswana from December 8-16. The Society also hopes to be part of the Belgrade Worlds Debate Championship in 2022. With such exposure, the club is set to skyrocket to be a global spectacle.

For further information about the club, reach out to us on sads@clubs.usiu.ac.ke