Dear WAIMH members,
The preparations for the 13th World Congress in Cape Town are well on their way and the Call for Papers has been sent out to you all. As has been the WAIMH custom, the president of WAIMH Antoine Guedeney, executive director Pälvi Kaukonen and associate executive director Kaija Puura made a site visit to Cape Town in April 2011. The Local committee, chaired by Astrid Berg, gave us a warm welcome. We also met the leading people from the professional congress organiser, Deborah McTeer and Mohamed Jaffer in the Congress Centre. The Congress Centre CTICC is a modern, spacious and beautiful venue for our congress, with a lovely inside garden in the foyer/restaurant section. This time we can also enjoy our Congress lunches together, as they are included in the participation fee. The highlights of the scientific programme of the Cape Town Congress will be sent to you in the form of Cape Town Newsletters, that will soon start coming to your email-boxes from time to time.
The social progamme of the Congress will include get-together party at the CTICC restaurant/foyer area. Since it is Africa, we will also have a drumming session organised for those interested in trying drumming together with local drummers. The Congress dinner will be at the Moyos, which is a wonderful outdoor restaurant at the Stellenbosch wine area. There will be an African buffet and lovely local performers singing in traditional and modern music both in Xhosa language and in English. This time it will be easy to combine business with pleasure as there many things to see and do in the Cape Town itself and in the surrounding areas. The Congress has a tour organiser Robin Troup, with whom we have planned smaller and longer tours for accompanying persons and delegates. The Table Mountain is a must, there is a huge, beautiful Botanical Garden, and also lots of wonderful vineyards for wine tastings. For children there are sea lions to be seen lazing in the Waterfront in the middle of the city and a nice Aquarium to go to. More daring may choose shark seeing…You can also prebook a safari from the link Robin Troup has created for WAIMH Congress participants (See Early Bird and Tour Specials in https://www.wildlifesafari.co.za/ early_bird_specials.php).
All in all, the Congress preparations are being well handled by the local team and the site itself is certainly very nice. Cape Town people are helpful and friendly, food is good and restaurant rates are lower than in Europe.
Finally, we wish to remind you that the Call for Papers is open and you can submit your abstracts electronically until September 15th, 2011. Do come and share your experiences, clinical and research work with other colleagues in Cape Town. Like it was sung in the popular song: “It´s time for Africa!”
Enjoy your summer or winter – whichever season one is up on your side of our globe!
You can find the program highlights and other info in the Call for Papers:
https://www.waimh.org/files/callforpapers/ CfP_WAIMH_CapeTown2012.pdf
From the Kauppi Campus – News from WAIMH Office
Authors
Kaukonen, Pälvi,
Puura, Kaija,
Sorsa, Minna,
Tampere, Finland
