Cornhusker Speech and Debate will host iDebate Rwanda for a virtual debate on Friday, February 18 at 1:00 p.m.
Christian Bahire and Sandrine Umubyeyi from the iDebate team will be debating senior "Andy" Andromede Uwase and junior Nicholas Wallenburg from the Cornhusker Speech and Debate Team. Andy and Nick have been recognized as top speakers this season, participating in multiple elimination round debates, and will represent the university at the National Forensic Association tournament in April.
iDebate Rwanda will argue in favor of the motion that "This house would make foreign aid contingent on human rights records," and the Husker team will oppose.
The debate will be livestreamed on the Global Debate Series channel on YouTube.
The Global Debate Series is organized by iDebate Rwanda, an organization that is using debate to change the lives of young Rwandans and East Africans. iDebate Rwanda gives students the tools to change their world by teaching them how to think critically, solve problems creatively, and impact their own society. Started in October 2012 by former debaters to share their knowledge with their community, it has grown into a series of global debates with university debaters across the United States. The events moved online due to the pandemic.
"Cornhusker Speech and Debate hopes that the debate will spark interest and excitement for a future time when we can welcome the team to campus in person and host dialogues about the importance of debate as a pedagogical activity and its importance to civic society," Justin Kirk, Associate Director of Speech and Debate and Assistant Professor of Practice in the Department of Communication Studies, said.
