In this public lecture, Dame Carol Kidu, will present a personal and anecdotal reflection on the reality of sorcery in the lives of people in 21st century Papua New Guinea. It will draw primarily on her experiences and observations while living in Motu society for over 40 years.

Dame Carol Kidu retired from Papua New Guinea Parliament in 2012 after 15 years in politics. She was the Minister for Community Development for 9 years and finished her political career as Leader of the Opposition. She focused on legislative and policy reform for social development in Papua New Guinea with a human rights based approach to development and a focus on marginalised and/or vulnerable populations. She is a strong advocate for women, working hard to see an end to gender inequality and violence against women.

Dame Kidu has been awarded three Honorary Doctorates. She was awarded Dame of the British Empire in 2005; the Papua New Guinea International Woman of Courage Award by the Secretary of State of the United States of America in 2007; Pacific Person of the Year in 2007 and was the recipient of the Regional Rights Resource Team Pacific Human Rights Award for her contribution to promoting the rights of Pacific Islanders in 2008. She was honoured by the French Government with the Cross of Knight in the Order of the Legion d’Honneur in 2009.

Dame Kidu is on the Board of the Commonwealth of Learning, the International Advisory Board of the Cairns Institute, and a non-resident Fellow of the Lowy Institute, Board Member of the Pacific Institute of Public Policy. She was a member of the UN Pacific Commission on AIDS and also of the Global Commission on HIV and the Law. She is presently a member of the High Level Taskforce on ICPD 2014 and beyond. She is a Patron to many organisations, including Australian Volunteers International.