Written by Dr Angela’s daughter, Maya
REPORTING FROM SWITZERLAND
During the day, church bells echo across the valleys; by the lake you can see flocks of white birds flying across the silver waves of the lake. But if if you look a little longer, if you look a little closer, you’ll see sinister shadows falling across the Swiss valleys. Switzerland carries a dark history for all its scenic beauty.
Outside Voices features the story of Dr Angela Hobart; an outstanding scholar, human rights activist, psychotherapist and social anthropologist. Her mother came from a famous Jewish family in Germany where the women, in particular, were known for their vision and achievements. Between 1939 and 1940 the black boot of totalitarianism cast its sinister shadow across Europe as the Nazis invaded and occupied Europe. The world trembled and in 1940 Britain stood alone against the Nazi machine.
Born in 1939 Angela and her family were forced to flee Germany as the Nazis came to power. The young family first fled to Switzerland then to Haverford, Pennsylvania in the USA where they were given sanctuary by the warm-hearted Quakers. Her father Edmund had a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Berlin and was given a job teaching political science to students at Haverford College and a college house.
Unable to return to Germany the small family later went to Switzerland where Edmund gave the use of both his homes to the Resistance. Operation Sunrise was the code name for the diplomatic activities of a small group of courageous men who met secretly in Ascona in 1945 to negotiate the end Word War Two. At these meetings senior officials agreed to defy Hitler’s orders to scorch the earth. The negotiations saved the lives of thousands of men and laid the foundation for the ending of World War 2, one of the most terrible wars in human history. On the second of May 1945, Churchill announced the first great German surrender in the Houses of Parliament as Germany capitulated to the Allied Forces and declared ‘the war against fascism and Nazism is over on that front.’ The home is now a humanitarian foundation called Centro Incontri Umani, Ascona
Our story tells of Dr Angela’s remarkable life including her research as an anthropologist in Bali, Indonesia, where she also studied the Balinese shadow play. Bali is a small tropical island surrounded by white coral reefs and the turquoise-blue seas of the Indian and Pacific oceans. It has often been called The Island of the Gods and her research first took place while the island was relatively untouched by modernisation and globalisation. She has written many gripping and scholarly books including ‘Healing Performances of Bali, Between Darkness and Light’ and ‘Dancing Shadows of Bali.’
Dr Angela, as she is known by many who love her, also founded the Sutasoma Trust. The name of the Trust comes from the Buddhist story of Prince Sutasoma; the story takes its roots from the Jataka Tales, spellbinding legends about the former lives of the Buddha. Centro Incontri Umani was founded in memory of her parents and their love of the arts, music, scholarship and their wish to benefit others.
Our story will also take us on a journey over snow-capped mountains, glistening blue skies and silver moonlight.
