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10 Int'l Soc. Work 1 (1967)

handle is hein.journals/intsocwk10 and id is 1 raw text is: Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Congress of Schools of Social Work, Washington, D.C., August 31-September 3, 1966 THE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND CONTEMPORARY ROLES OF THE SOCIAL WORK PROFESSION Yohannes Wolde Gerima* A T the outset, I should like to thank the Executive Board and the Programme Committee of the International Association of Schools of Social Work for giving me the honour and privilege of addressing this Congress. By inviting me to give the opening address to such a great and historic Congress, you have put me in a situation which gives rise to a feeling of honour and a sense of humility at the same time. I feel greatly honoured when I consider that I am the first Ethiopian, indeed the first African, to deliver an opening address to a congress of this historic and worldwide Association of Schools of Social Work. I also find myself engulfed by a sense of humility when I realize that I am addressing an assembly of prominent educators, writers, and practitioners in the field of social welfare, many of you with working experience as long as my own life. In view of these two different but simultaneous feelings, I ought to be on guard that the former feeling does not go too much to my head or the latter undermine my self- confidence. Introduction In discussing the social responsibility and con- temporary roles of the social work profession, one cannot help asking: Where? In what part of the world? And at what stage of socio-economic and political development? This adds up to a colossal question, and the answer could be equally colossal. One would be expected to answer it by discussing social responsibility and the role of social work in all parts of the world with respect to all systems and stages of socio-economic and political structure and development. I did not and could not venture to treat the subject globally. Rather I have attempt- ed to consider the topic with respect to only a sector of the globe. What I am trying to tell you in so many words is that the purpose and scope of my paper are limited to the discussion of social respon- sibility and the contemporary role of social work in the continent of Africa. I agree that it is a bit unfair to you that the opening address to such a worldwide congress should cover only one continent. To arrive at such a decision was not an easy task for me. However, even with my limited experience in such matters, I have learned that the cleverest way of getting out of such a situation and thus clearing one's own conscience is to read between the lines of your terms of reference and use any convenient idea you can get, however inadvertently it had been expressed or implied by the author. In their letter inviting me to give this opening address, the Chairman of the Programme Committee and the Secretary of the Association have stated the following: You can bring to the Congress an informed view of the needs, pressures and demands in the new Africa for social change and the implications of these for the training and deployment of social wel- fare personnel. In the preparation of this paper, I have tried my best to follow the above terms of reference, and if I have violated the instructions at all, it cannot be in doing more but in doing less than the terms of reference imply. You will agree, I hope, that even the continent of Africa is too vast to be covered adequately in a paper of this nature. I would, there- fore, ask your indulgence as I briefly describe some of the social changes in Africa within the past 15 years and as I indicate the implications of these social changes for social work with respect to social policy and social planning, as well as for social work education. This will, I hope, open a way to a dis- cussion of the role of social work education, with particular reference to the need for a new outlook. Before I ask you to start your journey to Africa with me, however, I am sure you would want me to identify the main components of the subject for this meeting. My assignment as you know is entitled Social Responsibility and Contemporary Roles of the Social Work Profession. The meaning of this topic becomes clearer when it is viewed as an integral part of the theme of the Congress, which is Educa- tion for the Fulfilment of Social Responsibility and * Mr. Gerima is Assistant Mayor of Addis Ababa, and former Chairman of the National Council of Social Welfare, Ethiopia.

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