Panelists at Boston University discuss contemporary African development, health, and politics
For over fifty years, The African Studies Center at Boston University has provided scholarly research, study, publication and teaching about Africa. The Center, which was founded in 1953, hosted a program on November 4, 2009, at the Howard Thurman Center at Boston University. The program titled: Moving Forward: The Contributions of Africans and the Diaspora in Contemporary Africa, was sponsored by the university’s African Students Organization. The program brought three expert panelists together for a discussion on African economics, education, politics, public health, and the lingering effects of colonialism.
The panelists included Timothy Longman – Director of the BU African Studies Center, Professor Jennifer Yanco, a research fellow at BU, and former U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania Charles Stith – Director of the African Presidential Archives and Research Center at BU. The 90 minute panel discussion began with the panelists giving opening remarks about the current state of affairs on the African continent. Ambassador Stith believes that Africa is uniquely poised to eventually reach its full potential. Stith highlighted the Bush administration’s progressive policies concerning the Millennium Challenge Initiative. Stith also mentioned the significance of H.R. 1298 the U.S. Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Act of 2003 signed by President Bush.
Professor Yanco offered another perspective on the current state of African politics and education. Yanco said that there has been a large population movement on the continent. Furthermore, the level of education has changed. Yanco also reminded the group of about thirty-five people in the audience about the immense cultural riches and mineral resources on the continent.
In regards to the state of Africa today, Professor Longman argued that there is a tendency to think of Africa as just one country. Longman explained that much of the news reported about Africa that appears in the western news media focuses on what goes wrong or on the exotic facets of the continent. Longman said, “There are a lot of bright spots on the continent. There are still some dark spots. There’s no reason Congo should be poor.” Professor Longman added that there is a growing tendency among the western media to look for what Africa is doing right in terms of social policies.
The role of the African Union was also discussed during this portion of the conversation. Stith argues that out of the 52 member countries in the African Union only about 16 African countries are serious about democracy. “Democracy is messy,” Stith remarked. Furthermore, Stith maintains that the African Union will collapse based upon its contradictions. In Stith’s assessment of African politics, he says that most of the constitutions of democratic African nations are more progressive than America’s constitution.
During the middle of the discussion, the panelists began answering questions pertaining to the healthcare system in Africa. Professor Yanco commented that the public health situation on the continent is dire. “Healthcare systems have really been gutted.” Nonetheless, there have been some bright spots for healthcare on the continent. Women’s groups have rallied around issues such as domestic violence, HIV/AIDS, and maternal mortality, Yanco noted. However, Yanco is not terribly optimistic concerning the state of African healthcare overall.
Professor Longman continued the conversation by discussing similarities between western nations and countries in Africa, as well as human rights violations. According to Longman, African countries have systems set up like western countries. “Human rights abuses happen because of decisions. The human rights situation in Africa is changing very rapidly,” Longman said.
Ambassador Stith explained that the U.S. has interests (especially economic interests) around the globe. “The reality is petroleum fuels our economy,” Stith said in regards to Africa’s rise as a petroleum exporter.
I thought the panel discussion was an informative conversation on current events concerning the African continent. Africa as a whole has several strengths including its rich mineral & natural resources. However, the continent continues to be hampered by social unrest. In Sudan, a civil war has caused the displacement of 2 million refugees and killed 200,000 people according to the United Nations. In Angola most citizens live on less than $1 dollar per day and in Burundi, a country with nearly 9 million people, approximately half live under the poverty level.
Some Facts about Africa:
With a total of 11,608,000 sq. miles Africa is the world’s 2nd largest continent; Africa is also the world’s 2nd most populous continent with approximately 1 billion people.
About two thousand languages are spoken in Africa, one-third of the world’s total.
There are 54 countries in Africa.
Four Africans have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature and eight have received the Nobel Peace Prize.
Botswana is the leading producer of gem-quality diamonds in the world. South Africa is the world’s leading producer of gold. The Democratic Republic of Congo has 80% of the world’s known reserves of coltan, a rare mineral essential in the production of cell phones and other electronic devices.
The U.S. currently imports more oil from Africa than from the Middle East.
The Sahara Desert is the largest desert in the world; and the Nile River is the longest river in the world.
4 of the 5 fastest animals in the world live in Africa.
The panelists included Timothy Longman – Director of the BU African Studies Center, Professor Jennifer Yanco, a research fellow at BU, and former U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania Charles Stith – Director of the African Presidential Archives and Research Center at BU. The 90 minute panel discussion began with the panelists giving opening remarks about the current state of affairs on the African continent. Ambassador Stith believes that Africa is uniquely poised to eventually reach its full potential. Stith highlighted the Bush administration’s progressive policies concerning the Millennium Challenge Initiative. Stith also mentioned the significance of H.R. 1298 the U.S. Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Act of 2003 signed by President Bush.
Professor Yanco offered another perspective on the current state of African politics and education. Yanco said that there has been a large population movement on the continent. Furthermore, the level of education has changed. Yanco also reminded the group of about thirty-five people in the audience about the immense cultural riches and mineral resources on the continent.
In regards to the state of Africa today, Professor Longman argued that there is a tendency to think of Africa as just one country. Longman explained that much of the news reported about Africa that appears in the western news media focuses on what goes wrong or on the exotic facets of the continent. Longman said, “There are a lot of bright spots on the continent. There are still some dark spots. There’s no reason Congo should be poor.” Professor Longman added that there is a growing tendency among the western media to look for what Africa is doing right in terms of social policies.
The role of the African Union was also discussed during this portion of the conversation. Stith argues that out of the 52 member countries in the African Union only about 16 African countries are serious about democracy. “Democracy is messy,” Stith remarked. Furthermore, Stith maintains that the African Union will collapse based upon its contradictions. In Stith’s assessment of African politics, he says that most of the constitutions of democratic African nations are more progressive than America’s constitution.
During the middle of the discussion, the panelists began answering questions pertaining to the healthcare system in Africa. Professor Yanco commented that the public health situation on the continent is dire. “Healthcare systems have really been gutted.” Nonetheless, there have been some bright spots for healthcare on the continent. Women’s groups have rallied around issues such as domestic violence, HIV/AIDS, and maternal mortality, Yanco noted. However, Yanco is not terribly optimistic concerning the state of African healthcare overall.
Professor Longman continued the conversation by discussing similarities between western nations and countries in Africa, as well as human rights violations. According to Longman, African countries have systems set up like western countries. “Human rights abuses happen because of decisions. The human rights situation in Africa is changing very rapidly,” Longman said.
Ambassador Stith explained that the U.S. has interests (especially economic interests) around the globe. “The reality is petroleum fuels our economy,” Stith said in regards to Africa’s rise as a petroleum exporter.
I thought the panel discussion was an informative conversation on current events concerning the African continent. Africa as a whole has several strengths including its rich mineral & natural resources. However, the continent continues to be hampered by social unrest. In Sudan, a civil war has caused the displacement of 2 million refugees and killed 200,000 people according to the United Nations. In Angola most citizens live on less than $1 dollar per day and in Burundi, a country with nearly 9 million people, approximately half live under the poverty level.
Some Facts about Africa:
With a total of 11,608,000 sq. miles Africa is the world’s 2nd largest continent; Africa is also the world’s 2nd most populous continent with approximately 1 billion people.
About two thousand languages are spoken in Africa, one-third of the world’s total.
There are 54 countries in Africa.
Four Africans have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature and eight have received the Nobel Peace Prize.
Botswana is the leading producer of gem-quality diamonds in the world. South Africa is the world’s leading producer of gold. The Democratic Republic of Congo has 80% of the world’s known reserves of coltan, a rare mineral essential in the production of cell phones and other electronic devices.
The U.S. currently imports more oil from Africa than from the Middle East.
The Sahara Desert is the largest desert in the world; and the Nile River is the longest river in the world.
4 of the 5 fastest animals in the world live in Africa.
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