South African Leaders to Discuss Globalization’s Impact Fellows Bring Perspectives from Business, Media, and Civil Society
Washington, DC, September 4, 2007 –– South Africa has as emerged a rising star to watch. Trendy restaurants from London to New York serve South African wines. Traveling from Cape Town to Stellenboch, one might think they were in Sonoma Valley, were it not for the corrugated roofs of the shanty towns flanking the highway. South Africans have become an investment force in the African continent and have their eyes on becoming a regional leader. Yet, South Africans are faced with a strong new competitor in China, feel taxed with how to manage large inflows of refugees from Zimbabwe and neighboring countries, sense a compounding resentment by the 40 percent of the population which is unemployed, and are faced with a daunting spread of the HIV/AIDS virus.
Four “Africa Leadership Fellows” from the Aspen Institute will discuss the challenges and opportunities facing South Africa in a moderated panel discussion. The event will take place from 6:00 to 7:00 PM on Tuesday, September 11, 2007 in the Aspen Institute’s Paepcke Auditorium at the Aspen Meadows. The discussion is free and open to the public. Doors will open 45 minutes prior to the start of the discussion.
The panelists will include:
Bongi Kunene, Head of the Private Office for the Deputy President, Republic of South Africa
Mondli, Makhanya, Editor, The Sunday Times
Neo Muyanga, Composer/Musician
Heather Sonn
Skip Battle, Senior Fellow, Aspen Institute, former CEO, AskJeeves
The Africa Leadership Initiative (ALI) is a joint venture between the Aspen Institute, Databank Foundation (Ghana), Infotech Investment Group LTD (Tanzania), CETA Construction and Services (Mozambique), Letsema Foundation (South Africa), LEAP Africa (Nigeria), and TechnoServe.
The Aspen Institute, founded in 1950, is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering enlightened leadership and open-minded dialogue. Through seminars, policy programs, conferences and leadership development initiatives, the Institute and its international partners seek to promote nonpartisan inquiry and an appreciation for timeless values. The Institute is headquartered in Washington, DC, and has campuses in Aspen, Colorado, and on the Wye River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Its international network includes partner Aspen Institutes in Berlin, Rome, Lyon, Tokyo, New Delhi, and Bucharest, and leadership programs in Africa, Central America and India.
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