Free Program For Richmond Forum Subscribers!

Today is Independence Day in Liberia, which makes it a great time to announce a special free program for Richmond Forum subscribers, in anticipation of President Sirleaf's program in November. Did you know that the first president of Liberia was from Petersburg? The fact is, Virginians figured prominently in the founding and early leadership of Liberia and it's a fascinating story. To share that story, The Richmond Forum is partnering with the Virginia Historical Society to bring historian and author Dr. Marie Tyler-McGraw to Richmond to deliver a special presentation: An African Republic: Black & White Virginians in the Making of Liberia.

This program will be free to Richmond Forum subscribers and will enable you to enjoy President Sirleaf's presentation within a greater historical context.

The program will be presented in the Robins Theater at the Virginia Historical Society at 428 N. Boulevard on October 28, 2010 at 7 PM. Doors will open at 6:30 PM. Please plan to arrive early for best seating. If needed, overflow seating will be available.

Mark you calendar and we look forward to seeing you there!

Meanwhile, be sure to visit Dr. Tyler-McGraw's website: "Virginia Emigrants to Liberia."

Caring About Africa

In the past week there have been a number of news stories and opinion pieces raising the question of "who cares about Africa?" and a number of our past and future Richmond Forum speakers figure into the discussion. All of which has reminded me of a comment submitted by one of our subscribers after we announced our 2010-2011 season line-up. Referring to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's program in November, the subscriber said simply, "I have no interest in Africa." That subscriber is not alone — among Americans, or among citizens of the rest of the western world. For instance, in today's Christian Science Monitor, Jason Stearns writes about how Anderson Cooper's ratings dropped 20 to 30 percent when he reported from the Congo several years ago.

Similarly, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof has been in hot water this week over an answer that he gave to the question of why many of his columns about Africa seem to portray "black Africans as victims" and "white foreigners as their saviors."

Kristof responded, "...very often I do go to developing countries where local people are doing extraordinary work, and instead I tend to focus on some foreigner, often some American, who’s doing something there. And let me tell you why I do that. The problem that I face — my challenge as a writer — in trying to get readers to care about something like Eastern Congo, is that frankly, the moment a reader sees that I’m writing about Central Africa, for an awful lot of them, that’s the moment to turn the page." (Read more of his response here.)

But should we be turning the page so quickly on Africa? Africa is, after all, the second largest and second most populous continent in the world, after Asia. And although Africa is often viewed as a homogenous continent, its 53 nations are anything but — in culture, government, religion, and economies. While distressing news still comes out of some African nations on a daily basis, there is also much cause for hope from others.

Tony Blair, through his Africa Governance Initiative, has played a significant role in changing the west's perception of Africa and in attracting western investment — to keep up with the investment that is already flowing from a much more interested China.

Among Blair's reasons to be so encouraged by Africa today are the strong, democratic leaders that have recently emerged in Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, and Liberia where President Sirleaf has brought law and order to her nation after fourteen years of bloody civil war.

When President Sirleaf addresses The Richmond Forum in November she will share her perspective about "Africa and its Place in the World." This program will be challenging and timely, and may give you new reason to care about Africa.

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Related reading: Africa has finally repositioned itself as a serious player in the international politics of the world.

NY Times: Greg Mortenson & The U.S. Military

Today's New York Times features a story calling Greg Mortenson an "unlikely tutor" to the U.S. military in Afghanistan. Greg spoke of this growing relationship with the military when he addressed The Richmond Forum in January. According to the story, Greg was one of the last people that General Stanley McChrystal reached out to as he flew from Kabul to Washington DC to be fired by President Obama. McChrystal's email message read, "Will move through this and if I'm not involved in the years ahead, will take tremendous comfort in knowing people like you are helping Afghans build a future."

The Times story ends with a powerful statement of reality.

"Mr. Mortenson acknowledges that his solution in Afghanistan, girls' education, will take a generation or more. 'But Al Qaeda and the Taliban are looking at it long range over generations," he said. 'And we're looking at it in terms of annual fiscal cycles and presidential elections.'"

Greg will be departing shortly to spend the rest of the summer in Afghanistan and we wish him a safe trip.

The First Ladies At The Smithsonian

My family and I were in DC this past weekend and we spent a good part of Sunday in the National Museum of American History, where one of the most popular exhibits is the First Ladies Exhibition. As we get ready to welcome former first lady Laura Bush to The Richmond Forum in January, it was interesting to visit this exhibit again and consider her in the context of the changing role of first ladies over the years. The exhibit categorizes the first lady's roles as campaigner, hostess, policy advocate, and public face.

The first ladies' gowns are still the centerpiece of this exhibit (Martha Washington was tiny!), but it has grown over the years to include much more and is well worth a visit the next time you're in DC. Or you can visit their online exhibit.

Laura Bush will address The Richmond Forum on January 15, 2011. A limited number of season subscriptions are still available for $155 and may be purchased online or by calling (804) 330-3993. All Richmond Forum programs are held at the Landmark Theater in Richmond.