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Director's Discourse:
November’s Last Word
›By Steve McDonald // Thursday, November 29, 2012By Steve McDonald
So, here we are. We have weathered one of the most divisive American election campaigns in recent memory. What does this mean for Africa? Current signals coming from high level administration officials are that the President will pay a great deal more attention to Africa in his second term than he did in his first. The White House is already beginning to plan for a major Africa trip that will most likely be scheduled in the spring of 2013. While dates and countries are far from being set, a great deal of thought will go into this trip in terms of what the focus will be, and what signals or messages the President wants to impart. Even though the trip alone will be an important statement, the key is going to be in finding the substance behind the rhetoric and fanfare. No doubt, as Africa welcomes back the first U.S. President of direct African heritage, the ceremony and celebration will be exceptional. However, if the June 14, 2012 Presidential Policy Directive (PPD) on Sub-Saharan Africa continues to maintain its status as the ruling policy document towards the continent, not much will change.
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Director's Discourse:
October’s Last Word
›By leadership project // Thursday, October 25, 2012By Steve McDonald
We have just finished our first two months on line with the Africa UP Close blog. That month has been eventful, with a number of wonderful postings from our wide and diverse network of friends, associates and colleagues in Africa and with whom we work on Africa. We have just begun to tap our immense potential for Africa UP Close to bring unique views, unconventional insights, and new “voices” to issues about Africa and US policy towards it. Postings ranged from a discussion of peace education in Burundi secondary schools, to the dire situation in Mali and the Sahel, to lessons learned on capacity building and training programs, to Africa as a testing ground for US security interests, to a comparison of African and European integration. We featured other news items, but did not, and will not, regurgitate American and European reporting on Africa. Rather we will feature African reports from sources such as the Kenyan Standard, South Africa Business Day, and AllAfrica.com. We will continue this coverage of alternate, Africa based sources for our American readers, sources normally not available to them. Finally, we list coming events. For the most part, at this stage, these have been Washington and East Coast based events, but we will continue to research and expand the list, to include other American and international events of interest to our readers. We would ask you to contribute announcements of events that your organizations are staging, or about which you have heard and feel we may not be aware.
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Director's Discourse:
September’s Last Word
›By leadership project // Thursday, September 27, 2012I promised not to make this blog a personal outlet for my perceived insights on Africa, and I will try to abide by that promise. But, we decided here at the Africa and LEAD programs that it might be good, on a monthly basis, to give me a little space for a wrap-up, a “last word,” which could cover any subject I had on my mind at the time. That is, I assume, the prerogative of the Mzee, which as you all know just means older person, although it normally is said with an air of respect. Without pretending that I deserve respect, but knowing that I am far and away the oldest person here, I am taking advantage of that prerogative.
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Director's Discourse:
Welcome to Africa UP Close!
›By Steve McDonald // Monday, September 10, 2012We are excited to be officially launching “Africa UP Close” the new blog of the Africa Program and the Project on Leadership and Building State Capacity (LEAD) of the Wilson Center in Washington, DC, two programs that I have been Director of since 2009. I have
over 40 years of experience with Africa – living there, working on its issues in both government and Non-Governmental organizations – and have become, over those years, an advocate for Africa, but also a hard realist about its strengths and weaknesses, foibles and features, potential and pitfalls. With that said, my years of experience with and on the continent have also given me a deep respect and love for the people of Africa, not only because my wife is African and my two sons were born there, but because I know of no more vibrant, creative, innovative and personable people on this earth. Through my professional and private associations, I have come to know that Africans have much to offer the world in terms of experience and depth of knowledge on issues of common interest to us all.
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