Spring Break
Speaker covers African issues
U.S. State Dept. offical addresses AIDS crisis in poorest regions
Laura Houser
Issue date: 9/19/06 Section: Campus
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"Our best interests lie in a peaceful, stable, democratic, healthy and prosperous Africa," Mozena said.
Mozena came to Miami University through the student-run African School Advancement Program (ASAP).
Monzena spoke on the U.S. interest and current policy in southern Africa, touching on the significant humanitarian, democratic and economic issues prevalent in the region.
Key in Monzena's lecture were the topics of HIV and AIDS. Monzena said that Africa is the front lines in the worldwide battle against the deadly virus, so Africa - and southern Africa in particular - has never been more important.
AIDS, Monzena said, is destroying southern Africa.
As he walked about the stage, throwing his hands into each point, Monzena reminded his listeners that in southern African alone, 42.6 percent of the adult population has HIV/AIDS - with Botswana having the lowest life expectancy in the world. It may be easy to speak of AIDS in the abstract, Monzena said, but we should never forget how personal the disease is.
Monzena also talked about Washington D.C.'s "transformational diplomats" and their role in preventing political corruption and sanctioning oppressors in Africa. He mentioned the immense investment the U.S. holds in southern Africa, as well as the benefits of the Millennium Challenge Account, which was established by the Bush administration in 2004.
"(The Millennium Challenge Account) brings serious resources to countries that have shown, objectively, that they are serious about developing (their economies)," Monzena said.
Yet problems exist even in the most stable of southern Africa's democracies - including terrorism networks, high unemployment and a crime rate in southern Africa that is ten times that of the United States. With challenges such as these, it is no wonder southern Africa has captured the world's attention, according to Monzena.
