This morning I made my way from my hotel to Universidad Eduardo Mondale, where the Distance Education and Teacher Training in Africa (DETA) conference was being held. The majority of attendees were from Mozambique and South Africa, with plenty of African representation also from the areas areas of the continent. There were a handful of Europeans and I was one of 3 or 4 from the US. I spotted Cornelius, and we sat together for lunch along with delegates from other countries.
For me, the highlight was the afternoon keynote speaker, Graca Machel. She is a well-known social activist who has been instrumental on bringing child soldiers to the attention of the UN over the past 10 or more years. She was married to the former president of Mozambique (who was assassinated) and is now wife of Mandela. Her speech was inspiring. It is fascinating to hear the voices of so many layers of African society – from local citizens affected by war to middle class people, those who live in the quiet of the bush, and well-educated, informed scholars and activists. Too much for a blog (I’ve already written too much), but important and valuable to me as I continue my work in Africa.
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