CSIS: A Western Journalist Speaks on the Congo and a Former US Ambassador in the DRC Obliquely Criticizes Rwanda

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AllAfrica, Anjan Sundaram, Congo, CSIS, Nii Akuetteh, Paul Kagame, Rwanda, Stringer: A Reporter's Journey in the Congo, Tami Hultman, William Garvelink

Sundaram speaking with Hultman

I recently complained about remarks I heard by former US Ambassador in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, William Garvelink.  He spoke at CSIS yesterday at a book event for Anjan Sundaram, who has recently published a book on his experiences as a journalist in the Congo from 2005 – 2007 (he went there right after graduating from Yale).  I thought that I might be able to get another sourpuss post from yesterday’s event, but that was not particularly the case (at least in regards to Garvelink).  That honor went to Tami Hultman, co-founder of AllAfrica.

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Mathilde Mukantabana, Rwandan Ambassador to the US on pan-Africanism, Kagame’s Tenure, and Genocide

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African Civilization, ASG, Georgetown, Mathilde Mukantabana, pan-Africanism, Paul Kagame, Rwanda, Rwanda Genocide, Rwandan Ambassador to the US, ubuntu

The final speaker at the African Society of Georgetown’s 2 day conference this weekend was Mathilde Mukantabana, who I understand was recently named Rwanda’s Ambassador to the United States.  I found Mukantabana to be a particularly appropriate speaker as she has spent much of her life in the Diaspora, serving as a professor of history in California until her appointment.  Her wide ranging comments certainly alluded to that background.  She referenced pan-African giants from this hemisphere like WEB DuBois and Marcus Garvey, from Africa, such as Kwame Nkrumah and spoke of African philosophies that she saw as being relevant across Africa, such as Ubuntu.

‘Damned is the Country Whose Leader is a Young Man’: DRC Opposition Staffer on Kabila, Regional Mediators, and More at SAIS

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Albert Moleka, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Etienne Tshisekedi, Joseph Kabila, M23, Mvemba Dizolele, Paul Kagame, Roger Meece, SAIS, Stephen Weissman, Tony Gambino, Union for Democracy and Social Progress, William Zartman, Yoweri Museveni

I heard Albert Moleka, the Chief of Staff to Etienne Tshisekedi, the Congo’s main opposition leader, speak in theory yesterday on “D.R. Congo: How the Kampala Talks and the Concentrations Nationales Undermine the Rule of Law and Fuel Instability” at SAIS.  Moleka is a SAIS graduate (’82) and expressed his esteem for William Zartman, a former head of SAIS’ African Studies Program who ‘impacted [his] intellect forever.’  He returned to the DRC where he briefly dabbled in business before turning to politics, where amongst other roles, he served as a prison chaplain (which may explain his biblical quote in the title of this post).  He has been a member of the Congo’s main opposition party, the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDSP) since 1987.