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Her
Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
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Her
Excellency
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
"A Conversation with Furman President David Shi"
April 13, 2009
The
Riley Institute at Furman welcomed Liberian President Ellen Johnson
Sirleaf, known as Africa’s “Iron Lady,” to Furman
University on Monday, April 13. Her talk, a conversation with Furman
President David E. Shi, began at 4 p.m. in McAlister Auditorium.
Over 1,000 students, Furman faculty and staff, and community members
attended this remarkable event. To view the program, click
here.
Johnson Sirleaf is the first woman elected to lead an African nation.
A graduate of Harvard University and a former World Bank economist,
she won the presidency in 2005 with almost 60 percent of the vote.
The race initially included 22 men and pitted her against a popular
former soccer player in Europe, George Weah, in a run-off.
Head of a country of some 3.5 million people on the west coast of
Africa, Johnson Sirleaf has been recognized for her courage and
commitment to expanding freedom and improving the lives of the people
of war-torn Liberia and others across the African continent.
In
2006, Forbes magazine named her the 51st most powerful woman in
the world. Sirleaf has served on international panels investigating
issues from genocide in Rwanda to the role that women can play as
peacemakers. She is the founder of Measuagoon, a nonprofit organization
in Liberia involved in community development and the education of
girls.
For
the press release in its entirety, click
here; for an article that appeared in The Greenville News,
click here.
To view an article about this event that appeared in SCBIZ,
click here; allAfrica.com,
click
here; and GreenvilleOnline.com, click
here; for a video clip from WYFF4, click
here; an article penned by Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf,
click
here.
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