A delegation of nine International Visitors Leadership Program participants from eight African Countries visit the African Studies Library as part of a larger visit hosted by the African Studies Center.

The BU Libraries recently welcomed two delegations from U.S. Department of State’s International Visitors Leadership Program to its African Studies Library. The African Studies Library provides rich collections, archives, and expertise to the global research community and its unique interdisciplinary and geographic focus make it an important destination for scholars. Beth Restrick, Head of the African Studies Library shared more about the visits:

On Wednesday, March 20th, a delegation of nine International Visitors Leadership Program participants from eight African Countries visited the African Studies Library. This was part of a larger visit hosted by the African Studies Center.  The program, organized by the Department of State brings emerging leaders from around the world to the U.S. for focused study trips.  The delegation included members from Cameroon, Central African Republic, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Togo, Tunisia, and Uganda. Their focus is on “Entrepreneurship as the Engine of Prosperity and Stability” with a special emphasis on small business development.

The delegation attended a session at the Center, where Assistant Professor of Global Economic Policy Solomon Osuwu, Professor of the Practice of Global Development Policy Tsitsi Musasike, and the Center Director Mark Storella briefed the group and engaged in lively conversation on African economic issues.  Following the session, the group paid a visit to the Library and enthusiastically perused the collections and a display laid out specific to their countries. An especially moving highlight was when one of the delegates found a reference to her aunt in the Historical Dictionary of the Central Africa Republic.

On Friday, April 12th, the African Studies Center and African Studies Library hosted a delegation from the Mozambican Foreign Ministry and Joaquim Chissano University Diplomatic School officials.  Dr. Frederico Benedito Congolo, Director of the university’s Diplomatic School, led the large delegation which was organized by WorldBoston.  Beth Restrick, the Head of the African Studies Library, spent a large part of her childhood in Mozambique and was delighted to be able to welcome the group in both Changana and Portuguese. The Library prepared an exhibit of materials from Mozambique and provided a short tour of the collections. Following their visit to the library, the delegation continued on to an event with the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies and the Center for the Study of the Long-Range Future, where they discussed practices and the future of digital diplomacy.