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A person with direct insight into South Africas rocky transition from apartheid state to a more just and democratic society Barabara Masekela, the countrys current ambassador to the United States and former chief-of-staff to Nelson Mandela will discuss her countrys progress and challenges on Oct. 20 at 3:30 p.m. in Marsh Lounge, Billings Student Center.

Masekelas talk is titled Developing a Just Society: The Challenge of Contemporary South Africa.

She going to share with us her perspective on democracy in South Africa, says Ned McMahon, research associate professor of community development and applied economics, and expert in the region. This is a positive example of a country that although it has huge problems, has been able to overcome a lot of divisions and build a more pluralist society.

Maskela was educated in South Africa, Zambia and the United States. After an academic career in which she was assistant professor of English literature at Staten Island Community College and Rutgers University, she founded the African National Congress Office of Arts and Culture and served as its secretary for seven years. After the release of Nelson Mandela, she joined his office as chief of staff, a position she held until 1994. During that time she was elected to the National Executive Committee of the ANC and to its national working committee. Mandela appointed Masekela ambassador to the France and UNESCO in 1995. In 1999, when she returned to South Africa, she joined the corporate world where she held a number of executive and non-executive directorships. She was appointed ambassador to the United States in June 2003.

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