Moderator: Anna Maria Tremonti
Host: Mary Ito
For decades, Africa has been a disaster zone in western consciousness: a continent of corruption, misrule, famine, and war. Few Canadians have acquired a better sense of these realities than Senator Romeo Dallaire and Stephen Lewis. Their visions for modern Africa transcend media clichés of failed states and focus instead on humanitarian initiatives to help civil society address some of the most urgent challenges faced by the continent today.
While serving as commander of the United Nations troops in Rwanda, Senator Dallaire witnessed a genocide take place against a backdrop of diplomatic evasion and indifference. Dallaire is the winner of the Pearson Peace Medal, author of the award-winning book Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda, and, most recently, They Fight Like Soldiers, They Die Like Children. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada.
As UN Envoy for Aids in Africa, Stephen Lewis witnessed a preventable pandemic consume millions of African lives. Lewis is a distinguished humanitarian, chair of the Stephen Lewis Foundation dedicated to turning the tide of HIV/AIDS in Africa, co-founder and co-director of AIDS-Free in the United States, author of the bestselling Race Against Time, Companion of the Order of Canada, winner of the Pearson Peace Medal, and Distinguished Professor at Ryerson University.