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Stephen Lewis, a Canadian who is the UN Secretary-General’s special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, recently presented "Race Against Time" in the 2005 Massey Lecture Series on CBC, our National broadcast radio.
While many things Stephen said made me take notice, there was nothing more compelling than the call support to the role of women. It seems half of the continent lays in shadow, women struggle to meet the needs of families and yet so little aid reaches them because of male dominated governance structures. Direct support to women individually and as a group is crucial; it could unite them as a group to learn, understand and support each other across the continent. Their efforts could conceivably create a wave of change altering the destiny of Africa.
The radio lecture series by Stephen Lewis was reviting; it was well informed, passionate and made many reasoned recommendations for change. I heartitly recommend listening to the first lecture available online at: http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/massey/massey2005.html There is also an accompaning book of the same title and a CD of the five lectures.