April 11, 2003

12th annual Africa conference to address diverse issues

Experts from around the globe will discuss a variety of issues facing the people of Africa, including religion, human rights, AIDS and diamonds at the
12th Annual Africa/Diaspora Conference “Ethnicity, Religion, and Conflict Diamonds in Africa,” May 1-3 in the University Union at California State University, Sacramento.

Among the many featured speakers are Lyuombya Henry Hudson of The AIDS Support Organization in Kampala, Uganda who will discuss “Peer Education Training: A Strategy to Combat AIDS/HIV,” at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, May 1, and Dr. Charles Moore Wedderburn of the University of Bahia, Brazil, who will address the conference as the keynote speaker at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 2. Other program highlights include:

• Participants in the 2002 summer Fulbright education seminar in Uganda will share their experiences and major lessons learned in a panel discussion
  at 3 p.m., Thursday, May 1.
• “The Business of War and Diamonds in Africa’s Conflicts: Assessing the Effectiveness of the Kimberley Protocols,” 11 a.m., Friday, May 2. Presented by Phillip Van Nierk from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists in Washington, D.C.
• “Women In Conflict With Oil Companies in The Niger Delta of Nigeria,” 1:30 p.m., Friday, May 2. Presented by Oluchi Florence Ema-Etokudo of the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

The conference is sponsored by the CSUS Center for African Peace and Conflict Resolution and the CSUS Pan African Studies Program.
For more information, contact Ernest Uwazie at (916) 278-6282. Media assistance is available by contacting the CSUS public affairs office at (916) 278-6156.

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