Willibrod Slaa, national secretary general of Tanzania’s CHADEMA Party, will discuss “A Vision for Development in Tanzania” at 9:30 a.m., Thursday, Sept. 26, in the Student Union, Room 261.
Slaa, who is visiting UNC Charlotte as part of travels throughout the United States to meet with business, academic and political leaders, is a former Roman Catholic priest and secretary general of the Tanzania Episcopal Conference. In 2010, he ran for the Tanzanian presidency under the banner of CHADEMA (Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo: Party for Democracy and Progress). Although he lost, the 26 percent of the vote he garnered was the best for any opposition candidate since the introduction of the multiparty system in 1995. Many Tanzanian political observers expect him to run for the presidency again in 2015.
In his Sept. 26 talk, Slaa will draw from experience in community and church activism as well as political party leadership to discuss his perspectives for social, economic and political renewal in Tanzania. He also will comment on the challenges and opportunities for democracy in a country ruled by one political party for 52 years and how globalization will impact one of Africa’s most-stable countries.
This free, public event is sponsored by the Africana Studies Department in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences; RSVPs to attend should be emailed to africana_studies@uncc.edu or call 704-687-5161.