IIP Speaker Dr. Lorenzo Morris spoke to Guineans about Civil Rights & Democracy, March 19 - 23, 2007.

IIP speaker Dr. Lorenzo Morris, Chair of the Political Science Department at Howard University in Washington, D.C., conducted an extensive five-day program in Guinea on the topics of civil rights, political participation in the United States, and the political party system in the U.S.  The public affairs section (PAS) originally requested Morris for Black History Month in February, but due to a political crisis in Guinea the program was postponed until March 19-23. 

During the last year, unions, civil society and political opposition parties have increasingly found their voices in demanding more accountability and democratic reform from the government of Guinea.  Private radio stations have begun broadcasting with government approval, and three general strikes have been surprisingly effective, although considerable violence occurred in the last two strikes.  The greatest violence occurred in January and February 2007.  The goal of PAS in developing this speaker program was to provide a forum for as wide an audience as possible for people to engage freely in a discussion on democracy issues, using the history of the civil rights movement in the United States as a reference point.

Morris met with civil society organizations, political parties, unions, NGOs and military personnel in Conakry and the mining town of Boké.  He met with students and faculty in Conakry and held a roundtable discussion with journalists.  He met employees of the CBG mining company in Kamsar.  The audiences took a keen interest in the civil rights struggle and the methods used to overcome segregation and the obstacles minorities faced in expressing their democratic rights.  They were also very interested in the possibility that an African American could be elected President in 2008.  The journalist program was important as it reached the new private radio outlets and independent print media. 

Guinea is a predominantly Muslim country and Muslim outreach is a key component of Embassy Conakry’s Mission Performance Plan.  While all of Dr. Morris’s lectures reached a mostly Muslim audience, PAS arranged a special meeting with members of the Ministry of the Islamic League at the University of Conakry.  Morris shared top billing with Dr. Lamine Diallo of the University of Conakry, one of the top Muslim scholars in Guinea.  Lamine spoke on the subject of Islam and Democracy.  After listening to this talk, Morris deviated from his prepared text and improvised a speech on the history of the Nation of Islam in America.  The invitees showed a great deal of knowledge of this topic and were keenly interested in the confluence of Islam and democracy.

At each of the events, the audiences expressed gratitude to the Embassy for holding the discussions.  Many people stated that they rarely had the opportunity to express themselves openly, and they asked if the Embassy could hold more events like these throughout the year.  Media coverage was also good during the week.  At least two reports aired on the national television network and private radio also aired reports.  Local community radio covered the events in Boké and Kamsar.  Several independent newspapers covered the events as well.  The lectures and the media coverage were greatly enhanced by Morris’s fluency in French.  Overall the program was a rousing success.