The former Botswana president, Sir Ketumile Masire, who served from 1980 to 1998, visited the University Ballroom Oct. 18 to give a lecture on current African development problems.

Ric Brown, the provost and vice president of Academic Affairs, officially welcomed Masire and his wife, Lady Olebile, to Sacramento State.

“We’ve had former leaders and presidential hopefuls,” Brown said. “But this is the first time Sac State ever had someone who had been knighted.”

During his speech at Sac State, Masire spoke about his experience as leader of the sovereign state of Botswana and how it transformed itself after independence.

“Back in 1966, the per capita was about $70 to $90 per person,” Masire said. “In 2004 the per capita is about $9,000.

“On Sept. 30 of next year, we will be celebrating our 30th anniversary of being an independent state. As of now, we are the oldest democracy in Africa. We are currently asking South Africa that they make Botswana more of a trading partner, rather than a trading post.”

Yet the bulk of his speech was spent focusing on his nation’s battle with HIV/AIDS.

“Thousands of our skilled people are dying due to this epidemic,” Masire said. “With the rate of people dying, the price of labor goes up. Yet in 2004, we spent $113 million towards AIDS treatment.

“We also have routine HIV testing clinics around the nation. But the most important thing is to remove the stigma of having AIDS and to stop the discrimination of the victims.

“We also hope to educate more people about how the disease is transmitted and how to prevent handing it down to our children. We also want to promote elementary hygiene practices, in hopes of preventing more spreading of the disease.”

Masire answered questions regarding the plight of women and their struggle to be seen as equals to men. He said that in Botswana, the government is encouraging every female and male to rise to his/her highest potential.

The two hundred students and faculty who came to listen to Masire showed their appreciation for his willingness to come to Sac State and speak to the college by a standing ovation.

“It was great,” said Jose Gomar, a senior government and Spanish major. “It was a chance to interact with him and to see the president up close.”

Ernest Uwazie, the director of the Center for African Peace and Conflict Resolution, gave the audience a brief biography of the former president’s life.

Masire was born in Kanye, Botswana on July 23, 1925. He began his training as a teacher in 1949 and eventually took up farming in 1956. In 1958 he learned journalism and he helped develop the Botswana Democratic Party in 1962. In 1966 he became a member of Parliament after Botswana earned its independence from the United Kingdom.

According to Boston University’s African Presidential Archives and Research Center Web site, Masire founded the Seepapitso Secondary School in 1950. While he was part of Parliament, he was the vice president and the minister of Finance and Development Planning.

In July 1980, he succeeded the late Seretse Khama to become the second president of Botswana. During his 18 years in office, President Masire became the vice-chairman of the

Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 1991 and he was the chairman of the Eminent Personalities of the OAU Committee Investigating the Circumstances Surrounding the 1994 Rwanda Genocide.

After he left the presidency in 1998, he became a facilitator for the Inter-Congolese National Dialogue between 2000-2003. When the former president is not making speeches or appearances, he is tending to his farm back in Botswana.

Jamie Gonzales can be reached at [email protected]