Former Lecturers

Amani Abeid Karume is the seventh African Presidential Lecturer at Boston University’s African Presidential Archives and Research Center. President Karume was the President of Zanzibar for ten years from 2000 to November 2010. During his Presidency, His Excellency Karume was able to tackle the critical issues of national unity and political reconciliation. This allowed him to push health, education, and infrastructure initiatives. His success with Malaria brought prevalence in Zanzibar from over 40% to below 1%.  President Karume convened the 2011 African Presidential Roundtable in Balaclava, Mauritius.

Festus Gontebanye Mogae is the sixth African President-in-Residence at Boston University’s African Presidential Archives and Research Center. President Mogae led the Republic of Botswana for ten distinctive years from 1998 to March 2008. He is the winner of the Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership for ensuring “stability and prosperity in the face of the HIV/AIDS pandemic” while improving upon the economy, infrastructure, healthcare and educational systems of the Republic of Botswana. President Mogae convened the 2009 African Presidential Roundtable in Berlin, Germany.

António Mascarenhas Monteiro, former President of the Republic of Cape Verde, is the fifth Balfour African President-in-Residence at Boston University’s African Presidential Archives and Research Center from April 2007 to November 2007. President Monteiro became the first democratically elected President of the Republic of Cape Verde in 1991 and was reelected in 1996. President Monterio has dedicated his life to conflict resolution and prevention, and promotion of good governance and representative democracy.

Sir Q. Ketumile Masire is the fourth Balfour African President in Residence at Boston University’s African Presidential Archives and Research Center. On July 18, 1980, President Masire succeeded the late Seretse Khama as the second President of the Republic Botswana and in 1984 won the presidential elections with a landslide of 77% under the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP). President Masire served his country as head of state until March 1988. Sir Ketumile Masire will also chair the APARC African Presidential Roundtable 2005 which will be convened in Johannesburg, South and Boston, Massachusetts in April.

Karl Auguste Offmann is the third Balfour African President in Residence at Boston University’s African Presidential Archives and Research Center. President Offmann served as president of the Republic of Mauritius from February 2002 to October 2003. Throughout his political carreer he contributed greatly to the economic development and social harmony that is known some ten years later as the “Mauritian Miracle”.

Madam Ruth Sando Perry is the second Balfour African President in Residence at Boston University’s African Presidential Archives and Research Center. Madam Ruth Perry, the only female African head of state in modern times began leading Liberia in Spetmeber of 1996. On August 7, 1997 she provided for the smooth and peaceful transfer of power to a democratically elected government.

President Kenneth David Kaunda is the first Balfour African President in Residence at Boston University’s African Presidential Archives and Research Center. Dr. Kaunda led Zambia to independence and served as the first President of the Republic of Zambia. He served as the president of Zambia from 1964 to 1991.