2019 Aggrey-Fraser-Guggisberg Memorial Lectures by K. Riva Levinson
Theme: The Future of Democracy in Africa
Date: 21st to 22nd March, 2019
Venue: Great Hall
Time: 5:00 pm daily
Day One
Thursday, March 21, 2019
Topic: Democracy’s Keepers: The Rise of the Activist Generation in Africa
ABSTRACT
In recent years, civil society has proved itself to be the most important check and support for good governance in Africa. It is particularly the ‘activist generation’ and its contingent organizations and movements which have proved to be the greatest pressure in strengthening demographic institutions and checking corruption. This lecture argues that civil society, particularly groups and movements from the ‘activist generation’, merit support from international and domestic communities. In discussing why, this lecture explores key movements from the ‘activist generation’ as civil society across the continent. Particular attention is paid to how the ‘activist generation’ has succeeded in checking corruption and providing critical support for democratic processes. Recommendations for providing support to the ‘activist generation’ are discussed.
Day Two.
Friday, March 22, 2019
Topic: Power from the Margins: Opening up African Political Systems to Women, Youth and Other Disrupters
ABSTRACT
More than half of the world’s population growth will occur in Africa between now and 2050, making the continent the fasting growing region of the world. Yet African economies are not projected to keep pace with the rising population, largely due to failures by governments and mismanagement of resources. I argue that, if they can become part of the political process, women, youth and other marginalized groups can bring transformative change to African governance and are therefore key to the future of the continent’s democracies. In discussing how political outsiders can come into the political process, this lecture draws on case studies from recent elections in Liberia, Ghana and Nigeria. Recommendations for integrating political outsiders into future democratic processes are also discussed.
PROFILE
K. Riva Levinson is a sought-after political and business strategist solving challenges for clients across governments and continents. While global in her reach, Riva’s passion lies in Sub-Saharan Africa where she has traveled and worked for 32 years on projects ranging from political risk to election strategy. Notable achievements include advising former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa's first democratically elected female president, since 1997 through her two terms in office; and counselling Joyce Banda, former president of Malawi, during her period of exile.
Riva began her career as an operative in the late 1980s at Washington’s first bipartisan lobbying firm, Black, Manafort, Stone & Kelly. In this capacity, Riva was on the front-lines during some of the world’s pivotal moments in history, including Angola during the tentative peace in the early 1990s; South Africa at the end of apartheid; and Iraq immediately after the fall of Saddam Hussein. Riva later became Managing Director for BKSH & Associates, a subsidiary of Young & Rubicam. In 2006, Riva founded KRL International LLC, a consulting firm specializing in emerging markets and based in Washington, DC. She has managed projects of consequence in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, South Asia, and Europe.
Riva is a contributor to The Hill, one of Washington, DC’s leading publications on policy and politics, writing on Africa, democracy and development, and is the author of the award-winning memoir, “Choosing the Hero: My Improbable Journey and the Rise of Africa's First Woman President,” chronicling her career alongside her relationship with Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Riva has been featured in Forbes, Fortune, the New York Times, the Financial Times, the Washington Post, National Public Radio's “All Things Considered”, CNN and MSNBC. She is represented by Robinson Speakers Bureau addressing audiences across the US and around the world on the political strategy, advocacy and women’s leadership.
In addition to her work at KRL, Riva serves on the advisory council of Last Mile Health, a non-profit healthcare provider dedicated to saving lives in the world’s most remote communities, and on the board of directors of Invest Africa, a membership organization interested in stimulating investment, economic growth, employment and poverty reduction in Africa.
Riva holds a bachelor's in economics and international affairs from Tufts University and a master's in security studies from Georgetown University. She is married with two adult children.
