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On Tuesday, London-based journalist and author Michela Wrong leads off a fall speaker series for the Southeast Connecticut World Affairs Council with a virtual talk on her latest work, Do Not Disturb: The Story of a Political Murder and an African Regime Gone Bad.
Cambridge-educated Wrong has spent decades reporting on Africa, including stints with Reuters and the BBC, and with pieces published in the Observer, Financial Times, and Guardian.
Paul Nugent, the council’s executive director, described Wrong as a compelling speaker, and a departure from the group’s more Western-oriented discussion of education and aid for Africa. Do Not Disturb, Nugent said, is a work about Africa itself.
“The president of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, he’s sort of seen as the darling of the international aid organizations,” said Nugent, “he’s the one that got Rwanda back on its feet after the massacres.”
Wrong’s reporting recasts that more idealistic story, Nugent said, and “she exposes a very dark side to his administration which involves corruption and murder.”
It’s a book that Archbishop Desmond Tutu has called “extremely important and profoundly disturbing.”
Tickets for the talk, which is free to the group’s more than 200 members, are available here.
The Fall Lecture Series
Wednesday, September 8, 2021, at 4:00 p.m. on Zoom, author and journalist Michela Wrong will present “Do Not Disturb: The Story of a Political Murder and an African Regime Gone Bad,” based on her book of the same name. Register here for the virtual presentation.
Tuesday, September 14, 2021, at 6:00 p.m., following the SECWAC Annual Meeting at 5:30 p.m., Laurent DuBois will speak about “Haiti & Democracy,” based on current events and his 2013 book “Haiti: The Aftershocks of History.” This event is both in-person and virtual on Zoom. Register here for the virtual or in-person event.
Wednesday, October 6, 2021, at 6:00 p.m., Roya Hakokian will present “A Beginner’s Guide to America: The Immigrant Experience,” based on her book of the same name. Register here for the virtual or in-person event.
Monday, November 8, 2021, at 6:00 p.m. on Zoom, Brazil Ambassador to the US, Nestor Forster, Jr. will present “Strengthening Brazil-US Relations” via Zoom. Register here for the virtual presentation.
Wednesday, December 15, 2021, at 6:00 p.m., Gery Barry will present “Healthcare Policy Insights from Around the Globe.” Register here for the virtual or in-person event.