Join human rights and anti-corruption activist John Prendergast and former United States Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power for a conversation about human rights in Congo and John’s new book, Congo Stories: Battling Five Centuries of Exploitation and Greed.
For the past five centuries, Americans and Europeans have benefited from an astounding history of exploitation of both the people and natural resources of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Today, the people of Congo are fighting back, risking their lives to resist and alter the deadly status quo—and a new generation of activists in the U.S. and Europe are supporting the heroic Congolese leading this transformation. John and Samantha will discuss the unique history connecting the U.S. and Congo, the Congolese youth leaders overcoming enormous odds to change the future of their country, and the burgeoning activism re-shaping Congo and its place in the world.
John Prendergast is a New York Times best-selling author who has focused on peace in Africa for over thirty-five years. He is the Founding Director of the Enough Project, an initiative to end genocide and crimes against humanity, as well as the Co-Founder with George Clooney of The Sentry, an investigative initiative chasing the assets of African war criminals and their international collaborators. John is the author or co-author of eleven books. His latest book, Congo Stories, is co-authored with Congolese activist Fidel Bafilemba and features photographs by Ryan Gosling.
Samantha Power is the Anna Lindh Professor of the Practice of Global Leadership and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School and Professor of Practice at Harvard Law School. From 2013 to 2017 Power served as the 28th U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
Open to the public. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come–first served basis.
For more information, please contact Evelyn Hitt at evelyn_hitt@hks.harvard.edu.
