The man grabbed her purse and started to run. She reacted strongly -- pulling it back and kicking the predator. A purse snatching in Kigali, Rwanda? No, a play reenacted today, June 30th, in Amahoro stadium to mark Rwanda's 50th year of independence! Why such an unusual display? It is...

If you think the title of this article is "religious intolerance" in Nigeria then you have been swayed by recent stories from the international media. You -- and they -- are wrong. Much of the international press covering the unrest and violence in Nigeria recently has been inaccurate, irresponsible and...

From the air the city looks like any other on a Sunday afternoon-many children were out playing soccer and thousands of motorcycles could be seen moving throughout the city.

But at the moment, this city -- Yola -- is one that many consider to be ground zero for the...

"It can't be just about us and our needs. It can't be about religion or where we are from or only what we want as individuals. It has to be about the whole university and the whole country." Our first female student government candidate for President spoke these words last...

The women were screaming at the officials. People pushed and shoved their way to the stairs. Pre-election violence? People trying to leave the capital out of fear of the elections? No, instead the scene was at the Abuja airport and passengers were pushing to get a seat on the last...

"I am so very proud of my country and know it has a bright future," one of our alums Verse said to me today. "I don't have clean water, power is spotty and the roads are terrible," said one of our local workers employed at the university. Both statements are...

I wish every American could have sat in my seat this morning, celebrating the holy celebration of Eid-El-Fitr Sallah, rather than waiting to see if the Florida pastor would burn copies of the Quran. Today, Muslims around the world are celebrating the...

Are there lessons for Afghanistan from Rwanda? Fifteen years ago Rwanda was completely devastated. Close to a million people had been slaughtered in a genocide implemented by the Hutu-led government. Infrastructure was destroyed; hate and fear dominated. While the genocide ended in 1994, cross border raids from Eastern Congo, led...

When he flies over French Camp this week--a small town here in Northern California--he hopes some of the migrant farmers picking vegetables in the fields look up and realize they can also accomplish their own dreams, he told me a few months ago.

Jose Hernandez, son of migrant workers,...

As President Obama meets this week in Mexico with Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harder, for discussions focused on drugs and violence, health issues, but primarily trade (Canada is America's first and Mexico our third largest trading partners), across America an emotional debate on immigration is...

The school of 600 students has dirt floors. There is no electricity, running water or bathrooms. The students' uniforms are old and torn. Lunch comes from the banana trees and vegetables that are grown on the school property. The teachers use small pieces of chalk to write their lessons on...

The financial crisis is all about the U.S. Day after day, hour by hour, we hear reports detailing whether the stock market is up or down, how many more people are unemployed, uninsured and dispossessed. We are living through a very serious crisis and many Americans are suffering. But what...

15 years ago tonight the President of Rwanda's plane was shot down as it landed at Kigali airport.

'We all heard the loud noise. Soon after there was gunfire. Radio Rwanda told us to stay in our houses. RTLM (the hate radio station) said that something significant had happened....

Imagine the developing country with the highest proportion of women legislators, where urban and rural schools are being wired to the Internet, and where the government is committed to developing a knowledge-based economy. Remarkably, the country is Rwanda.

Rwanda -- where for 100 days death came more quickly than...

"The world is a different place today. This is Democracy at its best. America changed overnight. This could only happen in America." These are just some of the comments we heard early in the morning on November 5th in Kigali, Rwanda when Barack Obama was declared President-elect of the United...

"You buy them a Rand-McNally, you meet with generals, you get a lot of flags on the stage, and you give a big speech on foreign policy to display you have some command of the world," explained Republican consultant Alex Castellanos, on a recent CNN segment. This is what it...

"It's not about lipstick", said my 86 year old mother. "We didn't fight all these years so that women could be involved in public affairs, to have a debate about lipstick. There are serious issues we should be discussing." She is right, of course.

Since Sarah Palin made her...