An Ohio University alumnus who became a leader in Liberian politics will deliver the keynote speech for International Week at 7 tonight in Baker Center Ballroom.
Marcus Dahn's speech, A Long Road from Nimba: One Man's Journey to Ohio University and Beyond
will focus on his work in his home country of Liberia. He is currently the deputy minister of administration in the Liberian Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications.
The reasoning behind why we chose Marcus was because the theme for international week is 'Your world your story ' and he'll be here to tell his story. He earned his master's and Ph.D. here and then went back to Liberia to play a prominent role in the government and the rebuilding of his country
said Amanda Yusko, international student advisor in International Student and Faculty Services.
Liberia and Athens have a history that goes back to Edwin James Roy, who attended OU and become Liberia's fifth president in 1870, according to Ohio Today online. In 2003, Dahn ran to be president of the same nation.
International week will also include a live video conference with Albaqir Mukhtar, director of Al-Khatim Adlan Centre for Enlightenment and Human Development in Sudan, who will be speaking about the crisis in Darfur, and an International Studies forum with Zachary Muburi-Muita, Kenyan Ambassador to the United Nations.
The ambassador's speech is titled The Kenyan Crisis: Challenges of Nation-State Consolidation in Africa. He'll speak for 30 minutes and then there will be a question and answer period, said Karla Schneider, assistant director at the Center for International Studies.
International Week will conclude on Saturday with the annual International Street Fair on Court Street that promises to be even bigger this year. About 40 student and community groups will participate in this fair ' the largest number in several years, Yusko said.
Performers for the fair include International Jamming, Athenian Eastern Dancers and the Indonesian Saman Dancers, she said.
All events for International Week are free and open to the public.
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Ashley Luthern
