Liberian president to hold 'chat' at Furman

By E. Richard Walton • STAFF WRITER • March 18, 2009

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa’s first woman president, is scheduled to have a chat called "Her Talk" with Furman University President David E. Shi at the school on April 13, a spokesman said.

The event, sponsored by Furman’s Riley Institute, will be held at 4 p.m. at McAlister Auditorium, according to spokesman Vince Moore.

There is no cost for the event and it is open to the public, he said.

President since 2005, the Harvard graduate leads the country of about 3.5 million people in the western part of Africa, he said. She bested 22 men, including a soccer star, to win her post, according to a statement released by Moore.

Johnson Sirleaf was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civil award in the nation, in 2007. She also has been awarded three honorary degrees.

The grandmother of nine is expected to publish her first book, "This Child Will Be Great: Memoir of a Remarkable Life by Africa’s First Woman President," in April. She’s known as Africa’s "Iron Lady," according to Moore