African political leaders visit University of Birmingham

The University of Birmingham will host two African political leaders during a parliamentary visit to the UK on Tuesday 8 November 2011.

Raimundo Pereira and Manuel Nhamajo, speaker and deputy-speaker of the parliament of Guinea-Bissau, will speak on the theme of “The State in Africa: Consolidation or Crisis?’ Pereira is widely tipped as the next president of the country, while Nhamajo is also vice-president of the Economic Community of West African States Commission. The pair are in the UK on a parliamentary exchange visit arranged through the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Guinea-Bissau, and are also holding meetings with members of Parliament and other politicians.

The visit to Birmingham has been arranged through the Amilcar Cabral Institute for Economic and Political Research, which is affiliated to the University. José Lingna Nafafé, Chair of the Board of Advisers of the Amilcar Cabral Institute and Lecturer in Sociology from the University of Birmingham’s Department of Political Science and International Studies, will respond to the commentaries of Pereira and Nhamajo.

Keith Shear, lecturer in African politics and Head of the University of Birmingham’s Centre for West African Studies, said: “Birmingham has long had a specific expertise in the history and politics of West Africa, and the visit of these major figures in contemporary African politics confirms the University’s commitment to understanding and engaging with African concerns.”