Join Me On An Adventure

I am ecstatic to say that I will be traveling to Botswana as part of Wayne State University's African Democracy Project. About twelve students and four instructors will embark on a two-week journey in March to focus on the topics of Democracy, HIV/AIDS, and Sustainable Development, and how these issues can be compared and contrasted in the local and global contexts. The goal of the trip is to explore the "glocal" connection between Detroit and Botswana, specifically applying concepts and ideas learned about the governance in Botswana to improve the MetroDetroit area.This blog, a required part of the course, will hopefully become a narrative of this experience.


The basics about Botswana (from the CIA World Factbook):

• Geography: Located just North of South Africa
• Climate: Warm winters and hot summers; prone to periodic droughts
• Populations: 2,029,307, with a life expectancy of about 60 years
• People: known as the Batswana
• Language: Setswana
• Religion: Christianity mainly
• Government: Became a representative democracy after gaining independence from England in 1966
• Economy: One of the world's highest growth rates since its independence, considered one of the richest nations in Africa
• Major industry: Diamond Mining
• HIV prevalence rate: Second highest rate in the world, about 24%. Currently Botswana is implementing a new program to make anti-retroviral medication free to all citizens with HIV or AIDS. Many feel that the HIV incidence rate is very similar in Detroit and in Botswana, when accounting for the population differences.
• Major Environmental Problems: Overgrazing, desertification, limited fresh water 

On a final note, I know very little about blogging. My hope is that this blog will become more of a forum, where my classmates, friends, and family can read, write, and share their thoughts on the subjects covered over the course of this class. So, please comment below!