By Ifeanyi OnwumahWhat a way to start off the school year! I have to give Saint Xavier kudos for bringing in such a prolific figure as Former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan to speak at its fourth Voices and Visions lecture. SXU welcomed Mr. Annan, who spoke about Global interrelations or as he called it: Five Rules of International Diplomacy.
When I first heard that Mr. Annan was coming to SXU, I was ecstatic. He is a model figure to me, especially because of the work he has done in my home continent of Africa. It’s not every day that you get to see such a respected figure speak in person and this is something that I plan on bragging about in years to come.
What I loved about the event was the way Mr. Annan opened his speech. He made the environment warm and friendly by starting off with jokes and a humorous story about being confused with Morgan Freeman. What a trip! This just goes to show his intelligence; he doesn’t start off by boring us to death, but rather he piques our interest so we can be drawn in for the rest of his speech.
Speaking of his speech, it was a brilliant one based on 5 main points, which by my account were: Security, Global Solidarity, Respect for Human Rights/ Rule of Law, Government Accountability and, Multilateral Systems. Mr. Annan stressed the importance of how our generation (those who are in college right now!) has to push forward the fight for global advancement and how we need to take advantage of the technological advancements that have brought the world close together now more than ever. Talk about motivational, huh? I have to say that I was moved.
Mr. Annan’s mere presence was enough to rouse courage in anyone and his speech only made me more motivated. This event coupled with the success of the previous Voices & Visions Lectures makes me a proud student of SXU and I am looking forward to seeing what they have in store for us in next year and subsequently. I can’t wait!
Ifeanyi Onwumah is a sophomore philosophy major from South Holland. He participates in several campus clubs. Consideration for the student bloggers is provided by Saint Xavier University.
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