More than 20 years after escaping from slavery, James Kofi Annan will arrive at UNC today to share his experiences as a slave in Ghana.
Annan will be the featured speaker for “The Child Trafficking Crisis in Ghana” event hosted by the Campus Y student group Carolina Against Slavery and Trafficking.
The event is one of the largest for Africa Week 2010, presented annually by the Organization for African Students’ Interests and Solidarity, which promotes the culture, activities and performances native to the African continent.
Attend the Speech
Time: 7 p.m. today
Location: Murphey Hall, Room 116
Info: http://bit.ly/UNCchildslave
Mary Shen, the event coordinator and international chairwoman of Carolina Against Slavery and Trafficking, said Annan’s experience is only one instance of a worldwide problem.
“Child trafficking is one of the most devastating things that has happened to mankind,” Shen said.
To provide a personal account of child trafficking, Annan, who founded the Challenging Heights organization in 2003 to combat child slavery, will lecture and answer students’ questions.
Annan was sold into slavery by his parents at the young age of 6, confronting constant abuse and doing exhausting work for 17 hours a day. He escaped at the age of 13. He continues to live in Ghana today.
The event will end with a reception, including a Q&A with Annan and time to speak with the former child slave personally. Students at the event will be provided with free food courtesy of Mediterranean Deli.
