On November 17, 2012 The Steve Biko Foundation (SBF) will have the honor of hosting the former President of Brazil, His Excellency Lula da Silva as a guest speaker during its monthly FrankTalk dialogue.

Throughout his long career in public service, President Lula has been lauded at home and abroad for his efforts in the fight against poverty; as well as the prominent role he has played in advancing relations among developing countries. Given the similarities in the challenges and opportunities facing both Brazilian and South African societies, SBF will host a Roundtable dialogue focusing on The Role of civil Society in Advancing Democracy. During this time, young leaders will have an opportunity to dialogue with President Lula about his experiences as a civic leader and then as a head of state. You are cordially invited to participate in this programme.

This dialogue will take place under the auspices of SBF’s FrankTalk Dialogue Series. Titled after the pseudonym under which Steve Biko wrote, FrankTalk is designed to engage young people in discussion on salient issues impacting South Africa’s political, economic and social development. As stated above, the topic of this discussion is The Role of Civil Society in Advancing Democracy. Globally, the presence of civil society is recognized as a crucially-important component of a stable democracy. The purpose of this discussion is to provide young leaders with perspectives from the international community as they seek to make meaningful contributions to socioeconomic and political development in South Africa.

Details of the Event are as follows:

Date: Saturday, 17 November 2012
Time: 9h00 for 9h30

It would be most appreciated if you could please indicate your attendance no later than Tuesday November 13 by responding to Ms Dibuseng Kolisang via telephone (011) 403 0310 or via email dibuseng@sbf.org.za. Please note that due to spatial constraints only 10 seats are available.