Africa: Festus Mogae – This Diamond Is Forever

Washington, DC — When Festus Mogae died in early May, the world lost a global statesman and I lost a beloved friend of more than 40 years.

The Oxford- trained economist was a dedicated democrat, committed feminist and visionary leader who successfully shepherded Botswana through the HI/AIDS crisis. But the magic of Festus was his integration of those talents and traits into a soft-spoken powerhouse who was instrumental in piloting a small, newly independent southern Africa country from dire…