Discovering

September 29, 2004

Discovering our "other" neighbour

One of Mexico's leading political figures joins one of that country's top writers, and a diplomat who is a leading authority on international issues, to present the 2004 Dorothy J. Killam Lecture Series. The annual series continues its tradition of bringing some of the world's best minds to Dalhousie, this year focusing on "Mexico, Our Other North American Neighbour."

The 2004 series includes the following diverse and exciting talks:

Thursday, September 30
Cuauhtémoc Cårdenas, "Mexico and the Challenges of the 21st Century"

Cuauhtémoc Cårdenas is widely credited with having won the Mexican presidential election in 1988, but, controversially was not able to hold office. He is a member of a political dynasty; his father is former President Låzaro Cårdenas, and his son is the current governor of the state of Michoacån. Due to disillusionment with the political climate, Cuauhtémoc Cårdenas founded the PRD, a left-of-centre political party, and is currently the president of the Foundation for Democracy in Mexico City. He was also an extremely popular mayor of Mexico City from 1997 - 2000.

Tuesday, October 5
Andrés Rozental, "Canada-Mexico and the Future of North America"

Andrés Rozental's diplomatic career spans three decades. A former ambassador to the United Kingdom and Sweden, representative in Geneva to various UN bodies, and Deputy Foreign Minister of Mexico, in 2000 he was named Ambassador at Large and Special Presidential Envoy by President Vicente Fox. He is a leading authority on international issues, and is the author of two books and numerous articles on Mexican foreign policy and international affairs.

Thursday, October 21
Homero Aridjis, "Towards an Understanding of Mexican Culture"

Homero Aridjis is one of Mexico's foremost poets and novelists. Two collections of his poetry have appeared in English (Blue Spaces and Exaltation of Light), as well as three novels (Persephone, 1492: The Life and Times of Juan Cabezon of Castile, and The Lord of the Last Days: Visions of the Year 1000). His work has been translated into 10 languages, and he has twice received a Guggenheim Fellowship.

"The idea of looking at Mexico through the Killam Lecture series is timely indeed. Trade with Mexico has risen dramatically in recent years," said Dr. John Kirk, Professor of Spanish. "The study of Mexico has also increased - here at Dalhousie, for instance, there were 140 students last year in a course taught by the Spanish and History departments, and we have 23 students spending the fall semester studying Spanish in Mexico."

He added the recent visit of the tall ship Cuauhtemoc showed that there is a growing number of Mexicans living in Nova Scotia, including almost 200 high school students from Mexico taking courses here.

"By bringing in three extremely prestigious speakers - a presidential candidate, an ambassador a large, and a leading cultural figure - the series reminds us all that Mexico too is part of North America, and is our other neighbour in the region. It is in the long-term interest of both Mexico and Canada for us to know each other better, and this series is one step along that road."

All talks are open to the public and are free of charge. The free lectures are at 8 p.m. in the Ondaatje Auditorium, Marion McCain Arts and Social Sciences Building, 6135 University Avenue, Halifax. All are welcome.