What a beautiful and moving tribute to Mandela and to Africa.

What a powerful platform and woman. I would love to hear more from others around the world about President Johnson-Sirleaf, the first democratically elected woman president in Africa and someone who believes that "women’s leadership can change the world."

The "New Africa" her leadership engenders and its contrast to what our writers in Zimbabwe have related to us are huge. As she put it in this speech,"this enormous change engendered by an empowered citizenry has huge implications for Africa and for those few countries that continue to frustrate the will of the people. This New Africa is being built, every day, by the African people – people who reach out across boundaries – real and imagined. They are not waiting for the Renaissance to be determined by states and by governments alone for they know that they are a part of an interconnected world."

Like Zimbabwe, Liberia held a sham election in 1985 that was endorsed by both Africa and the world. "Thirty years of civil war and devastation followed, with thousands dead and millions displaced. It need not have happened."

Her priorities as a leader, I believe, are uniquely feminine. "My primary challenge then is to create the institutions that will stand the test of time; that will be there for my grandchildren’s grandchildren. For too long, those watching Africa have focused on personalities, relying on one person, too often one man, to lead the way. But this is mentality has failed Africa, undermining accountability and constitutionally-defined government."

The need for dialog among diverse and equal partners resonates deeply with our goals here at The WIP. "There is much to be done to ensure that we have pan-African institutions for dialogue, problem-solving, vision setting and programmatic delivery. We need to build regional programmes that provide a platform for intellectual engagement and civic participation that can unlock the potential of all sectors of society."