Former child soldier to speak, kick off International Festival Week | News | Notre Dame News | University of Notre Dame Skip To Content Skip To Navigation Skip To Search University of Notre Dame Notre Dame News Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Home Contact Search Menu Home › News › Former child soldier to speak, kick off International Festival Week Former child soldier to speak, kick off International Festival Week Published: March 05, 2009 Author: Jennifer Laiber Ishmael Beah, former child soldier of Sierra Leone and author of “A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier.” will deliver a lecture of the same name at the University of Notre Dame at 7 p.m. March 16 (Monday) in the McKenna Hall auditorium. The event, which will be followed by a book signing and reception, is free and open to the public. Born in Sierra Leone in 1980, Beah moved to the United States in 1998 and finished his last two years of high school at the United Nations International School in New York. He graduated from Oberlin College in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. He is a member of the Human Rights Watch Children’s Rights Division Advisory Committee and has spoken before the United Nations, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Center for Emerging Threats and Opportunities at the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, and many other non-government organization panels on children affected by the war. His work has appeared in Vespertine Press and LIT magazine. Beah’s address is sponsored by Notre Dame’s International Student Services and Activities and will serve as the keynote kick-off for International Festival Week, March 23 to 28. The event also is supported by Notre Dame’s Africa Faith and Justice Network, African Student Association, Center for Civil and Human Rights, Center for Social Concerns, Department of Africana Studies, Graduate Student Union, Kellogg Institute for International Studies, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, Multicultural Student Programs and Services, Office of International Studies, and Office of Student Affairs. Contact: Bethany Heet, director, International Student Services and Activities Programs and Immigration Services, 574-631-3825, bheet2@nd.edu Posted In: International Home Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Related September 30, 2022 Nanovic Institute to welcome former President of Croatia Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović September 29, 2022 Notre Dame, Ukrainian Catholic University launch three new research grants September 27, 2022 Notre Dame, Trinity College Dublin engineers join to advance novel treatment for cystic fibrosis September 14, 2022 Apostolic nuncio to Great Britain to deliver the 2022 Keeley Vatican Lecture September 12, 2022 Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street … in different countries? For the Media Contact Office of Public Affairs and Communications Notre Dame News 500 Grace Hall Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Pinterest © 2022 University of Notre Dame Search Mobile App News Events Visit Accessibility Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn