Africa's elder statesman parley

By Elizabeth Blunt
BBC News, Babmako

Rawlings is a UN special representative on sexually transmitted diseases

A unique gathering of 15 former African ex-presidents and a former prime minister to discuss their role in politics is drawing to a close in the Malian capital, Bamako.

Twenty, even 10 years ago, this symposium of elder statesman would not have been possible.

African leaders who escaped alive after losing power tended to be viewed as a threat by their successors and driven into exile.

But these elder statesmen are all still active and still engaged in the affairs of their continent; although they tend to be careful not to interfere in national politics.

The three-day meeting was organised by the Washington-based National Democratic Institute and included sessions on all the various roles former leaders can play on conflict resolution; election monitoring, advocacy on health issues and economic development.

Heated debate

The controversial issue of Togo's recent election provoked some passionate exchanges between participants over the readiness of other African countries to accept the results of a dubious election.

The debate went on behind closed doors to allow the former leaders to speak more freely.

But those who were present said that both former Ghanaian President Jerry Rawlings and ex-President Nicephore Soglo from Benin, came out strongly against Africa's collective policy towards the new Togolese leader Faure Gnassingbe.

But former Nigerian head of state General Yakubu Gowon reportedly argued in favour of this traditional African approach, saying it was better to work with Togo's young president and to pressure him in private to make Togo more open and democratic.

Sex talk

Broader issues like health were also discussed. Several of the former presidents are already active in health advocacy, particularly campaigning on HIV and Aids.

Mr Rawlings, for example, is now a UN special representative on sexually transmitted diseases and also an advocate on buruli ulcer, guinea worm and malaria.

HIV and Aids is something many of them feel strongly about.

Their generation was largely spared this appalling epidemic but now they say their children's generation dying.

Some African leaders have even lost children of their own to Aids.

Apart from this natural concern, health campaigning is a very suitable activity for former presidents who still want to play a role in public life.

It's relatively uncontroversial; and in the case of Aids some serving presidents hesitate to take too active a role since talking about HIV and Aids means talking about sex - something which in traditional African society might not be thought either dignified or proper.

But very old men, true elders, can transcend those constraints: the former president of the Gambia, Sir Dawda Jawara, who led one session on the topic, said he believes he can now speak out even on sexual matters in a way that younger men still can not do.