Prof. Wole Soyinka, Nigerian playwright, poet and novelist, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986. The Swedish Academy described Mr. Soyinka as "one of the finest poetical playwrights that have written in English." He is Woodruff Professor of the Arts at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, and has been a visiting professor at numerous universities, including Harvard, Yale, Cornell, and Cambridge. An honors graduate of the University of Leeds, Mr. Soyinka was placed in solitary confinement for nearly two years during the Nigerian civil war of the late 1960s, and forced to live in self-imposed exile for several years during the 1970s and 1990s. One of Prof. Soyinka's most famous quotes comes from notes he wrote during his imprisonment "the man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny... books and all forms of writing have always been objects of terror to those who seek to suppress the truth."

Prof. Rita Dove, Commonwealth Professor of English, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, is the author of 11 books, several plays, musical collaborations and audio-visual works. The seventh Poet Laureate of the United States (1993-95), she was the first African-American and the youngest person ever to hold that position. Ms. Dove won the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry 1987 and the Charles Frankel Prize (now known as the National Humanities Medal) of the National Endowment for the Humanities in 1996. "Poetry is not elite," Ms. Dove told one interviewer, "it speaks to the soul." A summa cum laude graduate of Miami University, Ms. Dove holds numerous honorary degrees and has been a Presidential Scholar and a Fulbright Scholar in Germany.

His Highness the Aga Khan, is the 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims, a faith found today in 25 countries. A graduate of Harvard University in 1959 with a B.A. Honors Degree in Islamic history, since assuming office His Highness has been concerned about the well-being of all Muslims, particularly in the face of the challenges of rapid historical changes. The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) works in the fields of social development, economic development and culture. Thousands of volunteers contribute to the success of the AKDN's social development programs. Mr. Yo-Yo Ma, cellist, has recorded nearly 50 albums and won 13 Grammy Awards. In his classical performances, as in his exploration of cultures and musical forms outside of the Western classical tradition, Mr. Ma strives to find connections that stimulate the imagination. One of Mr. Ma's goals is the exploration of music as a means of communication, and as a vehicle for the migration of ideas across a range of cultures throughout the world. He has recently established the Silk Road Project to promote the study of cultural, artistic, and intellectual traditions along the ancient Silk Road trade routes. Mr. Ma was born in Paris to Chinese parents who later moved the family to New York. He began to study cello at the age of four, continued his studies at the Julliard School and is a graduate of Harvard University.

Her Excellency Giovanna Melandri, has been Minister for Cultural Heritage and Activities of Italy since October 1998. U.S.-born, Minister Melandri graduated cum laude from the University of Rome's Faculty of Economics and Commerce in 1981. An environmental activist, she headed the International Office of Italy's Environmental League for four years (1988-94) before being elected to Italy's Chamber of Deputies for the first time in 1994. Since 1991, she has been a member of the national Directorate of the PDS (Democratic Party of the Left) and a member of the party's executive committee since 1996. Minister Melandri has served on numerous delegations representing her country at international conferences, including the World Forum on Television organized by the United Nations in 1997.

The Honorable Joan E. Spero, President, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, New York, served the Department of State as ambassador to the United Nations for Economic and Social Affairs in 1980-81 and as Undersecretary of State for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs 1993-97. From 1981 to 1993, she was a senior executive at the American Express Company. She is the author of The Politics of International Economic Relations (5th edition, 1997) and The Failure of the Franklin National Bank: Challenge to the International Banking System (1980), as well as numerous articles on international economic issues. An honors graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Spero received an M.A. in international affairs and a Ph.D. in political science from Columbia University, also studying at L'Institut d'Etudes Politiques in Paris, France. She was an assistant professor at Columbia from 1973 to 1979.

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