Join the World Affairs Council of Charlotte on Thursday, March 30th for a Private Dinner and small group conversation with H.E. Ligia Fonseca, First Lady of Cape Verde.
- Register Now
- Credit card payments (non-PayPal transactions): Please call 704-687-7762 for payment processing over the phone
- Check payments: Please make your check payable to “World Affairs Council of Charlotte” and mail it to the following address:
World Affairs Council of Charlotte
UNC Charlotte – CHHS 227
9201 University City Blvd.
Charlotte, NC 28223
All reservation cancellations must be completed at least 3 business days prior to an event for a full refund. Pease let us know in advance if you have dietary restrictions so that we can make the appropriate accommodations.
Biography
Her Excellency, Mrs. Ligia Dias Fonseca is a mother, wife, lawyer and advocate for social justice and democracy. Born in the city of Beira, Mozambique on August, 24, 1963, Mrs. Fonseca is the daughter of Canta and Maximo Dias.
She received her law degree in 1987 from the Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de Lisboa, University of Lisbon Law School. It was during her studies that she met Jorge Carlos Fonseca, the current president of the Republic of Cabo Verde. The couple married in 1989 and relocated to Macau (Asia), after completing their studies. During her stay in Macau in the 1980s, Mrs. Fonseca worked in the public sector.
In 1991, Mrs. Fonseca relocated to Cabo Verde and practiced law in the capital city of Praia, Santiago Island. She was the first elected President of the Cabo Verdean Bar Association, a position she held from 2001 to 2004. She was instrumental in drafting various important legal documents for the Cabo Verdean state such as the code of Commercial Businesses (1999), the code for the Real Estate Market (2012), the Penal Code (2003) and the Law of the Ports (2009).
Mrs. Ligia Fonseca is the co-author of “The Guide to Women’s Rights” published by the Institute for the Condition of Women (1997) and has published various articles in magazines and newspapers in Cabo Verde. Her work focuses primarily on citizenship education and the promotion of human rights, as well as the promotion of gender equity and equality.
The First Lady is the honorary godmother of the Aldeias Infantis SOS (child care centers), a non-profit organization founded in 1949 with the purpose of defending, promoting and guaranteeing the rights of children, adolescents and the youth. She is also the honorary godmother of the COLMEIA Association, a non-profit organization for parents and friends of children with special needs. Mrs. Fonseca leads the Natal Solidaria Project with the objective of organizing Christmas parties for needy children of Cabo Verde.
In 2014, Mrs. Fonseca received the “Global Inspirational Leadership” award, given to global women leaders by the Center for Economic Development and Leadership, a non-governmental organization operating under the United Nations Economic and Social Council. In 2015, Mrs. Fonseca was honored with the “Outstanding Leadership” award from the African Horizons forum for “her contribution in enhancing the potential of the African woman and by example that is in the exercise of her professional function and first lady”. In 2015, she was the keynote speaker for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) at its annual forum in Italy. Her address focused on improving subsidies for small farmers, particularly women.