Former Haiti President, Mr Jean-Bertrand Aristide will received the degree of Doctor of Literature and Philosophy (DLitt et Phil) at the University of South Africa (UNISA) Wednesday the 25th of April, 2007.

Members of the diplomatic corps and the Office of the Presidency of the Republic of South Africa, including the President Mr Thabo Mbeki and the Minister of Education Ms Naledi Pandor, attended the graduation ceremony.

President Aristide was appointed as an honorary research fellow in the College of Human Sciences at UNISA in October 2004. He subsequently registered to study for the doctorate in African Languages. In 2006, President Aristide completed his theses entitled Umoya Wamagama (The spirit of the words) , a linguistic study based on the languages of Haitian Creole and isiZulu.

Born on 15 July 1953, President Aristide obtained a degree in Philosophy and License in Psychology at the State University of Haiti in 1979. In 1985 he was awarded an MA degree in Biblical Theology at the University of Montreal in Canada. University of South Africa will award degrees and diplomas to over 11 000 students at the graduation ceremonies to be held between April and July through main centers in Southern Africa.

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