John R. Moyers, M.D., Secretary
Committee on Representation to World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists

rchbishop Desmond Tutu will be the keynote speaker at the opening ceremony of the World Congress of Anaesthesiologists. Desmond Mpilo Tutu (October 7, 1931) is a South African cleric and activist who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid. Tutu was elected and ordained the first black South African Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa, and Primate of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa (now the Anglican Church of Southern Africa).

He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism in 1986 and the Magubela Prize for Liberty in 1986. He is committed to stopping global AIDS and has served as the honorary chairman for the Global AIDS Alliance. In February 2007, he was awarded the Gandhi Peace Prize by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, M.D., a past president of India. He was generally credited with coining the term “Rainbow Nation” as a metaphor for post-apartheid South Africa after 1994 under African National Congress rule. The expression has since entered mainstream consciousness to describe South Africa’s ethnic diversity.

The schedule for the Opening Ceremony on Sunday, March 2 is as follows:

Doors open: 4:30 p.m.
Ceremony begins: 5 p.m.
Ceremony closes: 6:45 p.m.
Cocktail reception: 6:45 – 8:15 p.m.

Anesthesiologists throughout the world convene every four years at the World Congress of Anaesthesiologists. The 14th World Congress will be held in Cape Town, South Africa, in March 2008. It is anticipated that more than 10,000 anesthesiologists from more than 135 nations will attend. The 14th World Congress of Anaesthesiologists (www.wca2008.com) boasts the world’s foremost educational program for anesthesiologists. The World Congress faculty will present more than 320 lectures and discussion sessions covering a wide range of topics in anesthesiology and related medical fields as well as workshops in areas of technical expertise. Through the scientific sessions, social program, exhibits and satellite meetings, the congress will bring anesthesiologists from all over of the world together in the “Rainbow Nation” — the perfect setting for the global anesthesia family. There is still time to visit the congress Web site and register now.

John R. Moyers, M.D., Professor, Department of Anesthesia, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City. He is the ASA Director from Iowa.