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St. Thomas University to Host Forum on the 'Blue People of Sahara'

MIAMI, Feb. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A leader is an individual with a dream and the will to make it real. That is the credo of Biscayne College of Liberal Arts and Humanities of Miami's St. Thomas University. And its Counseling faculty keeps proactively offering a forum to individuals who contribute to transforming the world and helping those in need.

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February 16 from 7:00 to 9:00 PM (Kennedy Building, Room 201), St. Thomas and Miami-based non-profit FACES (Foundation Advancing Cultural and Economic Survival) are co-hosting a rare visit from a member of one of the world's oldest cultures, the Tuareg, an ancient nomadic people known as the "Blue People of the Sahara," now on the verge of extinction due to severe droughts, disease, famine, and government neglect. Recent al Qaeda terrorist activity in northern Mali is creating even more economic instability in the region. Westerners have been targeted and the U.S. government has issued a travel warning for Mali.

Mamatal Ag Dahmane, the founder of Tidainiwen, a school for Tuareg children living in remote areas of the desert, will be at the St. Thomas University campus to talk to the students about the plight of the Tuareg people. Throughout his weeklong stay in Miami, Mamatal, who is also a well-known promoter of the popular Tuareg music, will make public appearances at a Fisher Island fundraiser and at various universities in South Florida to shed light on the struggle for survival of his people.

"The Tuareg children living in remote areas of the desert are in desperate need of your help and public awareness. This is a wonderful opportunity to hear a story of courage and crisis and I invite students, faculty and the community to attend," says Dr. Barbara Buzzi, Ph.D., LMFJ, who directs the STU Family and Marriage Counseling programs. The public forum is free, as part of the innovative programs hosted by Biscayne College's Department of Social Sciences and Counseling. For additional information, please contact Dr. Buzzi at 305-628-6584 or bbuzzi@stu.edu. For information on Biscayne College and other counseling programs please visit www.stu.edu.

SOURCE St. Thomas University