1. Joaquim Alberto Chissano was born on 22 October 1939 and is a Mozambican politician who served as the second President of Mozambique, from 1986 to 2005.
20 Facts About Joaquim Chissano
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Joaquim Chissano is credited with transforming the war-torn country of Mozambique into a successful African democracy.
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Joaquim Chissano served as Chairperson of the African Union from 2003 to 2004.
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Joaquim Chissano was born in the remote village of Malehice, Chibuto district, Gaza Province of the Portuguese colony of Mozambique.
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Joaquim Chissano was the first black student to attend the only high school in the colony, Liceu Salazar in Lourenco Marques.
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Joaquim Chissano became "one of the founding members" of the Mozambique Liberation Front, which demanded autonomy from Portugal.
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Later, Joaquim Chissano played a fundamental role in the negotiation of the Lusaka Accord of 1974, which paved the way for the country's independence in 1975.
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Joaquim Chissano succeeded to the presidency and became FRELIMO party leader in 1986 when Samora Machel's presidential aircraft crashed in mountainous terrain in South Africa.
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In 1992, Joaquim Chissano learned the Transcendental Meditation technique and introduced it to other government officials and their families.
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In 1993 Joaquim Chissano received an honorary degree from Maharishi Vedic University in MERU, Holland and in 1994 negotiated an agreement with Maharishi Heaven on Earth Development for the agricultural development of 20 million hectares of "unused land" beginning with 2.5 million acres of timber, cotton and fruit.
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Joaquim Chissano was reelected to the presidency in 1994 and again in 1999, when he defeated the former rebel leader, Afonso Dhlakama.
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Joaquim Chissano chose not to run for a third term in the elections of 2004, although the constitution would have allowed him to do so.
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Since leaving the presidency Joaquim Chissano has assumed the role of elder statesman and has campaigned for peace through his work as an envoy and peace negotiator for the United Nations.
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Joaquim Chissano served as Chairperson of the African Union from July 2003 to July 2004.
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Joaquim Chissano was absent from the award ceremony because he was still working on his United Nations mission in southern Sudan.
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In 2010, Joaquim Chissano wrote an article for The Huffington Post about water scarcity in Africa.
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Joaquim Chissano is a member of the Fondation Chirac's honour committee.
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Joaquim Chissano is an independent non-executive director at Harmony Gold Mining, a South African underground and surface gold mining company, as well as an Eminent Member of the Sergio Vieira de Mello Foundation.
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In 2014, Joaquim Chissano has spoken out in favor of LGBT rights in Africa.
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Joaquim Chissano is the father of four children and his son received a scholarship to Maharishi International University in Fairfield, Iowa.