Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, 67, waited tables to put herself through Harvard, then went on to work as an economist at the World Bank. Now, after a fiercely fought election in her native Liberia, she is set to be sworn in as Africa's first elected female head of state. Johnson-Sirleaf spoke to Claire Soares in Monrovia last week about leadership, healing the country, and childhood dreams.
you're the first woman elected to head an african country. What does that mean to you?
It means that I have a great responsibility to meet the expectations of Liberian and African women....
