Peggielene Bartels and Eleanor Herman (King Peggy: An American Secretary, Her Royal Destiny, and the Inspiring Story of How She Changed an African Village) discuss how Peggielene became King of the seaside village of Otuam, Ghana. Her village is near Charlottesville’s sister city, Winneba, Ghana. Listen as King Peggy charms the audience in Charlottesville’s City Council Chambers.
Following the presentation questions were taken from the audience. The program was introduced by former Charlottesville Mayor Dave Norris.
The Panel:
Peggielene Bartels, author of King Peggy, was born in Ghana and moved to Washington, D.C., in her early twenties to work at Ghana’s embassy. In 2008, she became King of Otuam, a Ghanaian village. She lives in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Eleanor Herman, co-author of King Peggy, has written three books of women’s history, including the New York Times bestseller Sex with Kings and Sex with the Queen. Her profile of Peggy was a cover story for the Washington Post Magazine.
Dave Norris is the current Executive Director of the Charlottesville Institute for University-Community Engagement. He is a charter member of the Charlottesville-Winneba Sister City Committee, a former Mayor and current member of Charlottesville’s City Council.
The event was one of a series held during the Virginia Festival of the Book. The series was sponsered by The Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.
Audio for this event was provided courtesy Charlottesville TV10.