THE Africa Committee of the Socialist International on Friday kicked off a two-day conference in Maputo. The conference will debate the relationship between democratic socialism and Africa as well as the conflicts in Angola and the Great Lakes region. SI secretary general, Luis Ayala, said the conference forms part of preparations for the organisation’s 21st congress in Paris in November. He said it will attempt to chart the democratisation of Africa over the past year and see where and why democratic processes have been blocked.