A Colombian academic who left his university job to run for mayor in an attempt to bring law and order to the streets of Bogotá will tonight tell his story at a seminar organised by the University of Cambridge Centre of Latin American Studies.

In 1993, Antanas Mockus, a mathematician and philosopher, was rector (head) of the National University of Colombia (CNU) in Bogotá. He resigned from the post and ran a successful campaign to be the city's mayor, dubbing himself 'Super Citizen' and introducing radical and often humorous initiatives that transformed Bogotá in his two terms.

They included 'Nights for Women' when the city's men were asked to stay at home and look after the children while the woman went out - a big deal in a city which, at the time, had a murder rate of around six people a day.

To cut road accidents, he hired 420 mime artists and set them to work controlling the city's traffic. During a water shortage, he showered live on television, turning off the taps while he lathered himself, in order to show people how they could be more economical.

When his second mayoral term ended in 2003, Mockus, who is of Lithuanian descent, stepped down from the post. He now lectures around the world and is considering standing in the Colombian presidential election in 2006.

This evening (25 May), he will be sharing his experiences in a seminar open to the general public and organised by the University of Cambridge Centre of Latin American Studies. The event starts at 5.30pm and takes place in Seminar Room A, First Floor, 17 Mill Lane, Cambridge.

Image of Antanas Mockus, courtesy of Harvard News Office.

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