THE SONS AND DAUGHTERS
OF AFRICA (SADA) INC
2509 22ND STREET NE,
WASHINGTON, DC 20018-2121
Ms. Nicole C. Lee
President
Trans Africa Forum
Dear Madam!
I believe that it is appropriate and pertinent
to recognize the noble job that your august organization is tasked with and is
accomplishing to-date to bring Africa into the forefront to inform US Policy
makers to focus on the continent as one of their priority objectives.
I wholly concur with your articulated mission to
contribute your share towards alleviating the African continent from the huge
challenges that it currently faces, particularly in the areas of debt
cancellation, agricultural exports, education, healthcare and
infrastructure building.
As an African American organization, we too
share your mission, objectives and focus to help out Africa, our common
ancestral home and the source of our history from its present predicament.
It is against this backdrop that I have come to
observe your upcoming participation in the ‘Conference on Good Governance,
Peace, Security and Sustainable Development in the Horn of Africa’ scheduled to
be held from April 9-11, 2010.
It is my sincere belief that those of us who
have the bounden duty of helping our ancestral home to overcome its multitude
of social ills, economic conundrums and political saga,
should be cognizant of the importance of continuity and peace in the continent.
Any Change that we support and uphold must ensure that it is incremental and at
the same time must leave the ultimate decision to the African people to decide
their own destiny without interference. We in the Diaspora should only be
supportive of the initiative and forward engagement of our African brothers and
sisters in the exercise of their will and civic responsibilities.
From the trickle of information that we access
about Ethiopia and a cursory review of the history of its development in the
last two decades, we have come to realize that it is in tune with the mission
and objective that your esteemed organization is presently amply promoting.
Hence we believe that not only should we congratulate Ethiopia but also
celebrate its success story and happily contribute towards bolstering its
effort positively.
However, a swift perusal of the rundown of the
content of the topics and the persona of most of the panelists, to the utter
dismay of any observer reveals to the contrary and stands in stark
contradiction to the ideas and mission that our sister organizations so dearly
espouse, cherish and uphold.
May, I seize upon this opportunity to bring to
your immediate attention therefore, to reconsider your sponsorship of the
conference in question, as it beckons upon you that it smacks against your core
belief of supporting Africa with the intent of bringing a sustainable positive
progress without hitches and glitches wrought by outlandish push or by resort
to none-peaceful means of effecting the needed transformation.
We strongly believe that changes should be
forthcoming with the ultimate decision of the change makers, the African
people, on the continent, not the other way round, for the stakes that call for
unwanted and unmitigated violence are too high!
Sincerely Yours!
Dr. Kofi Agyapong,
Chairman
Sons and Daughters of Africa