Menezes steals the show

At the Summit, one speech stood head and shoulders above its fellows. It was delivered by Fradrique De Menezes, erstwhile Head of State of Sao Tome and Principe - population 170,000. He received a standing ovation.

* Editors note - We learnt about the military coup in Sao Tome and Principe shortly before going to press. It was roundly condemned in Africa and elsewhere. African Business joins the rest of Africa in calling for a speedy return to civilian rule in this tiny country off the West African coast.

"I was asked to address you on the topic 'Beyond war into prosperity.' Sadly war is a subject that, in recent times, rarely leaves the front pages of the newspapers here in the US and around the world.

Also, if one relied on the daily news reports from Africa, one would think that Africa is nothing but war, disease, and drought, and that all Africans are poor, hungry, uneducated, and corrupt. Journalists seem to be goaded by their editors to feed a public hungering for proof of savagery. If you search for general books on Africa you will find titles like African Madness, Squandering Eden, The Road to Hell, The Graves Are Not Yet Full, Tropical Gangsters, and How Can Africa Survive?

Africa clearly has a major public relations problem. Perhaps you could loan us some of your experts to help us spin a better message! Rut, for now, Africa is still largely unknown in most parts of the world. In fact, in the US most people seem to think that the entire continent is just one big country. We hear about Italian-Americans, Cuban-Americans, Irish-Americans, Mexican-Americans, but you, Mr. Secretary,(Colin Powell) belong to all of us in Africa as an African-American. So we all get to share in the pride of seeing that although thousands of our ancestors were taken in chains onto boats to be sold like cattle, that their offspring have risen to become Martin Luther King, James Baldwin, Miles Davis, Thurgood Marshall, and Colin" Powell...

"We cannot talk about free trade when agricultural subsidies close Western markets to African products, at the same time that tariffs protect everything from steel to sugar. AGOA is a good start, but many African economies would benefit enormously if all their products could enter the US duty-free and quota-free. Tax relief for repatriated profits on new investments in Africa would also make investing" more attractive.

"Democracy, good governance and free markets pave the way to a better life for our peoples. But one-size-fits-all strategies have had dismal results. As Professor Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia regularly notes, we actually need much more help with malaria and Aids" than macroeconomic management.

"Political scientists agree that democracy rarely takes root when not accompanied by economic growth. And corruption and mismanagement are difficult to avoid when the average person is Africa earns less" than $1 a day.

"To turn a phrase of President John F. Kennedy: we should not only ask what America can do for us, but what we can do for America. And there is much that" Africa can do for America."

"Many of today's biggest threats are truly stateless. We pledge our support to your efforts to eliminate these threats to all nations. We should not forget that long before the tragic attack on the World Trade Centre, our citizens died with yours in attacks on US embassies in Kenya and" Tanzania."

Copyright International Communications Aug/Sep 2003
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved