** Please visit our website: http://www.africanassociation.org **

On behalf of your belatedly elected Executive
Committee of the African Association of  Madison,
Inc., I will like to thank you for giving us the
arduous opportunity  to work together to resuscitate
our beloved association.  My fellow Executive
Committee members and I solemnly pledge to apply
ourselves to the mission.  We fervently hope that with
your assistance and encouragement, we will be able to
build AAM into the African oriented, enviable and
community responsive organization that we can all be
proud of.

The Executive Committee will also like to offer its
sincerest thanks to members of the Interim
Administrative Committee that shepherded the
organization back to life since the end of the last
administration up till this point.  I know the entire
membership of the association joins us in this
gesture.

Once again, your officers of the 2005 AAM Executive
Committee are:

E. Aggo Akyea - President
Richard Lowe – Vice President
Felix Ossia – Secretary
Joe Brewoo – Treasurer
Richard Yarl – Financial Secretary

We the members of this newly elected Executive
Committee see our role as primarily to restructure and
reorganize AAM to enable the organization achieve and
implement the goals and objectives set forth in the
recommendations of the Focus Group.  Information on
the deliberations, report and recommendations of the
Focus Group has been presented to all previously via
electronic and regular mail.

The importance of this task can not be understated.
Indeed, at the last General meeting, the association
further set-up three working groups to prepare working
plans for the Focus Group recommendations. Once these
plans are received, we' are going to need even more
individual membership commitment make it all happen.

Make no mistake about it.  Your current Executive
Committee perceives this an enormous task - the
reorganizing and restructuring the organization, and
also the implementation of the recommendations of the
Focus Group.  This task requires our full attention,
concentration and work.

The Executive Committee has therefore voted to cancel
Madison’s African Festival 2005 to enable the
association concentrate on the reorganization and
restructuring efforts from the Focus Group
recommendations.  We, members of the Executive
Committee do not want to be distracted by the
responsibilities of having to run a festival in
addition to this important task.

The planning and execution of the Festival, including
but not limited to setting up related committees,
application for grants, corporate funding, setting up
related committees, connecting with the general
membership for venue, format, etc. are hopelessly
behind schedule.  Attempts to rescue all these short
comings and put on a worthwhile Festival will be
worthless.  The reorganization process via the Focus
Group efforts and recommendations are of more vital
significance and requires the Executive Committee's
highest commitment for successful implementation, to
ensure a worthwhile Festival with more content,
meaning, and enjoyment.

In addition, the Festival has historically drained the
Executives of time and commitment for other
activities. We are afraid this instance will also
leave the Executive Committee short of the intense
revitalization commitment for a resounding result.  We
want to take the time to do the reorganization and
restructuring right.  Especially in light of the fact
that Executive Committee has less than eight months to
make all its recommendations and report to the
membership of the association.

The Executive Committee is going to cancel any grants
we have requested for Africa Fest 2005.  We will make
it plain to our potential donors that we are planning
a better and more improved festival for next year.  We
know the donors will appreciate the fact that their
monies are going to be put in a more recompensing use.
 We will also begin to inform all concerned partners
and previous participating groups or persons including
vendors about the cancellation and to look forward to
next year.

In the mean time however, planning for AFRICA FEST
2006 starts immediately. The Executive Committee will
like to see an outdoor festival with more content than
what we currently have.

AFRICA FEST 2006 will be an emulated regional
extravaganza with a theme: “TEXTILES OF AFRICA.”  It
will attract at least one national/international
musical act(s), as well as a national/international
speaker(s) to Madison.

By the end of this year, we hope to create an African
oriented, enviable and community responsive
organization with effective leadership to develop
programs and organize members to execute the programs.

Please stay tuned and thank you very much indeed.

Sincerely:
Aggo Akyea

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