Dear Partner, The uniqueness of our message is in the fact that we investigate the root cause of our current,catastrophic situation,trace it to our current level of development and prescribe solutions.Without proper diagnosis of a problem,there can never be a right prescription to solve the problem and this has been the miserable story of Africa.We African's have always looked up to the outside world to solve our problems and that has been our worst blunder.The western nations and all their agencies they masquerade behind to re-colonise us,have not got the slightest clue to understanding our chronic,multi-faceted and highly complex problems and thus,cannot prescribe any suitable liberation formula.It is only Africans who can understand and solve the African problem. The first generation of African leaders came out very strong with powerful declarations of independence and african emancipation which heightened the hopes as well as aspirations of every African.These declarations seemed very bright as to prospect but turned out very disappointing as to result.What our fathers failed to realise is that independence or emancipation is not attained by declarations alone.It is achieved through a developmental process because,emancipation is a process of growth,which begins as one walks painfully away from the shelter of dependency into open unsheltered terrain to map out a future.The arrogance and ignorance of our fathers prevented them from carrying their declarations forward into putting structures and procedural lanes on the ground to acieve their goals.It is not what you know that kills you,but rather what you do not know.The arrogance and ignorance of our elders have really killed us. Historical and self-inflicted damage have resulted in the most sophisticated form of inferiority complex and low self-esteem in our people.As a result,our people see nothing good in themselves and about themselves to hang around here for the change campaign.Mental Slavery and bondage have reduced our people to the level of believing that no seed,talent,gift or ability can be planted and nutured in our African soil as well as environment.The result is the evidence that Africa is now a head without brains because her brains have been drained on a stomach direction course into development structures of nations outside the continent.The youth of our nations who are in the greatest despair,helplessness and hopelessness,view agriculture(especially farming) as a very humiliating,non-progressive profession on the continent because,as the 21st century citizens of the Information Technology world,they are still seeing the engagement of peasant farming which is a practice of the middle-ages.They need serious mental surgery without which any call on them to leave the cities to engage in agricultural activity in the rural areas will prove futile. Partners,the people of Africa who have been betrayed by everybody are still groaning,travailing,crying,in pain and frustration waiting for our manifestation and action.We belong to the generation which has an obligation to solve this potentially explosive situation.As leaders,our responsibility does not only stop at providing direction.We need to effectively communicate the new vision to our followers because effective communication of the vision to our nations breeds understanding and understanding releases commitment to supporting us achieve the desired goal.All hands and brains are needed to clear the mess and put up new structures.Great nations were built on individual and collective discovery as well as development of God-given talents,gifts and abilities.The much needed change and development we are all hoping for is resident in each one of us.It requires each one,group and nation to identify our strengths, abilities and potential,develop them to a marketable stage and put them at the disposal of our united walk into the future by plugging into development opportunity. If we want our people to break away from the stigmatised and miserable past,we need to give them hope of a better tomorrow. We are hope,the answer,the eye,God resident on earth and the future.LET'S NOT FAIL OUR PEOPLE!! CHARLES SAM African Hope International NASSAU-BAHAMAS Kindly forward this message to as many people as possible. ______________________________________________________ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------