I couldn't help smiling at your remark ""Children, come to meet Papa at big brother's place!"
attitude." 
This type of smile! Your reaction reminds me of this other time when President Alpha Konare refused to meet the French President in Senegal. People applauded him in an emotional reaction, I believe. I liked his move too because of the pride it raised in me. Many other Africans felt the same pride even though they were not Malians. I remember being congratulated by some of them as if I had done something exceptional.
I would have liked to see President Konare and his fellows carry on the logic in his action in every aspect of our public relations with the international community, which would have meant African independence (i.e. a real one) and mutual respect between Africa and the rest of the World. However, this takes more than emotional reactions of the kind he and many other Africans had then. It would require a well thought strategy of development and a lot of sacrifice from all of us to stop the paternalistic type of relation we have developed and maintained so far with the West. Are we ready?
The only viable way for us to force the West to respect us is to show them things they would want from us. They need to know they can gain from our relationships. This will be made possible, first and foremost through good governance at the home front, and the type of social sacrifice President Modibo Keita called for in the 1960s. Then, good diplomacy abroad should do the rest for us. If a leader cannot even put in motion the first two parameters S/he should not try to play the emotional reaction game.
I must confess that although I was among those who applauded President Konare when he refused to adhere to the "children come to meet papa at big brother's place attitude," I realized later that he and his team were not ready to follow through. It would have taken a lot of political courage to do so. They did not have this courage. And if they did have the courage, I wonder whether we, Malians, were ready to go through all the trouble necessary to establish real independence, thus respect for our nation.
It seems to me that unlike Konare, President ATT knows he is not ready, so he did not play the emotional reaction game. I don't blame him for that, but I do blame him for not having the political courage, just like his predecessor, to bring about the necessary changes for good governance in Mali , which would be the primary step for creating the conditions of developing mutual respect between us and the Western world.
Now, concerning your question about the graduation of ATT's child in Canada, I don't know if there is truth in the rumor, but I don't see much problem with it. ATT is a father, and like any father who has the means he has, he would like the best type of education for his kids. Like any good father, he would also want to share his children's Joyce and trouble. As long as his child is in Canada studying on money the Toures earned honestly I don't see any problem. I believe, President Toure or anybody else who have had his rank and time of service in the military, NGOs, public services could send his kid to study abroad. I suspect many of us studying or now working in Europe or North America were able to do it because of the support they got from their parents. The question is did anybody in this group, including the children of our Presidents, and other public servants come on money stolen from our taxpayers or on scholarships that were ta!
ken away from more meritorious Malian students? We all need to think about this question and make sure that such practices do not occur in our country.
Have a nice day,
Amadou Niang
University of Utah
Salt Lake City
>From: "Mamadou Cisse"
>To:
>Subject: Re: [mAliLink2] Bush Visit Makes a Mess of Senegal
>Date: Tue, 15 Jul 2003 16:46:28 +0100
>
>It looked really like God Himself was visiting Senegal, with no respect of
>any kind for Africans. It shows how stupid/'nataba' our leaders are, not
>mentioning the usual "Children, come to meet Papa at big brother's place!"
>attitude.
>I wasn't surprise to see our 'president' going to meet "Papa" anyhow, after
>all he's just one of these African General. I bet some of them could barely
>shake his hands!
>I just learnt that our dear 'president' was attending his son/daughter's
>graduation ceremony in Canada. Can someone in Canada confirm that
>information or can I just dismiss it as untrue?
>
>salaam,
>CisseM.
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Amadou Wane"
>To:
>Sent: Tuesday, July 15, 2003 2:31 PM
>Subject: [mAliLink2] Bush Visit Makes a Mess of Senegal
>
>
> > Senegal - Bush brings his own lunch, dogs, cars, 700 agents, tree
> > cutters, reporters and soda pop
> >
> >
> > SunMt member Joan Herron got this message from friend in Senegal.
> >
> >
> > More than 1,500 persons have been arrested and put
> > in jail between Thursday and Monday. Hopefully they will be released now
> > that the Big Man is gone
> >
> > The US Army's planes flying day and night over Dakar. The noise they
> > make is so loud that one hardly sleeps at night
> >
> > About 700 security people from the US for Bush's security in
> > Senegal, with their dogs, and their cars. Senegalese security forces
> > were not allowed to come near the US president
> >
> > All trees in places where Bush will pass have been cut. Some of
> > them have more than 100 years
> >
> > All roads going down town (where hospitals, businesses, schools are
> > located) were closed from Monday night to Tuesday at 3 PM. This means
> > that we could not go to our offices or schools. Sick people were also
> > obliged to stay at home.
> >
> > National exams for high schools that started on Monday are
> > postponed until Wednesday.
> >
> > Bush's visit to the Goree Island is another story. As you may know Goree
> > is a small Island facing Dakar where from the 15th to the 19th century,
> > the African slaves to be shipped to America were parked in special
> > houses called slave houses. One of these houses has become a Museum to
> > remind humanity about this dark period and has been visited by kings,
> > queens, presidents. Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton, and before them,
> > Nelson Mandela, the Pope, and many other distinguished guests or
> > ordinary tourists visited it without bothering the islanders. But for
> > "security reasons" this time, the local population was chased out of
> > their houses from 5 to 12 AM. They were forced by the American security
> > to leave their houses and leave everything open, including their
> > wardrobes to be searched by special dogs brought from the US.
> >
> > The ferry that links the island to Dakar was stopped and offices and
> > businesses closed for the day.
> >
> > According to an economist who was interviewed by a private radio,
> > Senegal that is a very poor country has lost huge amount of money in
> > this visit, because workers have been prevented from walking out of
> > their homes.
> >
> > In addition to us being prevented to go out, other humiliating things
> > happened also. Bush did not want to be with Senegalese
> > or use our things. He brought his own armchairs, and
> > of course his own cars, and meals and drinks. He came with his own
> > journalists and ours were forbidden inside the airport and in place he
> > was visiting.
> >
> > Our president was not allowed to make a speech. Only Bush spoke when he
> > was in Goree. He spoke about slavery. It seems that he needs the vote of
> > the African American to be elected in the next elections, and wanted to
> > please them.
> > That's why he visited Goree.
> >
> > Several protest marches against American politics have been organized
> > yesterday and even when Bush was here, but we think he does not care.
> >
> > We have the feeling that everything has been done to convince us that we
> > are nothing, and that America can behave the way it wants, everywhere,
> > even in our country.
> >
> > Believe me friends, it is a terrible feeling. But according to a Ugandan
> > friend of mine, I should not complain because it Uganda one of the
> > country he is going to visit, Bush does not intend to go out of the
> > airport. He will receive the Ugandan President in the airport lounge.
> >
> > Nevertheless, I think I am lucky, because I have such wonderful American
> > friends. But there are now thousands of Senegalese who believe that for
> > all Americans the world is their territory.
> >
> >
> > ___________________________________________________
> > mAliLink: Forum de discussion Malien
> > http://www.malilink.net
> >
>
>
>___________________________________________________
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