December 21, 2006

by Her Excellency Michaëlle Jean

Throughout the entire African trip, from the northern edge of the Sahara to the southern tip, we were very conscious of the fact that we were crossing an enormous continent, one that is rich in contrasts and human history, and especially rich in a powerful desire to rise above all the overwhelming misery it continuously faces.

The African people know what they have to offer and what part they want to play in the world community. They no longer want to be stripped of their resources. They no longer want to be deprived of their strengths. They no longer want to be dispossessed. They no longer want to be prey to tyrants who drive them without mercy to the edge of the cliff. They want to be heard, in their own words. They deserve our consideration.

In every country in Africa, there are thousands of women and men on the ground building the communities they dream of. And these dreams depend on the promise of a world that is more just, more equitable, more equal; a world in which childhood is protected, and people’s minds and bodies are respected; a world in which knowledge and development possibilities are available to all; a world in which people do not just barely survive, but in which they live under optimal conditions of dignity, safety and freedom.

 That is why the African people are asking us, in Canada, to continue to support them, in friendship and in concrete action, in strengthening their capabilities, and finding their own solutions to the problems that they courageously face each day, without losing hope. Every gesture counts.