|
|
Organizing Goree 2000
Here are some initial indications on the organization of the
historic summit for Panafrican Renaissance, Goree 2000. These
include the date, the main events, the participants and follow-up
activities.
2.1. The Organizing Committee
An initial organizing committee was made up of the 5 executive
members of the Panafrican Federation of OAU Associations and Clubs.
This committee is being progressively enlarged to include new
members as need arises.
2.2. Date and place
Goree 2000 will take place from the 21st to the 26th. The Senegalese
island of Goree is the reference venue, but most events will actually
be organized in the city of Dakar.
2.3. Main events
Three main events are envisioned:
a) The celebration of Panafrican excellence: This includes sporting
activities, musical concerts, artistic performances, all in Dakar;
an exposition of African arts in Goree. The sporting activities
include a panafrican marathon, a basketball tournament opposing
the best players on the continent to those from the diaspora.
Musical concerts include a Mega-concert involving the best stars
from the continent and the diaspora. There will also be shorter
musical and theatrical performances as interludes to other activities.
The African arts exposition will actually display marketable products
inspired by the rich diversity of the African artistic heritage.
b) Colloquium on Panafrican Renaissance: This Colloquium will
be made up of panel presentations focusing on the following themes:
1. African citizenship for Africans in the diaspora.
2. The balance sheet of 100 years of panafricanism.
3. Slave trade and reparations.
4. Colonization and African external dependency.
5. African/Panafrican Renaissance.
6. Prospects of the struggles of the African diaspora.
7. Panafrican Referendums.
8. Panafrican Solidarity Visa.
9. Organizing the African Civil Society
- etc..
Keynote addresses introducing panel themes will be presented in
plenary sessions. Similarly, the general resolutions and recommendations
will be discussed and adopted during the plenaries.
c) Declaration of Panafrican Renaissance
This will be the next to last, and symbolically climaxing, event.
It will take place the day (August 30th) before the closing date
at the Goree Island. The program will include the singing of the
three songs that best express the struggles and hopes of Africans
and African diaspora during the recent decades. These are the
South African Nkosi Sikelel'i Africa, and the Civil Rights we
shall overcome, and the OAU anthem. Copies and the music of these
songs will be made available to all participants so that they
may learn them before that date.
There will also be short exhortative messages and blessing words
from some of the most prominent and emblematic figures among today's
sons and daughters of Mother Africa.
Finally, a general collective Declaration of Panafrican Renaissance
will call for a rebirth of Africa. All participants, while holding
hands, will say the declaration and then, kiss the African soil
and each-other. The final version of this Declaration will be
adopted during one of the early plenaries.
2.4. Follow-up.
The last day will be devoted to the adoption of resolutions
and recommendations, and to the setting up of a follow-up committee
and program.
2. 5. The participants
The participants at Goree 2000 will fully represent the panafrican
civil society, including the Africans of the continent and the
diaspora. To reach this objective, there will be two types of
participants, namely delegated and non-delegated participants.
The delegated participants will be those representing, in each
country, specific communities such as women, the youth, the business
community, religious affiliations, traditional rulers, etc. They
will actually be sponsored by the communities delegating them.
The non-delegated participants will be prominent figures of the
continent and the diaspora. These are people who have had a significant
social and positive influence at the national and international
levels. The organizing committee will carefully identify such
personalities and invite them on their personnel capacities, since
they do serve as references to significant cross sections of Africans
and the people of African descent. Many of them are in a position
to sponsor themselves.
One important aspect of the organization of Goree 2000 is to find
a proper way of helping participants contribute to the final realization
of the historic Goree Monument. Reflection on this important aspect
is progressing.
See also Working Documents during Goree 2000
|
