African Culture and Development

And some Barry Newman distinguished panelists on behalf of the secretary of the Smithsonian Lawrence Small on the board and staff of the National Museum of African Art. I'm delighted to welcome all of you here to the Smithsonian staff. My name is Tom Lance I'm the director of the international art museums division here at the Smithsonian and also acting director of the National Museum for African art. The museum is proud to partner with the Department of State and USAID and bringing together a group of well-informed individuals from the education development business media and diplomatic communities for today's roundtable discussion. To my mind any discussion that event of five specific initiatives the focus on the central ATV and resiliency of African arts and cultures especially in the context of a cohesive strategy for the continent's future growth and development is one well worth having. This dialogue will obviously be an ongoing one and we here at the

Smithsonian look forward to a future career collaboration like this one. I now have the pleasure of introducing our next speaker the honorable Constance Barry Newman assistant and then a straiter for Africa United States Agency for International Development. Please welcome. Conan. And I guess. We welcome you to this afternoon roundtable designed to engage you in an important discussion of the relationship between culture and development on the continent of Africa. It is a most important topic for the Agency for International Development. Africa. The second largest continent on earth. It has more than 50 countries each unique in its natural resources. Each unique and its peoples its political history

its cultural heritage. Furthermore. Each country on the continent. Has a different present day challenge and development opportunities for the future. For just a moment I would like to set the stage for the afternoon discussion with a short description of the uniqueness of the countries of Africa. This is as much a reminder for me as it is for anyone listening to what I have to say. Africa is the Sahara in the north. The Great Rift Valley in the east the rain forests of the Congo those. Cape Towns Table Mountain. Uganda's Murchison falls the Serengeti mollies Timbuktu Donner of the investors that we have here. The terra cotta sculptures of Nigeria in the belly murals the carved mass from the West Coast's the beaded jewelry of the Messiah and the Shona stone carvings. Have undeniably inspired art in the rest of the world.

Africa's copper lead zinc and silver are Africa's gold in oil and diamonds. Cobalt uranium. But. The most important well on the continent. Is the diverse hard working ethical intelligent creative and beautiful people many. Of whom are now deprived of an opportunity to create a decent life. And that is the major reason for the discussion today. There are differences in the news about Africa. There are discouraging statistics about him from mortality in many countries on the continent. But the good news is that in four mortality is under 5 for under five between one thousand sixty and ninety nine is gone down in Botswana. It's gone down in Mali. It's gone down in the Democratic Republic of Congo just to name a few. The gross national product per capita in many countries of Africa. Is way below

the world's average in 2000 of $7000. The continent's average GNP per capita was four hundred ninety two dollars however. It is important to know a number of examples which indicate that Africa can not be described with one set of words or phrases. The GNP per capita for Botswana 6000 and their view of 4000. And about the literacy rates for the population age 15 and older. There are countries on the continent that are equal to the national and the world average. You and I know that there are examples of conflict and corruption on the continent. There are places where people's voices are not heard. But the overall trend in Africa toward building for your democracies. Is there. It is there in many countries there's an increase. Way up to 17 percent of countries that are free partly

free 47 percent. And 20 African countries. Have democracies. A few more points and then I'll leave you. Since 1992 there's an increase in the number of countries experiencing economic growth. And the number of countries becoming successful trading partners for the United States. And on the topic that we all know so much about. HIV AIDS. Is a serious problem on the continent. However. Not all countries in Africa have the problem of being decimated by the Hib AIDS virus. Countries such as Senegal in Mali and Donna in the Gambia Eritrea. Have 3 percent or less of their population infected by HIV AIDS. Also what is most encouraging is that through strong and creative leadership in partnership. Uganda has brought about a significant decline in the incidence of HIV AIDS as reported by the president there.

Who was 70 said it came down to 6 percent. In 2002 from 30 percent in 1990. So when we all consider. The development challenges of Africa. We need to consider them in the context of the problems. But also the good news that brings about hope. For a brighter future. For more who live on the continent of Africa. Thank you kind of. Thank you. Thank you Conny. I now have the pleasure of introducing our next speaker. Secretary Richard Boucher Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs and department spokes person United States Department of State.

Will. What I want to thank Dr. Lance and the museum first of all the American heart for hosting us and docketed Secretary Lawrence Small and Smithsonian for hosting this round table this is an event that we really wanted to do and we wanted to do for a long time had to be postponed. It was we were thinking about it last year. But I'm glad it's happening and I want to thank the panel for their participation in what I think will be a very interesting and productive discussion. And finally thank Howard University television and Kojo Nandi I guess gone behind the curtain. For moderating this and producing evening exchange working with us for this program. But above all I want to thank all of you who are here not just as an audience but as contributors people from Capitol Hill people from elsewhere in the administration the academics the non-governmental organizations.

Educators people who work on development people and private sector people in the press that we're all here because we care about Africa and we're all here because we believe that Africa is important. One of the themes of this administration is one of the things that we've tried to make sure we do day in and day out is to pay attention to Africa. And that's why one of the first meetings the president had after September 11th the last year was to host African leaders for a meeting the African Growth and Opportunity Act to talk about the opportunities of development trade with Africa. So that's why one of the first trips to Secretary of State made was to Africa. And he's now been there twice we were just out there for the World Summit on Sustainable Development. And that's why the president the secretary supported the efforts of Africans themselves and the New Partnership for Africa's Development. To try to help Africa develop and develop both president and secretary look forward to going back to Africa in the near future. This conference is important because any consideration of Africa's future has to start with its history with its culture with its society.

We have to deal with Africa not just as a place of conflict and disease but a place of democracy and development. And that development is going to be based on the societies that they have. We the people are and how they want to live. And I think the more we can understand that through conferences such as these the better off we're going to be enjoying our future and hopefully a future that embodies not just the ideals that we hold but the ideals of the Africans themselves are striving for and that we look to help them achieve. So again on behalf of the State Department I thank you all for coming and I look forward to a very successful hopeful conference. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for

watching. He's there he's been cited for excellence in the CIA. Good afternoon everyone. Good afternoon good evening good day. Before I get on with the business at hand. I said on behalf of Howard

University and Howard University television thank you very much for being here and saying that one of the inspirations for Howard University television to be here happens to be standing in the room today and I would appreciate it if you would acknowledge him he is our general manager. Adam Clayton Powell the third who was standing in the back. Well African culture and development. What's culture. What's developing. So much to say. So little time. How do we get the most out of this. I'll make two points. The first is. We are here. To focus on Africa in a way it is really focused on and public dialogue. And that's why we're here and why the public should see this. The second point is. We are here. I

mean we are all here. And that means severe limitations on time which I suspect is one of the reasons I was invited here as and. You're the moderator. Translation watch the clock. So I started by cutting my own time from five minutes to one minute. Hint Hint it. And I'd like to start by introducing each of our guests so that you can acknowledge them individually before they make their presentations. And after that they will make their presentations and then we will have a discussion. Among ourselves. All of us here and I'm going to start with Ambassador Robert Perry Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Bureau of African Affairs. You have met but I'm sure you'll be happy to meet again knowing that we no longer have a

financial control board in the District of Columbia. They have been missing her for a while. Constance Berry NUMA system administrator for. Hire. Please welcome her Excellency ambassador Edith some part of embassy of Uganda. His Excellency ambassador Shaikh Omar Diarra embassy of Mali. Left him as vice president and director of public affairs with the Eastman Kodak Company. Dr. Christine Mullen Kramer is curator National Museum of African Art. And George Dow his counsel to Congressman Charles Rangle United States House of Representatives. Dr. Beverly Bruce's program director Social Science Research Council.

And Dr. Conrad Carter is professor and chair of anthropology at the University of Michigan. Each of these individuals will have a different take on what is really a common subject and I guess it would be best for me just to allow them to speak first. Ambassador Robert Perry has supposedly reportedly allegedly. Thank you for the opportunity to come and. Share some thoughts with you this afternoon in our diplomatic relations with African countries. The United States has come to realize and appreciate the central role that culture can and should play in our relationship with African countries. It's important terms of development and stability. In several international fora recently. African leaders have acted in concert to assist on African

solutions to African problems. And the Bush administration has applauded these efforts as a play out in terms of NEPAD as well as the creation of the African Union. And we are using these to encourage. African happens to promote good governance and development. A. Kind of million has already addressed the row that. Cultural. Link between cultural preservation and economic development. And I'd just like to mention a few things that the State Department is doing to promote cultural preservation in Africa. The African. And bats would respond for cultural preservation is in the second year of its operation. It's a worldwide fun to support specific projects in Africa in developing countries. One third of which are in Africa. They range from support from museums libraries to the restoration of cultural and historic sites. Has a

Basque Assistant Secretary Patricia Harrison at the State Department. Has said about the ambassadress fun. It demonstrates in concrete visible ways the U.S. commitment to understanding and preserving the heritage of others. It's a way to show that we respect the role of Islam. In promoting peace and development in Africa. We have also signed. And renewed. With Mali he cultural properties protection agreed. And we are looking for the opportunity to sign such agreements with other African countries. We also have underway with the Smithsonian. An effort to bring. Molly's cultural. Presentation to the Smithsonian during the summer of 2003 which will be an important contribution and we are working together with a newly elected president to raise to do that.

And I think you can see from the various artifacts on display various art objects sculpture and others. The important role that. Africans have in terms of the protection of the environment. You see that through several things other things emphasised the central idea of the family and the community for promoting development and maintaining stability and promoting progress. We have the State Department. Have also looked at the role of culture. We have approached the coalition against terrorism in trying to identify common themes in points of family stability and progress in shaping a coalition and to preserving peace and development that we all shared together. At that point I'd like to pass to the next. Concert the very moment. And I'll try to keep mine under a minute since I spoke earlier in nineteen eighty two. The World Conference on

cultural policies meeting in Mexico City adopted a broad definition of culture that linked culture to development. Defining culture as the whole complex of distinctive spiritual material intellectual and emotional features that characterize a society or a social group. That statement went on as follows. Culture includes not only Arts and Letters. But also modes of life the fundamental rights of human beings value systems traditions and beliefs. Conference affirm the concept that balance development can only be assured. By making cultural factors and enjoyable part of the strategies designed to achieve development. I doubt that there is much disagreement on the definition of culture. Though I may be surprised however there are in my mind a number of questions. That the conferences concept

about the necessity of making cultural factors and enjoyable part of development. Questions I have without answers. They are these. How and who determines which cultural factors should carry the greatest weight. How do development strategies balance cultural factors of the majority with those of the minorities. Are there any type of development situations where cultural factors should be minimized. Should some almost or none of the development activities include cultural activities and why. Would it mean greater acceptance or less by the people. And I think I'll stop here since I'm not sharing answer one. Arm to Ambassador. That's some part of the challenge for the protocol. Yes under just say that we do appreciate you being

up and down the effort. I like to express our appreciation for organizing this important. Conference. To discuss a very important issue. In our culture that we believe our identities. Determine Our feeling. Uganda has relied on the strength of culture to tough difficult development challenges like HIV and AIDS. It was coming out the country was in the room. As if that was not enough with its. Health challenges that became known as because it made its victims of the disease and at the time

very limited. The fight against AIDS. Has been. However it was even very clear. That the virus was transmitted meaning his real sexual contact blood. Transfusion. Mother. To child at the time of birth. There was no vaccine there was no cure. Unfortunately this is still the case at the time there were no effective drugs that could program life. So really a J.V. and AIDS infection was a death sentence. When presently 70 I became aware of the whole the nature of HIV he knew that this process that was in danger and his people with informed about the disease and how to protect themselves. The president knew that that knowledge that knowledge was only with him and that only that the only way to save his people was to raise alarms.

Just like in our culture when a man came to the village the chief would go to the top of the hill and shout as loud as he could warning the people about the dangers of protect themselves. In essence that is what the president did. As a result of the president's vision and pragmatic leadership Uganda was able to pass the time. I was already mention. The fight against AIDS has had a significant impact on our culture. In the past there were six who was killed. Certainly six will never be discussed across generations. This has had to change. In Uganda would have had to live an extended family to care for this and for friends. It is often said that the extended family in Africa is an insurance for tragedy. And crisis is still doing fairly well.

However due to the magnitude of the problem the institution cannot and as a result manages. Our cultural systems and norms spreading the you know Democratic social and economic development. You cannot make that Democratic decentralization where established decentralized culture systems that have governed Ugandan communities a very long time. It is that Uganda is rather successful eradication strategy is very bad. This strategy has reduced poverty from 56 percent in 92 to 35 percent. Yet. According to the household survey by the World Bank. I would be remiss if I did not touch on the negative aspect of love the kind of culture that I need you my dear innocent I didn't remind her that you only have about 40 seconds you have constrained me courtesy of the human development.

Can take place business without human hopes and aspirations without taking into account. I'm fully confident that during the course of our discussion you will get the opportunity to extend on your remarks. Ambassador Omar Diarra thank you very much. Let me stress one thing I think the central. African. Farm. Culture the. Necessary resources. And it will be a free. Country. But we will find. The resources necessary. To expand the African renaissance. Miley and Nick. It make diversity country. We are also limited in. Your

nation. And since we became democratic or democratic country in 1992. We. Decided. To strengthen our democratic system by. This room by doing this on target ation and asking people to. They are few and very diverse community. We have. Found the resources necessary to expand the democratic system in my. Hand. We are still looking you know culture. We are fond of and my new script which will help us. Make a revolution in. The thinking in the

21st century so we are looking forward to working with. Our partners United States and no over. External partners to help us. To. Reveal what he is envious of my newsgroup so I will stop here and intervene. Thank you very much. You'll permit me because I'm the business woman on this panel to talk about what Kodak does in Africa to contribute to development through culture. Because of the nature of our business and the very nature of our products we're often engaged in work that connects culturally. For example in many countries in Africa we are part of a vibrant motion picture business. We have a program to train and develop young budding filmmakers. Our products are such that primitive recording and dissemination and broadcast of much of Africa's culture modes of life intellectual.

We are in a position for example to digitally record and photograph the ancient manuscripts. Ah so that these can be shared far beyond Timbuktu in South Africa. We spot we are working on developing young budding filmmakers young African black filmmakers. We are working to demystify don't production for professionals who work only in video for television. I've been able for them to become involved in projects outside of television feature films to showcase lifestyles and cultural traditions. We're also working with young filmmakers to encourage not just their technical skills but their creativity to develop films for entertainment and documentaries in a number of countries we've worked to refurbish local movie theaters to encourage movie going. We sponsor a film festival in Cape Town where we bring filmmakers from around the continent and particularly young budding black filmmakers to expose them to experts in the industry. We've also worked with

social photographers. What are what you would think of as professional photographers. And we have had some real exciting programs in Mali as a matter of fact where we've sponsored a festival of African photography. It's held every two years. It enables photographers from throughout Africa to gather in a forum to discuss ideas and concerns. We are a sponsor of this and we help to train a lot of the photographers. The idea is that we bring photographers from Ghana Cameroon South Africa's Senegal Cote d'Ivoire to boff to bomb go off for a festival called images of Africa. What we're trying to do is to help these young photographers learn photography for art's sake and not just for portraiture or tradition. And in that way we think we're making a real contribution to preserving the culture and the opportunities for dissemination as well as creating real opportunities for employment for a number of these photographers. We

also train the photographers and I think our last count we've trained about 10000 photographers in East Africa. And this creates employment and jobs obviously. Finally I just want to mention something that we have not been directly involved and I just finished I just came from a conference on travel and tourism in Africa and I was very impressed by a lot of the debate on eco tourism and the opportunity for sustainability through tourism tourism is a huge job creator for as many African countries. It can support support local cultures there's a lot of work being done on creating opportunities for tourists not just to see animals but to see local culture and developing villages around the sights of wildlife camps so that tourists have an opportunity to experience African culture while they also experience the natural terrain so I think there is a real opportunity for development through eco tourism.

Thank you. Christine Romans. Thank you. I want to say first that culture is the foundation we can think of culture as the building blocks of people's social economic political and religious lives. And so art museums exhibitions working with artists. We this all plays a role in educating the public about culture of all cultural change and continuity. Museums have an important role in this. For example a recent exhibition we did in Madagascar are focused on textile production both historic and contemporary production and it really brought to fore how important textile production is and was to fuel the economic engines of Mali Gussy households certainly Texel production today in Madagascar benefits from development initiatives like the ago of the after Growth and Opportunities Act. That supports local textile production with reduced tariffs of planters standing correctly.

But there are other points to make about arts and culture. Artists are certainly integral to raising important issues that are critical to cultures in very public ways. Issues of AIDS issues of democracy for example the artists. Artist living in South Africa was extremely active in the democracy movement and now that struggle has moved on to raising public awareness and public education in the struggle against Hib 8. And museums play an important role in that in getting the good word out through exhibitions through publications through linkages with art artisan arts communities and then finally following up on sunders point about eco tourism sustainability and job creation. Museums can forge important relationships with cultural institutions in countries throughout Africa. The Smithsonian Inst. was involved in I think a true model of integrated development project

in the 90s in Ghana where we did work on museum training but it was an integrated development project in Hansing the capacities of museums and cultural preservation is to bring tourists to Ghana to enhance the infrastructure and the like in a certain region of Ghana. And it really did result in job creation this is something I could expand on in terms of the details when we begin our conversation. George Babbitt I want to talk about a go eventually which I'm supposed to talk about but I want to get there by talking about culture in terms of identity and empowerment. The African-American experience in the last 30 years has a lot to do with a chosen decision to identify with Africa as a means of empowerment. From that my own experience with the Congressional Black Caucus and the founding of Africa where the inextricable links between Africa and African American political and social empowerment are clear. Hershel Shalamar is in the audience Charlie digs at the

beginning of the Black Caucus 30 years ago said choose to defend and advance the interests of Africa and it will be an empowering device for the Congressional Black Caucus and I assert because of the private brevity of my remarks I want to make it more productive. That is the African-American political leadership that has driven Africa to the point of recognition. It is in the current agenda. Many are embracing it. And it's important now that we have in my view mainstreamed Africa and concerns but through the battles in the 70s and 80s and self-determination and the anti apartheid it's always been the challenge of the African-American leadership towards putting Africa in the genda that has been the most significant driving force in moving Africa to the point where it is really cheap. It's not at the center of our agenda is not where it should be but we've achieved a watershed when we have the Bush administration embracing a go and beginning to assert leadership on the development of Africa the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act is finally the meshing of ideologies between those who care about

Africa for historical and and affinity reasons. And those who care about the United States maybe being more practical and clear eyed about business opportunities in a continent that was otherwise ignored African American and African interests have coincided and have been essentially the cultural. Means of translating affinity into into accomplishment they offer Growth and Opportunity Act is a means to strengthen those links because ultimately through trade and commerce people come closer together and begin to know more about each other and are and will be I think able to relate to each other to a degree. And that's greater than ever before but it continues to be a necessity and from my perspective on the Hill that there be that African American prodding towards keeping Africa at the forefront of the agenda.

And I believe that that continues to be a special role and special commitment of the African American community in terms of a go and culture. I guess the best thing that I can say about that is that all categories of goods from Africa and have increased in terms of importation to the United States. The Commerce Department and customs doesn't do a very good job of defining what's handicraft and what's not so I can't give you specifics I'd like to but trade. With Africa has increased a go and is leading to the creation of jobs in textile and other industry. It's working. Ago it was strengthened without much debate in the. Fast track bill that was passed earlier in the Congress the president going to go to Africa in January 4 and I go a conference it is now established policy that we can trade with Africa like we can't replace cells and the potential for greater trade is really great. We may even get to the point where we will be able to import kente cloth manufacture in Africa instead of Taiwan.

I don't like the government to broach that with quite the question of Africa and culture is an important one and I think it is important because we need to center Africa where it belongs. Whether or not it's in the mainstream of other people's thinking is I think beside the point. For those of us who work in Africa have lived in Africa and know the continent it has been the center of our attention. And I am pleased to say that the social science research culture where I work we have an Africa program and in that Africa program we recognize that we don't know everything. Isn't that surprising because Americans always know everything about everyone else. And in our commitment to internationalize the social sciences we are very clear we have a regional group that advises us on issues and they are social scientists from the continent. We have been fortunate to have money from Eddie

that has supported the development of junior scholars in Africa. Eleven of them worked on issues of African youth and violence and the whole question of African youth and globalization. We have a second group of 17 who will speak for themselves on the issues that are important to Africa and we will listen. And I think that is an important dimension of our work. Two weeks ago we had a reception at the Social Science Research Council where we featured the art work of an Eritrean artist who lives in Seattle. Over a hundred people came to see his work and to hear about the various programs that we have that relate to Africa. We were delighted at the response and it is just a beginning in terms of how we see the way we should respond. As a former Peace Corps director we are motivated by the idea that we work ourselves out of a

job. And the whole question of sustainable development is to provide those people with whom you work the tools to work you out of a job. We can always find something else to do because as we can see there are many many issues and many problems and so I am pleased to be here today with people from other venues with other visions who realize the importance of paying attention to the people in whose name we have committed ourselves to social change. Thank you. Not to comment. On a cultural anthropologist who has lived. Small villages in Madagascar are also in an Afro-Brazilian community and I am impressed with the vibrancy of African culture its ability to survive in the diaspora and also with local culture and what local people have to say. I view my job as an anthropologist to bring a perspective

on what people actually WANT to the attention of people who might be able to hear and who might be able to help. I remember in Madagascar in 1966 1967 when I worked in my small community where people had traditional institutions that mobilized labor who said to me if only we could have a thousand dollars or less from the U.S. government to be able to work on our road to be able to work on our small dams to be able to do things like that. And I tried and tried to translate that message from them to people who had their own ideas about how people wanted to change. I one of the things that's impressed me most in the comparative work that I've done for the World Bank and other agencies on economic development is the importance of culturally compatible economic development development schemes need to be appropriate to the setting. And there is tremendous diversity in Africa. And they need to be socially sensitive. Nowhere is this more definitely true than in trying to get local people to conserve resources that are recognized as being good for the glory but that are not

necessarily good for local people with other words when international NGOs who have their particular kind of conservation agendas try to get local people to conserve resources that they may be using and that they may traditionally have used for generations. This is where I think the role of anthropology has been critical. And where I hope to continue to focus on how local voices can be translated into larger systems. Thank you all very much and I'd like to start off with the last remarks we just heard having to do with the compatibility if you will cultural compatibility of development and I'd like to go back to you Ambassador with some pala because you you mention that the president was really following in many ways a cultural tradition when he got up to the hilltops which in today's world would mean to television and radio and now it's to the people that there was a crisis and they had to deal with it there are many people who claim that very often there is a conflict.

Between culture and modern living. Obviously in that case there was no conflict. But what do you say to people who say that many cultural traditions seem in conflict with modern life and therefore can be an obstruction to develop I think. She wanted to bring up the fact that. There are some positive aspects of culture the negative aspects of culture. Culture that we can view which is positive like the social systems we have as a matter of fact is under attack and we need to preserve it. But there are also aspects of the culture that violate human rights culture that discriminate women. It's an ode to secret that women in Africa are regarded as inferior and. As such and those cultures are changing. Thanks to the fact that I

think it is becoming common sense that a human rights is universal that it culture that undermines human rights must be changed. The fact that it's a dynamic so we are changing all the time and those cultures which are dying and those cultures we have a better chance. Kind of chaotic when you're talking about again cultural compatibility and we look at the fact that Africa is in large measure an agricultural continent and that most of that agriculture is in fact undertaken by women on the continent which is not the way we are used to it in the western world. How does that affect what NGO and others who are trying to increase agricultural production should recommend. I think the most obvious lesson is the you know the NGO and international development organizations are clearly. Much more

interested in talking to women and and eliciting their opinions than there used to be the case of one of the more interesting things that I've seen at USAID is a little green kit which is called the Women in Development Kit which I actually took back to the University of Michigan as an example of something that's good but that perhaps is a little problematic as well because it assumes that there is one way to go about dealing with women and all cultures. I guess the kind of lesson that I would draw is that it's good to pay attention to women and development as a general rule but also women in different places are so diverse that you have to actually go and talk to them and find out about their local cultures and their wishes. And any member of the panel can feel free to respond to any of these questions. Connie Newman Why should the development community which is interested in economic development and probably politics and governance. Why should it spend a great deal of time looking at culture. If you're trying to change

political or socio economic system or if you're trying to change the manner in which people conduct their economic business why should you worry about culture. Well I think. Investors in Holland gave the answer and in many places that it's not realistic to expect that you are going to be able to impose a change in the political system are changing the economic system without understanding the underlying values of the people and without taking into consideration what drives people what their relationships are how they view their history any development organization that believes that they're going to impose change on people. Without having first of all the people help define the problem that's been one of the problems of development in the past. That the rest of the world is often to find the problem it first has to be defined by the people

and then they have to be involved in the options and those solutions are it's not going to be sustainable. That's my view and if I may just add that there are cultural institutions within various communities that are able to deal with many of these problems that face African communities and so for development people to be aware of those cultural institutions and to draw on them and to learn from how different communities sort of. Effect problem solving or go about working out a consensus mode. Something like that I think is really critical to understand what those structures are and use those strength there. Well I'd like to draw on a remark that Dr. Beverly Bruce made to ask Ambassador Omar Diarra a question because I am intrigued by the manuscript that you just mentioned. However those of us who think we know it all will say well. They got this manuscript that they've brought from some time way back in the past.

Why should I have to. Know about anything in this manuscript if I'm merely here in Mali as a consultant for agricultural development. Maybe you will find invis minder scripts. The best way to develop our agriculture. The best way to solve conflict. Between people. So I think it's very important for us to. Question This manuscript to see what. IS VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY is inside his manuscript because the four. Big liquid you know. We have developed a very. Big civilization in this area of western Africa. Miley used to have two or three in buyers before the United States became a

state Republic. So maybe we we have to learn we can learn something from these manuscripts. I just had another follow on to that which is that museums can play a role and in partnerships with cultural institutions in order to conserve preserve important cultural heritage museums have been doing that. Working with large organizations like I come in Africa. In order to identify. What those cultural resources are and then to figure out the best ways to preserve and learn from those resources like this important manuscript and I think it's absolutely critical that cultural institutions in the United States business communities in the United States educators begin to. Look to the continent look to their colleagues and the institutions on the African continent and figure out ways to strengthen partnerships and to create interesting

projects that will get at the very heart of cultural heritage preservation. I'd like to say something about the manuscript I mentioned earlier about the negative concepts we've had about Africa and how they've changed and it's very pleasing. And one of the notions has been the historical nature of Africa which is totally untrue which means that it's very important for those of us who go there to understand what has happened. In millennia past. So that obviously that document is going to be addressing issues which were of concern to the people of that time and for us to understand those processes. It makes a big difference. I mean for example when we see the civil rights movement we know that people were involved and it's very important for us to understand what motivated them. So I guess you haven't seen the movie Barbershop. Well I don't want to get into that. So I think it's very important people who deal in development and

I also want to throw a little in here about relief because of the conflicts in Africa we have a lot of people who work in relief and ignore the whole question of development and they come in and they see the NGO set up their own little governments act as though no one is there and proceed. Apace and wherever it is they are they behave similarly. And this has to stop because each situation is unique. And unless we're going to listen and pay attention to what's going on we cannot help those who say we are concerned about. Ambassador Robert Perry it's a very difficult issue to deal with especially in the middle of the administration's ongoing campaign against terrorism. But distinctions have to be made I guess between religion and culture. And we often do not make that distinction between say Islam and Arabic culture. And as one finds oneself in the middle of

a crisis situation trying to shape policies trying to shape relationships with government and at the same time trying to enlist the support of the American people for a campaign against terrorism. How do you and the administration make that distinction between religion and culture when it comes to Islam. Sure. I think we've done a job of trying to educate herself. Within the state department of the. The number of the percentage of populations in Africa and a Muslim. The trick question is what is the largest Muslim country and Africa is Nigeria. 60 million of that population. That's more than any Middle Eastern country is so when you start talking about the role of Islam and how it influences people worldwide who are part of the Islam faith then you have to take into consideration Africa. In West Africa unlike in say the Middle East you have families with members who are Christian and Muslim in the same family.

So you don't have people divided along religious lines. The way we may think of in the Middle East with the pictures that are given to us is it to Gration down to the roots. People live side by side. And then maybe what's makes so tragic the situation we're dealing with right now in Cote d'Ivoire. People from the northern part of the country have lived in the south for generations. Like right now are dealing with difficult issues and it's the neighbors who understand that are trying to work together with them to find to mediate to find a way out without further conflict. And we're trying to support that process. I don't remember a meeting with a massive D'Anna several months ago last fall reminded us that Islam means peace. Which is not the picture we were receiving through the media. George Darling you talk about the African Growth and Opportunities Act and the fact that it has increased imports from Africa but I remember that despite the fact that this

bill at the time had the support of virtually the entire African diplomatic community here. There was some opposition in the Congressional Black Caucus most notably from Jesse Jackson Jr. who said it was too little and therefore there have to be expectations that there will be more in an environment in which people will say look we have another kind of crisis on our hands we've done enough. When. That was based on the reality that so much needs to be done to prepare the nations of the continent to be fully participate in the global economy they felt that the opponents of a go I felt that we needed to focus more on the granting of that leave or infrastructure development or a variety of other prerequisites to development. And it was the disagreement that was honestly made it based on a set of priorities I think ultimately now people recognize that we are going to have to find commonalities in terms of being able to politically move an agenda at a time when there are so many other

priorities. I think that getting in part what I described as the African-American commonality and affinity and ownership of what we have felt and I had an ownership of an effort to influence U.S. policy towards Africa. Some people have become perhaps more convinced of their rightness and listening to other people. With that somebody mentioned earlier can you get about the need to listen to Africans they need to get to know each other better and you understand what the leadership of Africa wants and I think the lesson that should be taken from the Go experience is that even those of us who might most identify with Africa in our own minds still need to learn those lessons. Connie Newman much of what me hear and see in the media about Africa much of which we in the media concentrate on are things that are going wrong we're not in the business of telling people that things are working the way they're supposed to be working we think frankly that people expect that. But the reality as a result of that is that most people don't

know about success stories in Africa even when we see demonstrators at the IMF and the World Bank meetings this past weekend. We only hear stories about what those institutions are accused of doing that caused things to go wrong in certain countries how do we get out the news if there is such news that a lot of things are going right and that those things have a great deal to do with taking culture into consideration. I'm just tired of it myself. So what I do think I'm tired of being sick and tired of me and what I do is no matter what the question is my answer is what's going on. It's right on the continent. You notice no one asked me that question and I answered it anyway because I think all of us who work. In Africa and about Africa. Ought to share what we know about what's going right. We need to know what's going right. In order to have hope. In order to know that

things do work. And I think we all have to lean on the media. And we need to give the media the right stories the good stories but each and every one of us has a responsibility wherever we are to straighten out people. Who make the statement that there's nothing going right on the Continent I do it at every cocktail party breakfast lunch dinner. I just take it on. And I think we all ought to do the same. And if I may just add museum exhibitions are a perfect way to get the good word out about African culture African cultural institutions. And they do it in a way that really engages the audience and lets them know a long history. But change change is happening how Africa is changing in a very dynamic place and a very fundamental place of arts and culture in Africa. Museum exhibits photographs and movies Sandra Taylor and there are those who will say especially many who are demonstrating in

Washington just a little while ago that one of the problems with Africa is the impact. Of corporate culture in Africa that corporations are going to Africa. And yes Eastman Kodak may be contributing to culture by helping young people to train to make movies. But they're not there for that purpose. They're there to make money and that they're simply saying that we are contributing to culture here in order that nobody will notice that which you are in fact extracting from the continent is large sums of money. How would you respond. Yes. Well I'm a fact after George I was going to say that. I think it's a legitimate debate to talk about trade development through trade. There's nothing wrong with investing in a country and helping to develop partnerships distribution systems that puts money in my pocket in the pockets of other project managers but it also puts money in the pockets of our partners. On the question of cultural I mean there's a bit been a big debate in the

WTO in other places about kind of cultural trade trade and cultural instruments and U.S. culture being exported overseas frankly Kodak is very supportive of the development of indigenous film industries that puts money in our pockets obviously in the more films that are made and produced in countries around the world. That's good for us. But we also think it's great for culture and for dissemination of culture to the extent that young African filmmakers start to understand how to use film rather than video and start to develop documentaries and other films for entertainment and to the extent that we can help with distribution of those products then we do start to create more positive images of Africa that are created by Africans themselves. I would rate closer to God that we have because I really do not need a child to do it. We need to be in a relationship so that mutually beneficial. Still. I do think that there is anything

room that whole with corporations. Being motivated by him and he has room as of course the cook. Because through making money we also make money and I think that is what we are looking for so we want to change that culture as well which seems to indicate that power when to comes to Africa. All we need is to keep and keep and I think and have because nothing to give in return. Well I think what we have heard so far has been quite informative sarvant in large measure the purpose for which we are here in addition to what since I have not been able to start up any trouble on my own. I think it is time to include our audience members in this discussion to say what they can star but we're going to take a short break just before we do that please don't go any place it won't be a very long break. We just have a few technical things to do and we'll be right back. Atl.