In July 2003, His Excellency Abdoulaye WADE, President of the Republic
of Senegal, made an important statement at the Second Ordinary Summit
of the African Union, which was held in Maputo, Mozambique. The statement
concerned the proposal to convene a conference of intellectuals of
Africa (350) and those of the Diaspora (150). The objective is to
remobilise them around the stakes and challenges facing Africa in
the 21st Century (construction of the Union, implementation of NEPAD,
etc.).
The Assembly welcomed the initiative and encouraged
the Heads of State and Government of the Union to participate in the
Conference.
Pursuant to this decision, some consultations were
held in Addis Ababa and Dakar between Senegal and the Commission,
including those held at the highest level, especially during President
Alpha Oumar KONARE’s working visit to Dakar in February 2004.
The following arrangements were concluded after these consultations:
1. The First Conference of Intellectuals
of Africa and the Diaspora will be held in Dakar (Senegal)
from 7 to 9 October 2004. It will be organised by the African Union
Commission. The next sessions will be held every three (3) years.
2. The African Nobel Prize Winners’
Gala
The Dakar Conference will be preceded by a Gala Night scheduled for
6 October, which will rally all the African Nobel Prize Winners around
President Nelson Mandela. An appeal for peace will be launched on
that occasion. This Gala Night will be a prelude to a Meeting of all
Nobel Prize Winners that will be convened in year 2005 for the launching
of a Peace Decade in Africa. The main conclusions of the Conference
and Nobel Meetings will be brought to the attention of the AU Summit
in July 2005 in Khartoum (Sudan).
3. Preparation, organisation and follow-up
The following arrangements have been made towards the preparation,
organisation and follow-up activities of the Conference:
i) The Preparatory National Committee set
up by the host country shall provide support services needed for the
smooth execution of activities of the two principal international
committees and those of any other Committee/Sub-Committee or Working
Group that would be set up. It will offer the same support services
for the organisation of the meeting itself.
ii) The International Organising Committee
It will provide support services for the preparation and organisation
of the Scientific Steering Committee.
iii) The Scientific Steering Committee shall
be responsible for the intellectual preparation of the meeting.
iv) The Sponsoring Committee
This Committee, which is the moral authority of the meeting, comprises
African Nobel Prize Winners and distinguished African personalities
and those of the Diaspora, some of whom are included posthumously.
v) Correspondents, focal points and supporting
bodies will be solicited to identify, inform and mobilise intellectuals,
resource-persons and organisations:
a) All AU Offices in Africa and abroad:
New York, Geneva, Washington, Brussels, Cairo, Lagos, Windhoek,
Niamey, Nairobi, Yaounde, Banjul, etc.
b) The African Ambassadors Group
in:
· Africa
· North America and within the UNO
· South America and The Caribbean
· Europe, UNESCO, EU
· Asia (India, China, Japan, etc.
· The Arab Countries.
c) All concerned volunteers, available
groups and personalities in various parts of Africa and
the World.
4. Financing
The African Union Commission and Senegal will be financing the preparatory
and follow-up activities of the Conference with the support of all
volunteer-partners (governments, organisations and private persons).
Libya and Algeria have already made some contributions respectively.
5. Main themes (proposals)
The themes proposed on the agenda of the Scientific Committee Meeting
are as follows (proposals)
· The significance of Pan Africanism today;
· A Road Map for African integration;
· Africa’s place in the 21st Century World;
· Relations between Africa and its Diaspora; and
· African Renaissance in the 21st Century.
PLEASE CONTACT THE FOLLOWING FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
1) AU Web Site: www.africa-union.org
(and the Conference Site, soon)
2) Mr. Marcel Diouf
Tel.: (251-1) 51 77 00 ext. 301/517498
Fax: (251-1) 51 30 36/51 74 98
African Union Commission
PO. BOX: 3243, Addis Ababa (Ethiopia)
E-mail: think@africa-union.org
3) Mr. Gadio Amadou Tidyane
Chef du Service des conférences
Ministère des Affaires étrangères
Dakar (Sénégal)
Tel: 221 633 63 42
Fax: 221 823 30 30 / 823 84 88
E-mail: ati_gadio@yahoo.fr
4) Mrs. Aminata Lo Paye
Conseiller Technique
Ministère de la Culture
BP 4001
Dakar – Sénégal
Tel. (221) 823 25 83
Cell (221) 553 99 61
Fax (221) 822 16 38
E-mail : locira@hotmail.com
5) Conference Premises
Hôtel Meridien-Président
Pointe des Almadies
BP 8181
Tél. : (221) 869 69 69
Fax : (221) 969 69 24
Web site: www.lemeridien-dakar.com
