[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 109 (Tuesday, July 22, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1552-E1553]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     THE PRESIDENT'S TRIP TO AFRICA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 22, 2003

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I would like to share an editorial written 
by C. Payne Lucas, president emeritus of Africare, a Washington-based 
nonprofit organization that operates development programs in 26 African 
countries. ``Bush Should Listen Closely in Africa'' was published in 
Newsday earlier this month.
  As President George W. Bush leaves on his first trip to Africa 
Monday, I am reminded of a trip I made to the continent in 1985 with 
his father, then-Vice President George H.W. Bush. Massive drought and 
famine were raging in the Sahel region of West Africa at the time. 
Thousands of people and farm animals were dying, and most men, women 
and children were spending their waking moments desperately searching 
for food and water.
  Africans were calling for help, and then-President Ronald Reagan sent 
Bush on a factfinding mission to West Africa. I was one of a number of 
development specialists who accompanied him. On this visit, the vice 
president did not just rely on briefings from U.S. diplomats and highly 
placed local officials. He went out of his way to engage with--and 
learn from--people from all walks of life. He spoke with the people at 
the local level in an effort to get a firsthand account of the enormous 
odds they faced. Bush listened, and inspired hope. Eventually the U.S. 
government brought substantive emergency and development assistance to 
the Sahel nations.
  Today, Africa still faces many challenges. Some of these are as 
familiar as the famine we saw in the Sahel nearly 20 years ago. Others 
are problems that were barely on anyone's radar screen in 1985, such as 
the AIDS crisis. But, as it was in 1985, so it is today: In helping 
Africa's people cope with the problems they face, the United States and 
the rest of the world need to seek ideas from the people on the ground. 
On his trip to Nigeria, Senegal, Uganda, Botswana and South Africa, 
President George W. Bush will seek to build a better partnership, not 
just with the people of these five countries, but with the continent as 
a whole. He will be aiming to counter the long-standing complaint that 
the United States pays little attention to African countries beyond the 
desire for access to natural resources such as oil.
  As someone who has lived and worked in Africa, and focused nearly 
four decades of work on the continent, my suggestion to the president 
is very simple: Listen closely and learn a lot. Often, we Americans 
tend to think of how different sub-Saharan African countries are from 
ours. But those differences are minor. Africa's people want the same 
things we want: peace and security, a decent education for their 
children, health care--a better future. But, unlike those of us in the 
United States, Africans have far fewer means to achieve these everyday 
goals.
  This is where the United States can make a big difference. People in 
Africa have faith in America because they realize that we have plenty 
of experience in managing diversity, getting people from different 
racial, religious and ethnic backgrounds to work for the common good. 
Although we don't always realize it, Africans need these same skills in 
dealing with the challenges of nation-building. An active engagement by 
the United States can help make this happen in such countries as Sudan, 
Congo, Liberia and Sierra Leone. For decades, we have remained 
committed to helping bring peace in the Mideast.
  We have engaged in ending bloodshed in Bosnia and Northern Ireland. 
Africans deserve no less. And, in this present reality, that means the 
United States should put troops on the ground in Liberia to prevent the 
continuation of bloodshed. But this issue should not overshadow other 
aspects of Bush's trip.

[[Page E1553]]

  In recent years, there have been signs that helping Africans in their 
struggle against poverty is not just a moral issue but enlightened 
self-interest. A case in point is the African Growth and Opportunity 
Act, which has increased access to the U.S. market for African 
businesses that manufacture textiles and other basic products. The 
Commerce Department reports that this measure is already having a 
positive impact in several African countries, creating job 
opportunities. The $15-billion aid package proposed by the Bush 
administration--and enacted by Congress--to help fight AIDS in Africa 
and the Caribbean is a very good demonstration of American leadership. 
We can take similar measures to help Africans find solutions to the 
civil wars that have plagued the continent for years, destroyed 
millions of lives, and drained resources that should be devoted to 
education and health care.
  Of course, the United States does not have a magic solution to all 
the problems that African nations face. But we can--and should--be a 
key part of the solution. In an increasingly interdependent world, such 
action will yield dividends, not just for Africans but for Americans as 
well. President Bush, like his father before, must listen to the 
people, inspire hope and provide relevant help to the Africans at the 
grassroots.

                          ____________________