The following item from Black Britain may be of interest. Note mention of children and language. (Seen on a Google alert dated May 16)... DZO
African culture, tradition and values being eroded http://www.blackbritain.co.uk/news/details.aspx?i=2138&c=uk&h=More+than+2000+expected+to+mark+Afrikan+Memorial+Day+today Papa Kojo was born in Ghana and went to study in the US before travelling to the UK, where he has been living for the past 35 years. CAAP was established around three years ago. He told Black Britain: "What really concerns me is the lack of 'African-ness.' I see Africa today becoming an extension of Europe, because the attitude of the ruling class, the intellectual class and the privileged elite in Africa is to behave like Europeans. To be civilised to most of our people today means to behave like Europeans." Papa Kojo said he is saddened during frequent trips to Ghana and other parts of Africa to see that there are so many children growing up in Africa with European culture: "It's really sad because you can never build anything around you if you neglect yourself - your culture, your history and your language. There are children being brought up in Africa today who cannot speak a word of African language." Papa Kojo told Black Britain that the purpose of CAAP is to re-educate youths being brought up in a "blind culture." He said that CAAP's main objective is to bring about a resurgence of Afrikan culture, tradition and values through lectures, seminars, conferences and workshops. CAAP is currently in the process of setting up a national secretariat and are presently seeking premises to house their head office. In terms of members, Papa Kojo is adamant: "When we say Afrikan we are talking about the Afrikan race wherever they are in the world be it on the continent or in the UK." Today Papa Kojo will deliver a speech that is highly critical of African leaders on the continent, whom he describes as: "not powerless, but they choose to please rather than to lead." Papa Kojo told Black Britain that African leaders should be fighting to gain access to fair marketing and fair trade agreements from the West: "Afrikan leaders have to make demands. They shouldn't just sit around the table and wait to see what they are given." Referring to the debt relief agreed at the G8 summit in Gleneagles last year, he said that out of 53 African states only 14 were given what he calls 'interest relief,' adding: "Those 14 nations that got debt relief are the good boys, the ones that toe the line and who got a pat on the shoulder." Papa Kojo told Black Britain that he is unashamedly an "Afrikanist," adding: "I am very Pan-African, that is how most members of the organisation see me." Papa Kojo regards former Ghanaian President Kwame Nkrumah as his idol, saying that present day African leaders should take a leaf out of his book: "Kwame Nkrumah never begged for anything and he always got what he wanted - leadership is the problem in Africa at the moment." ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Something is new at Yahoo! Groups. Check out the enhanced email design. http://us.click.yahoo.com/SISQkA/gOaOAA/yQLSAA/TpIolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AfricanLanguages/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
