Washington DC
11 January 2006
President Swygert, Board of Trustees of Howard University,
The dear student who spoke so movingly to us,
Deans of the University,
Faculty,
Ambassadors and members of the diplomatic corps,
Distinguished guests, and all the friends and family of Howard University who
are here
South Africaâs relationship with Howard University is one with a long and
proud history of collaborative efforts to end the injustice that deprived our
people of their dignity and disaffected their human spirit. The support that
academics, students and the wider university community gave to South Africa is
immeasurable and will be remembered for generations to come both in the United
States and South Africa.
As South Africans, we cannot forget that many of our greatest leaders were
educated in the United States, and were all imbued with the spirit of Pan
Africanism, which binds us together today. Leaders of the African National
Congress (ANC) like Pixley ka Izaka Seme, John Langalibalele Dube and Charlotte
Maxeke, amongst others, had first hand experience of what it meant to be black
in America. Thus WEB Du Bois wrote, "The problem of the 20th century is the
problem of the colour line". In choosing to assist Howard University, we are
directed by Du Bois and his belief that it was the âtalented tenthâ who would
presage a common liberation for all.
When Hurricane Katrina came ashore on the dreadful September day, few could
have imagined the sheer devastation and destruction it would inflict on the
lives of countless thousands in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
We followed with great sadness as the scope of the sobering tragedy
unfolded, and we learnt again that it was always the poorest of the poor- those
who need most, and have least- who are inevitably burdened with the burnt of
the suffering. We could not help but share the pain, which no human being
should ever be asked to endure.
In the courage and devotion of the family at Howard, and in the fortitude
and resilience of the survivors, we are reminded of the legacy of the greats
like Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglas, the Rev Martin Luther King Jr, and
Rosa Parks amongst others. Howard University has done, as it should have done,
and extended its generosity to the people of New Orleans. Like Howard
University, we wanted to embrace our young brothers and sisters by lending a
humble hand. Our hearts have gone out to those who were particularly vulnerable
and marginalised during this trying period on your history; and we wanted to
contribute in the best possible way to help alleviate the suffering.
This gift is a small token of the spirit that joins all of all together, and
it is in this spirit of understanding and through embracing that notion that "I
am my brotherâs keeper", that we decided to make this contribution.
When President Mbeki awarded Plaque of Appreciation to Howard University in
honour of all the Anti-Apartheid movement in the United States, he wrote: "this
plaque is a memorial to the triumph of human spirit over oppressionâ¦and it is
right and fitting that it should be dedicated at Howard University."
Ever since the first South African Student admitted at Howard in the early
1890s, to the dedication of the plaque by President Mbeki, you have weathered
the storm with us. You have helped us rebuild and rejuvenate our spirit.
While tempest, uproar, wind and the gale will continue to rage, nothing will
shake the foundation of the human spirit, and nothing will break the strong
ties that the people of South Africa have with Howard University. You are a
microcosm of the Diaspora, which stretches across the United States and beyond
to the Caribbean and Latin and South America.
We are confident that this esteemed institution, including the contingent
from New Orleans, will always renew and rebuild the spirit of resilience that
characterises the best of human kind.
As you make even greater progress in the future, I am sure that Howard
University will continue to produce excellent and insightful graduates who will
help to lead us into a better future and a New World. As we have heard about
the President of the University who is himself a graduate of this
institution.
I believe that part of our striving is precisely for a system of global
political, economic and social governance that is more inclusive than the
status quo. A system where material resources are not out of reach depending on
place of origin or location or gender on the colour of oneâs skin, but
accessible to all who strive to improve their lives.
We stand at a new time of renewal and rebuilding, and I thought it pertinent
to borrow an extract from the celebrated novelist and poet, an African son, Ben
Okri: "There no such thing as a powerless people. There are only those who have
not seen and have not used their power and will. It would seem a miraculous
feat, but it is possible for the unvalued ones to help create a beautiful new
era in human history. New vision should come from those who suffer most and who
love life the mostâ¦. Nature and history are not just about the survival of the
fittest, but also about the survival of the wisest, the most adaptive, and the
most aware."
We have been blessed with the brightest, the most adaptive, and the most
aware. This is why we are here today as survivors of the apartheid, colonialism
and slavery. We are powerful because although we were raised on the legacy of
oppression and struggle, we still forgive but never forget where we come from.
As President Thabo Mbeki said: "We cannot win a grandiose war on poverty. But
after the tragedy comes opportunity. This is the post-Katrina moment. Letâs not
squander it."
Thank you.
Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
11 January 2006
