June 16, 2006
On behalf of the Pan African Liberation Organization and the Zimbabwe Cuba Friendship Association, it is an honor to be here commemorating both the 30th anniversary of the Soweto Uprising and the Day of the African Child. I would like to thank Comrade Bright Matonga, the Deputy Minister for Information and Publicity, for inviting me to his District. I hope my brief remarks meet your satisfaction.
The courage displayed by the youth in Soweto thirty years ago today is one of the best examples of organized resistance with ideological direction and focus that sons and daughters of Africa have ever been. Since we know the youth who organized that powerful demonstration were guided by the concept of Black Consciousness, we remember the words of Comrade Steve Biko when he said, "the most potent weapon of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed". Those powerful words still have significant meaning today, especially right here in Zimbabwe when we see that poor excuse for a Christian, Bishop Pius Ncube, praying to his Lord and Savior for the death of President Mugabe, instead of praying for the people of Zimbabwe to overcome the HIV-Pandemic and for the sanctions imposed by Britain and United States on Zimbabwe to be lifted once and for all.
I want everyone here at St Michael's today to know that in the United States, even though your brothers and sisters of African origin living within U.S. borders make up just 12% of the general population, we are 26% of the HIV/Aids carrying population. I want you to know that the Zimbabwe support and solidarity efforts in the United States do not just focus exclusively on their political challenges Zimbabwe faces like the sanctions imposed by Blair and Bush, defending the value of the land reclamation campaign, etc., but we have been working to bring more attention to the efforts of Zimbabwe's biggest social challenge - stopping the rise of HIV-Aids orphans which we have seen rise in the last year from 960,000 to 1.6 million and 3,000 adults dying on a weekly basis.
We have organized activities for both the Zimbabwe Embassy in Washington and the Zimbabwe Mission to the United Nations around the issue of HIV/AIDS. In the last year, the Ambassadors and others in the diplomatic core have addressed the NAACP's National Convention, the National Medical Association's National Convention and the National Newspaper Publisher Association's National Convention. These events stem from a strategy to expose the fascist and inhumane efforts of the Blair and Bush administrations using their political leverage to deny Zimbabwe access to resources to fight the pandemic in the name of their anti-Mugabe, anti ZANU-PF crusade.
The membership of the St Michael's HIV prevention network must understand the propaganda war against your President and Government is not restricted to political issues and you must help your national AIDS Council come down like lightning and thunder on these cowardly NGO's (Non Governmental Organizations) who lie about human rights abuses in Zimbabwe in order to prevent the Government from receiving the same assistance everyone else in the SADC (South African Development Community) region gets.
These NGO's we speak of guilty of these actions are nothing but extended mouthpieces of the International Crisis Group of the European Union and the CIA and Pentagon in the United States. We recommend on this day of the African Child, the people of Zimbabwe must ask Kofi Annan when he arrives what he plans to do about the claim of the former director of UNICEF Carol Bellamy when she called the attempts to prevent Zimbabwe from having access to the resources of the Millennium Fund for HIV/AIDS persecution of the poor.
She went on to say the fight against HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe has nothing to do with the Anti-Mugabe politics of Britain and the United States. I want to inform you of our plan to get the National Medical Association, Black Nurses Association, NAACP, AMSA, National of Islam's Health Division and the National Conference of Black Lawyers to submit a resolution to the UN and the World Health Organization that states a country cannot be denied humanitarian aid because of their political choices and direction. We will also seek the support of the Congressional Black Caucuses Health Liaison because they must see the connection between the sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe and the genocidal tendencies of the government they serve on this HIV/AIDS question as it relates to Zimbabwe. We would like to have this ready on World Aids Day of this year.
In conclusion we want to congratulate President Mugabe and ZANU/PF on being the first country on the planet to institute an AIDS levy where 3% of the salary of workers to go towards a HIV/AIDS fund to help the nation emerge victorious in this never ending fight against the world's most deadly disease.
The members of St Michael's HIV/AIDS prevention network must remember the generous offer of Cuban President Fidel Castro to the United Nations offering to send 4,000 of Cuba's best AIDS doctors, specialists, and researchers here in Africa to help our beloved mother continent gain full control of this deadly crisis before its too late. The response to this compassionate offer by Commandante Fidel was met with the usual lack of resources song and dance of the UN.
We must take the African Union and every African government to task on this issue. On this day of the African Child, we ask the St Michael's HIV/AIDS prevention network to work with the National AIDS Council to submit a resolution to the Pan African Parliament of the African Union to persuade all African Governments to finance the Cuban Brigade of HIV/Aids Doctors Researchers and Specialists so they can come to Africa as soon as possible. This fight against HIV/AIDS deserves just as much priority as the peacekeeping missions they find themselves addressing day and night.
The African Continent is no stranger to the effectiveness of Cuban doctors. Right here in Zimbabwe you have 180 at the moment. Let two nations both sanctioned by Imperialism help Africa overcome one of its most serious challenges to date, the fight against the HIV/AIDS.
Long Live the African Child!
Long Live the Comrades who died in Soweto!
Long Live Cuba Long Live Zimbabwe!
Thank You.
Obi Egbuna
Pan African Liberation Organization
Zimbabwe Cuba Friendship Association
Zimbabwe Support and Solidarity Efforts USA
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