With the grassroots call “Coming alive in 2005,” black folk from the tri-state area are being asked to dig deep and assist African victims of last month’s tsunami. Thousands of Africans lost their homes and lives. Yet, much of the mainstream failed to even mention that East Africa took a severe hit.
“The African American United Fund urges citizens, particularly the Black churches and elected and appointed officials, to support the African [tsunami] victims,” said Aissia Richardson, African American Unity Fund (AAUF) volunteer coordinator.
“We want to help all of the victims of the disaster,” she explained. “However, as people of African ancestry, we must make a special effort to help our brothers and sisters in need on the Mother continent. Our motto is give a helping hand to your own and that includes the people of Africa.”
New York activist Larry A. Barton informed the Daily Challenge that in the spirit of “Black institutions fighting for self-determination, a request for support [for African tsunami victims] has been issued from Sister Linda Richardson and the African American United Fund of Pennsylvania (formerly Black United Fund of Pennsylvania).”
AAUF is encouraging people to send donations for the African tsunami victims to Africare, the Washington-based agency.
“The African American United Fund is urging people to remember the East African victims of the tsunami when sending donations to relief agencies,” said AAUF president Linda Richardson. “While the mainstream media has focused on the South Asian victims of the tsunami, there has been very little coverage of the suffering taking place in East Africa as the result of the earthquake and tidal wave that occurred in December.”
On December 26th, a devastating tsunami swept through at least 12 nations in South Asia and Africa, killing hundreds of thousands of people.
As bodies are still being discovered, official figures this week put the tsunami death toll at over 226,000 people.
The international response was immediate as aid poured into South Asia.
“There are many international agencies that are working in Africa,” said Aissia Richardson. “We encourage people to contribute to Africare and other relief agencies.”
President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela is now the honorary chairman of Africare. Created in 1970 in partnership by Africans and Americans, Africare claims to have delivered more than $450 million in assistance, through 2,000 projects, to 35 countries Africa-wide.
Africare states that its agenda includes programs for food, agriculture, health and HIV/AIDS, education, and emergency humanitarian aid.
Richardson said thousands in East Africa were affected when the tidal wave cut a lethal path through South Asia. “Somalia was hardest hit, where hundreds were killed and thousands remain homeless. According to Africare and the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), 85 percent of Somalia’s infrastructure was destroyed, 2,600 fishing boats were destroyed, and an estimated 4,000 people in northeast Somalia have been displaced. Off the coast of Somalia, almost all of the buildings on the island of Hafun were destroyed and over 4,500 have fled inland to seek aid,” she said.
Richardson said that part of Somalia’s being ignored “may be a reaction to what happened there when the United States went in [Black Hawk Down]. The United States has stated that, ‘If you’re not with us, you’re against us.’”
The Seychelles islands of Mahe and Praslin suffered significant destruction; likewise in Madagascar, over 1,000 people are homeless, and in Kenya and Tanzania people were killed and fishermen lost their boats.
Richardson said that aside from people’s need for shelter, clean water and food, millions [of dollars] will be required to rebuild the infrastructures of these nations.
Meanwhile, some conspiracy theorists spoke of American/Israeli and Indian deep-sea nuclear detonations as possible causes of the devastating tidal wave. The Egyptian nationalist weekly Al-Usbu charged that the manmade blasts were part of the testing on “how to liquidate humanity.”
Another aside is that, in dire need or not, Indonesia did not take its eye off the ball when they asked that American and other foreign troops last week be off their soil before the end of March.
U.S. forces just announced that they will depart the region now that the rescue and recovery [phase] is over [and the focus] is reconstruction.
Richardson noted that the clarion call for the Black community to aid without reservation is a request that the community of the Diaspora will and has always responded to.
“I believe that African Americans are the conscience of the United States. We tend not to support war; we tend to support programs for social services, for the elderly, the poor and children – the most disenfranchised. In a lot of ways, because of our being in those situations, we need to remind the powers that they have to focus on the most vulnerable. That’s why we had such a powerful effect in dismantling the apartheid system in South Africa. We had the college students boycotting different companies, and getting their universities to divest in businesses in South Africa. They had a great impact.”
She concluded that once the Black community heeds the call, the natural desire to help kicks in.
“One thing about African Americans is that we might not overtly support things in Africa, but our heightened support against apartheid in South Africa ended that system,” she said. “When we are given the information, we mobilize. But when we don’t have the information – partly through the mainstream media’s not reporting it – we don’t act. But, people do what they can do once we get the information. Today, we need to help the victims of the tsunami in Africa.”
For more information call AAUF (215)236-2100; or call Africare (202) 462 3614 (440 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20001) or log onto www.africare.org.
