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Europe and Africa
Europe and Africa
Vaclav Havel | 04 Dec 2007
The Times
The EU-Africa summit must add Zimbabwe and Darfur to its agenda
Sir, In a few days heads of state and government from Africa and Europe will meet in Portugal to discuss issues common to two continents whose histories have intertwined for centuries. This is an historic opportunity to inaugurate a new era founded on shared values and a genuine friendship where we can support and learn from each other.
But that will not be possible while the summit meeting shies away from discussing two of the world's worst humanitarian crises, those in Zimbabwe and Darfur. Despite Europe and Africa's shared responsibility to address such crises, neither one is on the agenda. No time has been set aside for formal or informal discussion.
We expect our leaders to lead, and lead with moral courage. When they fail to do so they leave all of us morally impoverished. Where they funk the difficult issues they make themselves irrelevant. Why should we listen to the mighty when the mighty are deaf to the cries of the afflicted? Millions of Africans and Europeans would expect Zimbabwe and Darfur to be at the very top of the agenda. It is not too late.
Vaclav Havel
Günter Grass
Roddy Doyle
Tom Stoppard
José Gil
Colm Toibin
Jürgen Habermas
Dario Fo
Franca Rame
Professor Wole Soyinka
Mia Couto
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Gillian Slovo
Ben Okri
Nadine Gordimer
John M. Coetzee
Goretti Kyomuhendo