Report from Africa Action's First Annual Baraza

October 3 & 4, 2003

DAY ONE

There were more than 60 participants on the first day of the Baraza, including 36 representatives of national organizations, 8 local activist partners from cities across the U.S., 8 African partners from organizations and networks across the continent, 4 Africa Action board members, and 6 staff.

Welcome & Overview of the Day

Salih opened the first day by welcoming all participants and offering comments on the origins and objectives of the Baraza. He noted that all invitees had been personally chosen to bring their unique perspectives and experience to this forum. While the day’s discussions would cover many aspects of U.S. Africa policy, the strategic focus would be on the HIV/AIDS crisis and how best to effect policy change around this key issue. On behalf of all staff, Salih expressed the hope that the Baraza might offer an opportunity to identify priorities and potential for coordinated action in the year ahead.

Morning Plenary: Ending Global Apartheid

Muthoni Wanyeki, from FEMNET, and Ann-Louise Colgan, from Africa Action, each gave presentations in the morning plenary. Copies of both presentations are available from Africa Action.

Muthoni addressed “The State of Africa”, outlining priority issues and challenges facing Africa’s people. Her presentation identified the following five priority areas: globalization and poverty; armed conflict; HIV/AIDS; political participation, and human rights. She focused on the struggle to gain appropriate forms of finance for development in the context of these themes. She also spoke about Africa’s debt crisis, and about the need to deconstruct myths about “aid” as part of the struggle to challenge global power relations.

Ann-Louise spoke about “The State of U.S. Africa policy”. Her presentation described how Africa policy under the Bush Administration is characterized by a unilateralism at odds with African interests in international cooperation, and how the White House focuses on Africa’s energy resources and strategic military relations. She talked about the broken promises of the Bush White House in the area of AIDS policy and foreign assistance, and also examined current policies on Africa’s debt crisis, and in the areas of trade, peace and security, and democracy and human rights.

The discussion that followed, which was facilitated by Andre Banks from Africa Action, picked up on the key themes of these presentations. There was discussion about the need to link advocacy and action around the AIDS struggle in Africa with the AIDS struggle here in the U.S. Several people commented on the importance of ensuring good nutrition, as well as access to ARV drugs as part of treatment, for people living with HIV/AIDS. The discussion highlighted the importance of a comprehensive response to the AIDS crisis, which integrates and addresses poverty, food insecurity and gender inequality. Participants from Africa warned of the ideological agenda of U.S. right wing evangelical activists around AIDS programs, and emphasized the need for the resources to be put in the hands of Africans working on the ground.

Morning Break-Out Session: Treatment Access

Discussion leaders in this breakout session were Pholokgolo Ramothwala from Treatment Action Campaign in South Africa and Asia Russell from Health GAP in the U.S. The facilitator was Sherry Ayres from Africa Action. The rapporteur was Neil Watkins from the World Bank Bonds Boycott Campaign.
Key Initiatives/Priorities:

• Targeting the pharmaceutical companies to force them to reduce the prices of drugs
• Changing trade policies to allow developing countries to produce/import generics
• Fully fund the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis & Malaria
• Make President Bush keep his promises
• Preserve U.S. programs such as ADAP and Ryan White programs

Key Messages:

• Treat the People, Donate the Dollars, Drop the Debt
• Keep your Promise (Bush)
• Not just money – African self-determination
• Link the AIDS fight in the U.S. and in Africa
  

Opportunities for Action:

• World AIDS Day (December 1)
• Presidential Campaign (2004)
• FTAA Ministerial (November 20)
• Global solidarity with treatment access struggle in African countries (e.g. PATAM and TAC)

Morning Break-out Session: World Bank/IMF & Debt Cancellation

Discussion leaders in this breakout session were Demba Dembele from the Forum for African Alternatives in Senegal and Njoki Njoroge Njehu from 50 Years is Enough. The facilitator was Ann-Louise Colgan from Africa Action. The rapporteur was Marie Clarke from Jubilee USA Network.

Key Initiatives/Priorities:

• Need more and better education on the debt issue in the U.S. and in Africa Need better media representation
• Change the debate on debt here in the U.S., focus on illegitimacy
• Initiatives include Jubilee congregations, World Bank Bonds Boycott Campaign, and South Africa lawsuit challenging apartheid debt

Key Messages:

• World Bank and IMF “solutions” have worsened Africa’s debt crisis; the only real solution is debt cancellation
• Without debt cancellation, African countries won’t win the fight against HIV/AIDS
• Much of Africa’s debt is odious and illegitimate
• Africans must be allowed to define their own priorities
  Opportunities for Action:
• 60th Anniversary of the World Bank and IMF (Spring 2004)
• G-8 meeting in U.S. (2004)
• Financing for Development continues
• Election year (2004)

Morning Break-out Session: Stigma & Discrimination

Discussion leaders in this breakout session were Michael Angaga from NAP+ and Stephanie Stines from NAPWA (U.S.). The facilitator was Monique Luse from Africa Action. The rapporteur was Amanda Alexander from Harvard SGAC/Africa Action.

Key Initiatives/Priorities:

• Focus on empowerment of youth, women and other groups most affected by HIV/AIDS
• “Ambassador of Hope” program
• Lobby Days
• HIV testing days

Key Messages:

• Entrenched stigma as the “Third Epidemic” – silence leads to new infections
• Need to include people living with HIV/AIDS in policy discussions
• Create stigma-free environments
• Build solidarity between struggles in global North and global South.
• “GIPA Principle” – Greater Involvement of People with AIDS. This is one way of fighting stigma.

Opportunities for Action:

• World AIDS Day 2003 continues last year’s focus on stigma and discrimination, under the theme “Live and let Live”
• Work together to fight divisions (“us” Vs “them”, etc)
• Be open about HIV status
• Be aware of ‘turf’ challenges, and focus on collaboration, not competition

Afternoon Plenary: Uniting to Fight

The afternoon plenary was facilitated by Bill Fletcher, Jr., from TransAfrica Forum. It began with report-backs of key messages and initiatives discussed in the morning’s breakout sessions. The discussion focused on a few key points: how to make the connections between debt, treatment access and stigma/discrimination; how to promote collaboration between organizations which have shared priorities but which are competitors; how to be clear on our relationship to other forces, and the need to distinguish between access and power; and how to identify our targets and promote strategies that build power.

There were comments on the need to synchronize our messaging on all of these issues, and on the importance of talking openly about sex and sexuality. Several people noted the powerful role of faith leaders, and the need to work with these leaders to ensure they take a strong stand on the fight against HIV/AIDS and promote action from their congregations. Several commented on the need to project African voices and leadership in the struggle and the important role Pan-African organizations can play as legitimate voices of African civil society.

Africa Action’s MOST WANTED

Africa Action’s Field Operations staff presented Africa Action’s new initiative to demand U.S. leadership in the war on AIDS. The MOST WANTED targets President Bush and those around him as the biggest barriers to HIV/AIDS funding and expanded treatment. Building towards a World AIDS Week of Action, Africa Action is mobilizing people around the U.S. to pressurize Bush to keep his promises on HIV/AIDS funding. The effort to give specific faces to the problems of U.S. policy is aimed at building such pressure.

Africa Action’s MOST WANTED are:

President George W. Bush
Wanted for Mass Deception
President Bush promised, in his 2003 State of the Union Address, $15 billion to fight AIDS in Africa, but has stood in the way of Congress giving the money.

Colin Powell
Wanted for Complacency
Secretary of State Powell has said the AIDS pandemic is " a greater security threat than terrorism". But he has not pressed the White House to make AIDS in Africa a U.S. priority.

Condoleezza Rice
Wanted for Deadly Apathy
National Security Advisor Rice promotes a war that costs over $4 billion a month, but does nothing about the $3 billion to fight AIDS in Africa.

Tommy Thompson
Wanted for Negligence
Sec. Thompson is responsible for ensuring funding for Domestic AIDS programs and the Global Fund to fight AIDS. He has failed at both.

Hank McKinnell
Wanted for Drug Racketeering
McKinnell, as Pfizer CEO, PHARMA Chief, and Bush's advisor on AIDS, helps to ensure that only 1% of Africans with HIV/A IDS have access to HIV/AIDS drugs.

Senator Bill Frist
Wanted for Malpractice
Senator Frist, "Dr. Do- Little", claims to care about Africa's AIDS crisis, but as Senate Majority leader he helps Bush block AIDS funding in Congress.

Africa Action has launched a MOST WANTED postcard campaign, which aims to have 7,000 signed postcards (the same number of people who die of HIV/AIDS in Africa daily) by World AIDS Day (December 1), demanding that President Bush keep his promise to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa. MOST WANTED postcards, and full-size posters, are available from Africa Action.

This new initiative was enthusiastically received by the audience. There were suggestions for how Africa Action might increase the visibility of the MOST WA NTED:

• Create an online petition or electronic version of the postcard of the MOST WANTED
• Share the image of the poster for other people to use on their websites, to link to the Africa Action website
• Put the image of the poster on Africa Action’s website with a counter underneath of 7,000 deaths each day
• Bird-dog the six MOST WANTED
• Shape a common message for World AIDS Day – Keep your Promise!

DAY TWO

There were more than 25 participants on the second day of the Baraza, including 8 African partners, 9 local activist partners from 5 cities, several representatives from allied national organizations, and 6 Africa Action staff.

Morning Plenary

Andre Banks gave an overview of Africa Action’s Africa’s Right to Health campaign, outlining how this became the organization’s priority. This campaign emphasizes the fact that health is a basic human right. It seeks to address the injustices that gave rise to Africa’s HIV/AIDS crisis, and to remove the international obstacles that now deny Africans the resources they need to respond to this health emergency. Andre’s presentation highlighted the connections between the five goals of the campaign:

• Unconditional cancellation of Africa’s illegitimate foreign debts
• Equal access to drugs and treatment for all
• An end to World Bank/IMF colonialism
• An end to discrimination on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation and HIV status
• Promotion of a public discourse on reparations

Sherry Ayres and Monique Luse gave a presentation on the new MOST WANTED initiative, beginning with a recap on what had been discussed the day before. Their remarks focused on why World AIDS Day is the current focus of Africa Action’s mobilization efforts, and what plans are being made for that day (e.g. Student Day of Silence, etc). They talked about the need to inject political content into non-political observances on World AIDS Day, to keep the pressure on our leaders who are failing to do what is necessary to fight this pandemic.

The discussion that followed, facilitated by Ann-Louise Colgan, raised the following points to consider as we move forward:

• Need to coordinate media strategies and action, and to build local media relations
• Seek to partner with multiple types of organizations at the local/national level
• Work on developing local fundraising strategies
• At the local level, connect Africa Action activities to existing annual World AIDS Day events (e.g. in Houston – media briefing, meetings, canvassing neighborhoods, etc)
• Coordinate messages and actions at the local and national level – keep the pressure on Bush
• Need to raise African voices in the U.S. on World AIDS Day; coordinate our messages internationally
• Be aware that World AIDS Day falls in the middle of activities around a campaign opposing violence against women in Africa (FEMNET)
• Seek to work with local elected officials staff and staff at local health ministries
• Communicate with donors, where necessary/appropriate, to notify them of upcoming actions (particularly actions that may be controversial).
  Suggestions:
• Create rap-sheets for the MOST WANTED
• Send postcards to the homes of the MOST WANTED
• Create MOST WANTED e-cards and send to targets in coordinated action
• Create MOST WANTED door hangers
• Identify local MOST WANTED targets
• Consider creating non-U.S. MOST WANTED list – needs research, could link with Africa Action website

Morning Break-out Session: Working with Students

The resource people in this session were Oludare Ogunlana from the All-Africa Students Union, and Amanda Alexander from Harvard SGAC/Africa Action. The faciliator was Andre Banks from Africa Action. Young people and students are most affected by HIV/AIDS globally, but they are very marginalized in defining the response to the crisis. The session focused on how best to move students toward political action.

Lessons Learned/Best Practices:

• Need a core group on campus
• Involve international students
• Need more creative messages (films, posters, flyers, etc)
  Mobilizing Students for World AIDS Day 2003:
• Build relations with other groups focused on HIV/AIDS
• Build a core group on campus and get commitments from people to get active
• Provide staggering statistics to move students to action
• Show similarities between local issues and those in Africa
• Student Day of Silence – end with action.

Morning Breakout Session: Working with Community Organizations

The resource people in this session were Limota Goroso-Giwa from BAOBAB for Women’s Human Rights and Gerald Lenoir from Priority Africa Network (PAN) in the Bay Area. The facilitator was Sherry Ayres from Africa Action. The session focused on how best to engage and work with community organizations on Africa Action’s campaign and shared priorities.

Lessons Learned/Best Practices:

Identify the needs of the community; engage the community where it is, and facilitate its participation

• Examine the community landscape and identify priorities and leaders
• Don’t write people off, even if you are initially rejected
• Talk to religious leaders and community leaders
• Be clear about your wants and about your own resources; be honest about strengths and weaknesses

Morning Breakout Session: Working with Faith Communities

The resource person in this session was Bishop Mvume Dandala from the All-Africa Conference of Churches. The facilitator was Monique Luse from Africa Action. The session focused on how best to engage and work with faith leaders and faith communities on Africa Action’s campaign and on the AIDS crisis more broadly.

Lessons Learned/Best Practices:

• Include all churches, not just Black churches, and include all faiths – seek to engage mosques, temples, etc.
• Target divinity students, youth groups, and faith-based student organizations.
• Identify progressive faith leaders; find interfaith councils and women’s auxiliaries; contact people already doing HIV/AIDS work (AIDS ministries, etc)
• Understand and navigate the hierarchy
• Work with theologians to develop best messages
• Use posters (“The Church is HIV+”) and other materials to inform sermons, religious texts, etc.

Mobilizing Faith Communities for World AIDS Day 2003:

• Day of Prayer – contact prayer coordinator, use this opportunity to mobilize congregations to action
• Bring church leaders into community events
• Devote sermons to “Human Rights Sunday”; invite people living with HIV/AIDS to speak
  

Morning Breakout Session: Working with People living with HIV/AIDS.

The resource people in this session were Zondi Baloyi from NAPWA (South Africa), and Adrienne Brown from Conscious Movements Collective, NYC. The facilitator was Salih Booker from Africa Action. The session focused on how best to work with people living with HIV/AIDS on Africa Action’s campaign and on the AIDS crisis more broadly.

Lessons Learned/Best Practices:

• Be sensitive in use of language (never say “sufferers” or “victims”), and be aware of capability, energy levels, and schedules of people living with HIV/AIDS.
• Always advocate full participation of people living with HIV/AIDS – “nothing for us without us”
• Make this a common struggle; close the gap between “us” and “them” (“We are all living with HIV/AIDS”)
• Turn peoples’ judgments around; challenge stereotypes and push the boundaries around discussing sex and sexuality.
  Mobilizing People living with HIV/AIDS for World AIDS Day 2003:
• Respect what’s already being planned, and seek to tap into that
• Reject tokenism; promote partnerships.
• Raise the voices of people living with HIV/AIDS; focus on their leadership
• Press conferences in the U.S. and in Africa where people living with HIV/AIDS talk about their practical experiencesAfternoon Plenary: Bringing it all Together

The first part of the afternoon plenary, facilitated by Andre Banks, involved report-backs on the key points from each of the morning’s break-out sessions. After this, Sherry Ayres facilitated a discussion that attempted to streamline these findings and develop the beginnings of a coordinated effort towards World AIDS Day on December 1st.

A brainstorming session on events already being planned in key cities revealed a variety of different kinds of actions:

• In New York City, Housing Works is holding a “Reading of Names” ceremony, where all those who have passed away in the past year will be remembered.
• In Houston, there will be a Testing Day, as well as local canvassing.
• In all cities, there will be press briefings, speaking events and other media activities, such as accountability sessions, etc.
• In the Bay Area, there will be a screening of the film “Pills, Profit, Protest”. There will be a demonstration and dropping of 300 shoes at the Federal Building
• Students around the country will take part in the Student Day of Silence; there will also be other student activities on campuses
  In terms of developing a coordinated plan, the following was agreed to, in moving toward World AIDS Day:
• Africa Action MOST WANTED postcards will be collected in our key cities, and will be delivered on World AIDS Day
• The Student Day of Silence will end with an action
• We need to work with key media, including campus editors, Black editors, grassroots radio networks, and community press and radio.
• We need to coordinate our media work, at the local and national level.
• We need to be consistent in our messaging. For World AIDS Day, our common theme will be “Keep your Promise to fight AIDS in Africa” – this should be highlighted in all of our media releases, etc.
• We need to do make sure we are doing a good job of communicating with each other (via email, listserves, and other systems).
  After World AIDS Day, some key opportunities for collaboration may include:
• Throughout 2004 – The Presidential Campaign. We need to target candidates and challenge their commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS.
• January 2004 – State of the Union address. Anniversary of President Bush’s promise to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa. Also Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
• February 2004 – Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. Black History Month.
• March 2004 – International Women’s Day. International Day against Racism.
• April 2004 – April Fool’s Day. World Bank/IMF meetings (60th Anniversary)
• May 2004 – May Day. Mother’s Day.
• June 2004 – Day of the African Child. G-8 Summit in Georgia, U.S.A.

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