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Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1999 09:38:37 -0500
From: [log in to unmask]
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To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: APIC: Note to Readers
APIC: Note to Readers
Date distributed (ymd): 990711
APIC Document
July 1999
Dear APIC Members and Friends,
As we write this letter, Tarzan -- still the image that most
defines Africa for millions outside the continent --- takes on
his latest Disney incarnation. In the new version, writes
Rita Kempley in the Washington Post (June 16), "there's no
racism ... There are, in fact, no Africans. While earlier
movie versions of the tale have included unflattering
portraits of native folk, here [it] has been politically
corrected to such an extent that no indigenous peoples appear
on screen."
Africa's invisibility, as APIC board member Salih Booker often
reminds audiences, recalls the Invisible Man of Ellison's
classic novel. It has real consequences. On May 21, for
example, the Los Angeles Times noted that per capita spending
on refugees in the Balkans averages more than 11 times that on
refugees in Africa. The war resumed in Angola in December last
year attracts only a tiny fraction of the attention given to
Kosovo, though the casualties in this and other African
conflicts are many times more numerous.
Even more invisible than Africa's conflicts is the diversity
of African contexts and initiatives, from the rapid spread of
internet connectivity to local, national and regional
initiatives for peace, human rights, democratization and
development. African non-governmental organizations and
governments have played key roles in energizing global
campaigns on issues vital for Africa, such as landmines and
debt. Yet even on these global issues, African realities often
remain invisible or distorted by distance.
As you know, making Africa's invisible realities visible, by
providing accessible information to those willing to use it in
advocacy and education, is at the heart of APIC's work. We
continue to reach out to new people: we add over 50 new
addresses a month to our Africa Policy Electronic Distribution
List, now at more than 2600 addresses. Last month the Africa
Policy web site was receiving more than 300 visits a day, up
from less than 200 visits a day at this time last year. In May
more than 20 people a day, including large numbers of
teachers, were filling out the survey on our web site to
request a free poster of Africa's Regions. In June it jumped
to over 50 a day. One recent respondent, perhaps the farthest
north we are going to get, was an elementary school teacher in
North Pole, Alaska. Meeting this rising demand imposes strains
on both staff time and budget. But we need to make
investments like this in order to make Africa more visible
beyond those already informed.
In addition to our electronic outreach, APIC's print
publications, such as the recent Africa's Debt background
paper, are being widely used by advocacy groups. And we have
been able this year to organize more events outside of
Washington, including recent workshops in Seattle, Washington
and Flagstaff, Arizona. Our strategy for the period 1999-2000
calls for further increasing direct interaction with
constituencies around the U.S. and with partners in Africa and
elsewhere, which are the essential complement to our
electronic publication work.
As you know, APIC has in recent years established itself as
a leading resource for Africa-focused policy and advocacy
networks both in the U.S. and internationally. Yet those of
you who know us only through e-mail and the web may not
realize that this all depends on a small overstretched staff,
aided by interns and other volunteers. It also requires a
constant effort to raise enough funds to keep up with rising
demands.
Our current staffing picture includes some very positive
developments. As of June 1, we have our first "Electronic
Communications and Network Manager," Dawit Isayas. Dawit comes
to us with more than three years of experience at the Economic
Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa. The three of us signing
this letter -- the APIC management team -- include APIC Board
vice-president Adwoa Dunn-Mouton, who you may remember was
Staff Director for the Senate Subcommittee on Africa under
Senator Paul Simon. Adwoa is taking a leave of absence from
her board responsibilities to spend part-time in a staff role
as development director and member of our management team.
We have also secured the commitment, beginning September, of
Dr. Maliq Simone as the principal coordinator of our new
Electronic Roundtable, to be launched in November. Maliq,
currently at the University of the Witwatersrand,
brings to the task extensive experience and contacts with both
scholars and activists around the African continent, with
African-based networks such as Codesria and the African NGO
Habitat Caucus. In addition, we will shortly be welcoming
former executive director Imani Countess back on board as
project director of a follow-up to the 1997 Constituency
Builders' Project, which will allow her to meet with
constituency groups in several cities around the country over
the next 18 months.
The bottom-line, however, is that we need your continued and
increased support to sustain these advances. Unlike commercial
"internet start-ups," we cannot depend on venture capitalists
to sustain our growth. We are hopeful of additional funding
from foundations, but it is clear that this will not be
enough. Over the past twelve months,contributions from APIC
members to us have risen by 20%. In order to sustain our
programs and to demonstrate to foundation funders that we are
continuing to diversity our support, we need to do even better
than that.
If you are already a member, please know that we are grateful
for your support and depend on it. We would be even more
grateful if you are able to renew your membership early or
make an additional contribution at this time.
If you are not a member, we hope you will join us soon.
Sincerely,
Adwoa Dunn-Mouton, Development Director
Vicki Lynn Ferguson, Director for Education and Outreach
William Minter, Senior Research Fellow
*************************************************************
Note: According to our records, you are on this free list to
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Distribution List, but are not yet among those readers who
have decided to support us by becoming an APIC member. (If you
are already a paying member, we probably do not have your e-
mail address matched up correctly with your membership. Let
us know so that we may correct our records.) If this
information is of value to you, and you support our goals for
building informed international constituencies for Africa policy,
please consider sending in your membership to support our
services.
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How to Become an APIC Member or Renew Your Membership:
(1) By credit card (Visa or Mastercard)
You may submit your membership on our secure web site (go to
www.africapolicy.org/join.htm). Or you may send in the form
below by e-mail to [log in to unmask],
by fax to 1-202-546-1545, or by post to
APIC, 110 Maryland Ave. NE, Suite 509,
Washington, DC 20002, USA.
(2) By check or money order (in US$)
Print out the membership form below or from the web
(www.africapolicy.org/join.htm). Fill it in and send it by
post, along with your check or money order, to APIC, 110
Maryland Ave. NE, Suite 509, Washington, DC 20002, USA.
Note: To return this form by e-mail, either "reply" with
message included or "copy and paste" to a new e-mail
message. Fill in the brackets with X or the appropriate
information. Then send to [log in to unmask]
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************************************************************
This material is produced and distributed by the
Africa Policy Information Center (APIC). APIC's primary
objective is to widen the policy debate in the United States
around African issues and the U.S. role in Africa, by
providing accessible policy-relevant information and analysis
usable by a wide range of groups and individuals.
Auto-response addresses for more information (send any e-mail
message): [log in to unmask] (about the Africa
Policy Electronic Distribution List); [log in to unmask]
(about APIC). Documents previously distributed, as well as a
wide range of additional information, are also available on
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To be added to or dropped from the distribution list write to
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Phone: 202-546-7961. Fax: 202-546-1545.
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