AGRA, farm leaders issue statements on Mandela
December 09, 2013 | 05:03 PM
The board of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, a Gates Foundation-supported group chaired by former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, issued a statement over the weekend mourning the death of former South African President Nelson Mandela as a major loss to the African continent.
“I shall never forget his expansive smile and gentle demeanor, nor his steely determination and wonderful sense of humor. I have lost a dear friend,” Annan said.
“While I mourn the loss of one of Africa’s most distinguished leaders, Madiba’s legacy beckons us to follow his example to strive for human rights, reconciliation and justice for all.”
“Mr. Mandela will be remembered for his belief in the amazing potential of the African continent and his demonstrated dedication to the vision of a prosperous and successful African continent,” said Strive Masiyiwa, AGRA’s vice chairman.
“The extraordinary influence of Nelson Mandela across Africa and at the global level is testimony to the impact that he had on all of us. He was instrumental in making our world a better place.”
Ralph Paige, executive director of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, an Atlanta-based group that works with black farmers and on rural issues, also expressed his sorrow.
“We also claim him as a leader,” Paige said, noting that Derek Hanekom, Mandela’s minister of land affairs Derek, visited the federation in 1995 on his first international visit.
Paige said Hanekom was searching throughout the world for a portfolio that was similar to what South Africans were attempting in terms of land reform for dispossessed Africans and that the work of the federation and its Land Assistance Fund resonated with him.
In the 1990s, he noted, the federation named a housing initiative in Alabama the Griffin-Mandela Apartments. The United Nations awarded the federation for these apartments, stating that they were an excellent model for low-income rural communities.
National Black Farmers Association President John Boyd Jr. noted that Mandela had managed to work with people of all races and said “U. S. leaders could use a chapter from Nelson Mandela’s book.”
“I shall never forget his expansive smile and gentle demeanor, nor his steely determination and wonderful sense of humor. I have lost a dear friend,” Annan said.
“While I mourn the loss of one of Africa’s most distinguished leaders, Madiba’s legacy beckons us to follow his example to strive for human rights, reconciliation and justice for all.”
“Mr. Mandela will be remembered for his belief in the amazing potential of the African continent and his demonstrated dedication to the vision of a prosperous and successful African continent,” said Strive Masiyiwa, AGRA’s vice chairman.
“The extraordinary influence of Nelson Mandela across Africa and at the global level is testimony to the impact that he had on all of us. He was instrumental in making our world a better place.”
Ralph Paige, executive director of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, an Atlanta-based group that works with black farmers and on rural issues, also expressed his sorrow.
“We also claim him as a leader,” Paige said, noting that Derek Hanekom, Mandela’s minister of land affairs Derek, visited the federation in 1995 on his first international visit.
Paige said Hanekom was searching throughout the world for a portfolio that was similar to what South Africans were attempting in terms of land reform for dispossessed Africans and that the work of the federation and its Land Assistance Fund resonated with him.
In the 1990s, he noted, the federation named a housing initiative in Alabama the Griffin-Mandela Apartments. The United Nations awarded the federation for these apartments, stating that they were an excellent model for low-income rural communities.
National Black Farmers Association President John Boyd Jr. noted that Mandela had managed to work with people of all races and said “U. S. leaders could use a chapter from Nelson Mandela’s book.”
