How to Create an Entrepreneurial Landing Zone in your Neighborhood.
WARNING: Be absolutely sure this is what you want before you begin. Once the process is underway -- it is very difficult to stop its expansion.
If you are sure this is what you want -- you will need:
1. A laptop
2. A video camera
3. A cellphone
Search out the free wi-fi where you live (usually at the public library, community colleges, welcome centers, local town halls, coffeehouses, or your local Chamber of Commerce). You will need a Gmail account (for blogging) a Skpe account (for networking and free calls), a Twitter account (for networking and updates), and a YouTube account (for video documentation).
Locate a public/semi-public meeting place where you can meet at no expense. Free space can be found at your local town hall, a community meeting room at your local chamber or your local Public Library.
You will eventually want to ask if you can leave some of the materials you create on display in-between meetings. You will want people to see what you are doing and to start talking about what they see.
This method for creating an entrepreneurial landing zone only works if people are able to see your progress.
Materials needed to begin:
1. Sturdy recycled cardboard
2. A map of your community (free at your local Chamber of Commerce).
3. Recycled newspapers and magazines
4. A utility knife
5. Scissors
6. Glue
Step One: Building the Magnet
Construct a three-fold cardboard display made out of recycled materials. Construct the display in a way that it can easily be folded and tucked away for storage.
This display will be your primary means of communication while you are not around.
Using, cut paper, newspapers and collage, glue a title on your display that reads "Building a Better Tomorrow."
At your first meeting follow these simple steps:
A)
1. Use the map you get from the Chamber of Commence to lay out the boundaries of your community - as you see them. There is no right or wrong answer here, only consensus within your group as to what the edges of your community really are. The defined edges may be cultural, ethnic, geographic, or economic but however you defined them, they belong to the community. It helps to think about the community as if you where driving around -- moving from one community to the next. With a little practice, these edges will be increasingly easier to recognize.
2. Using the recycled newspaper and cardboard, cut out and begin to glue together a collage around the edges of your community on the map.
3. Photo document the process. Upload the photos to your Gmail blog and then Twitter a link to your blog with the hash-marks "entrepreneur," "innovation," "development," and of course, the name of your town. Be authentic and honest in what you describe:
You are a local grassroots group working to build a better tomorrow by creating an entrepreneurial landing zone in your neighborhood. Simple as that.
B)
1. Once you have defined your community, dig a little deeper and begin to mark-off the individual neighborhoods within your community using the same method. By this time, your map is beginning to look quite a bit different from when you first started.
2. Photo document the process, upload as before and Twitter, Twitter, Twitter.
3. Cut out the neighborhoods and separate them like puzzle pieces. Begin to arrange them on the three-panel display. Label each with a name. Use names that most people will recognize (like streets or area names) but be creative.
4. Glue the neighborhoods and the names to the display -- and start to call it a day.
C)
1. This is just the beginning of your base-line assessment. This exercise is a process and the only way to record success and your progress is through documentation. You will be using the documentation to communicate your findings - which in the end, is what will be attracting the entrepreneurs. Think of this process as the clearing of the ground for a runway. The entrepreneurs are circling because they have discovered you via social media, and now they need a place to land.
Your work at this point is to prepare the landing field for the entrepreneurs.
2. After you clean-up from your first full day of work -- take a photo of your team standing around the display. Be sure to invite the person responsible for letting you use the space to join you in the photo.
3. Make sure to get everyone's names written down and spelled correctly. (make sure when you have the photo taken that it is horizontal and not vertical - this will come in handy later).
Step two: Walk the Walk
Materials needed:
1. Notebooks
2. Paper
3. Pens
4. Trash bags
A)
1.Once the neighborhoods are defined, it is time to walk the walk and put some feet on the ground to conduct a visual survey. Select a Saturday morning and get some trash bags and do a neighborhood clean-up while recording your observations of the community in a notebook.
2. Don't be shy about what you are doing. If anyone asks (and they will if you are doing it right) simple say, "we are doing a neighborhood clean-up and survey to help make our neighborhood a better place.
3. Ask them if they would you like to help? If they say, "no" thank them and tell them you hope they have a nice day. If they say, "yes" ask them if they would answer three quick questions:
3a. "When you look around your neighborhood, what do you see that is missing?"
3b. "What is the one thing that you love to do that gets you up in the morning?"
3c. "What is the one thing that your love to do every day?"
4. After you record their answers make a note of where they live and thank them by tell then you hope they have a nice day.
5. Photo Document the process and remove the bags of litter (but not before getting a group photo).
Step Three: Making Pictures of the Neighborhoods
A)
Making-a-picture is entirely different from taking a picture. It is much richer, more complex and covers issues that never show up in a photograph.
Return to the meeting place to work on the project
1. Using the information gathered during the neighborhood survey, determine by consensus which neighborhoods already have a leg up and which offer the most potential for improvement over time if resources where available.
2. Pull together all the materials you have collected so far and illustrate the neighborhoods visually - use collage, drawing, paper cutout and markers to exhibit your findings.
3. Document the process while selecting the one neighborhood above all others is the absolute worst candidate for development and --
believe it or not -- you have found your Entrepreneur Landing Zone.
Entrepreneurs are looking for opportunity. Authentic opportunity sometimes comes in rough packages. But look at the track record of downtown Baltimore, downtown Atlanta, Greenville, Memphis, L.A -- all these neighborhoods at one time were given up as hopeless -- and today, are thriving areas filled with entrepreneurial charism -- because entrepreneurs are drawn to opportunity and that magnet is irresistible. Period.
C)
1. Update your progress to local and regional press with links to your social media
2. Send regular updates to your elected officials (Local, State and Federal)
D)
1. Create a physical table-top models of your neighborhood using cardboard cut-outs and collage
2. Invite local artists to interpret your neighborhood using the medium of their choice
E)
1. Invited people from the neighborhood to make collages using images from various Architectural, Planning and Fashion magazines.
2. Document the process and update the media and local elected officials using social media
Create a physical model of your community. Photograph it- study it- travel it- examine it and Twitter, Twitter, Twitter.
No matter what, don't ever stop documenting and uploading that documentation to your social media outlets.
Create, build, exhibit and document in an almost constant state of development and the entrepreneurs will take note. They will find you, support you, partner with you and develop you.
Your landing zone will be complete and one by one they will arrive and draw more to your neighborhood. What starts small will begin to grow and eventually become sustainable as the social footprints becomes larger and larger.
Give it a try -- what do you have to loose?
Stay tune for part two: Resources
16 May 2010
01 May 2010
Why do people litter?
Three young men work to make their neighborhood a better place by turning litter into art. May 1, 2010 at the Nina Simone Birthplace, Tryon, NC.
29 April 2010
26 April 2010
24 April 2010
Gentle are we, to our common goal
“We live in a time when things are unraveling. And if you know anything about weaving, you know things which are unraveling cannot be patched. Our task in this period of unraveling is not to patch the old patterns but to build the loom on which the new patterns are woven.”
— Mother Mary Claire of the Sisters of the Love of God
28 February 2010
The Path to Victory
Invert Poverty 2019
HELP the Bountiful Arts
A project containing many parts
Part One: "THE PATH."
In the war on poverty, the most important question is, "show me the path to Victory."
For many struggling daily with the affects of poverty, this simple question can be daunting and unanswerable for any number of reasons - the least of which is faith.
The cycle of poverty is strong -- its never really completely broken -- only diminished at best from one generation to the next. Human nature is poverty's best friend. Individuals are tied to families, families to neighborhoods, and neighborhoods to communities.
When an entire community is suffocating under poverty's pillow, an odd perimeter is set-up around the community which isolates it and cuts it off from rest -- the impoverishment is contained to the poor side of town, or the other side of the tracks.
Poverty is sinister. It's tendrils make their way through individuals, families and neighborhoods stinging at will and destroying lives. Being trapped in a pocket of poverty is being trapped in neighborhood decay. Restlessness, frustration, anger all work together to intensify the condition -- until one day, indifference takes hold and snuffs emotions such as concern, excitement, motivation and passion.
We have all seen it. We know the condition. We know when we are getting close to it. We have all smelled the cloud of mildew and the rot brought about by the death of hope.
In this darkness, the Soul can not breath. Entrapment prevents self-empowerment and dissolves from within what little nourishment there is fortify will. Stagnation and sedentary lifestyles foster feelings of resentment and abandonment.
It is here where poverty declares victory.
But we have found a way through this false victory. Our Path to Victory that we have establishing is alive and real -- and it has been trod by generations before us.
The Bountiful Arts Project works the entire community holistically, to establish a firm footing on the Path to Victory and begins the work of Invert Poverty by turning it on its head.
Part Two: "BACKGROUND"
In the mid-1980's a new genre of art swept the United States bringing self-taught southern artists to the national arena.
The southern folk artist was catapulted into a national spotlight through commodity art fairs and local community college exhibitions. Reverend Howard Finster and bands like the Georgia Satellites and R.E.M fueled the first wave through the University of Georgia Athens.
Dealers and collectors haggled, traded and established ground rules amongst themselves for the secondary market still years to come. Works made of honey and clay on wooden panels and sheets of brightly painted tin were being cut-up and commodified for pennies on the dollar. The original makers, rural rustic artists, who were driven to make the objects by deep unexplainable needs, remained hundreds of miles away from the trade shows safe in their home environments.
Folk art pickers who had found them kept the public at bay. In the very early days it was not uncommon to have entire carloads of works purchased with a handshake cash.
Stories of the artists too were purchased -- how the work came about and what was being represented was all carefully documented by the pickers and passed on to the dealers. In some cases the story was embellished until it contained just the right amount of tragic life experience that the collector who bought it could entertain a table full of dinner guests who had admired the piece during pre-dinner cocktails.
Photos, tragic life experiences, struggles with mental illness, physical disabilities, abuse, racism -- all contributed to the fair market value of the work (a number that had to grow steadily over time to ensure the original investment was concrete).
Each year the Fairs brought out the loot -- the fruits of the work of the art-pickers who spent months at a time driving the back roads of the rural south in search of the authentic outsider who would be the next big thing.
Articles, papers and letters about outsider art were suddenly popping up in fine art publications all written on the roots of this enigmatic work. Exhibitions were organized at small college galleries and symposiums were held at up and coming museum which were designed to help explain and even define this seemingly new phenomenon. Zealous fans and collectors rightfully began pointing out that which had emerged right under noses of the professional art connoisseurs. Before long southern connoisseurs too, were caught in the buzz. For those who had been in the game since the very beginning the values were rising and for the first time -- the supply was beginning to run out.
The effects of the American folk art craze were staggering. Established art colleges and university art programs began turning out artists by the dozens, who, armed with bachelor and master's degrees were emulating the untaught folk artist - albeit in a guarded, sophisticated, and scholarly way.
The southern folk art wave began in lower Alabama, spread through southern Georgia, up through Athens and Atlanta and along the East Coast and into New York -- before splashing back to Miami and then to Milan, Barcelona, and finally Paris.
Here it was received as American Jazz had been received nearly a century earlier. But there was one problem. The southern folk resembled in many ways the Art Brut that Berlin had introduced to the world eight years earlier.
Something was wrong, aesthetically the self-taught and the early modern masters were in the same level. This was not suppose to happen. The art was suppose to separate -- two complete types, the "real" art of the twentieth century and this home-spun uneducated rural stuff coming out of the southern U.S. But side by side -- the works held their own. They were a match.
By this time in the United States, the uneducated outsider artists had cross-pollenated and colonized with the blue chips leftover from the 1960's avant-guard. A new primitive hybrid was being released which combined the aging european avant-garde tradition with the newly discovered southern rural melting pot of assimilated culture.
The result smashed the art world's preconceived ideas of its own history, heritage and above all, hubris. Humility and self-deprecation is not the institutionalized art world's strong suit.
Suddenly it was all in play - sub-cultured, unschooled, illiterate, collectable -- flavor of the week art. All of it. Museums and scholars gorged themselves on it feasting on the frenzy. In the 1990's, folk art's footing was so firmly established that a new art history timeline was being constructed. More and more scholars and researchers were beginning to ask themselves, "Outsider Art? Outside what? Isn't it just is Art?" The critics took note.
The wave crested.
In less than ten years folk art wave had receded. The destruction was everywhere. Store fronts in failing malls were rented to exhibit folk art. It showed up at booths rented at large flea markets. Big-box retail began to catch on by carrying Asian-produced work that was suitably distressed and muted to appear authentic.
What was once original was now so diluted that even at the folk art fairs themselves began to carry work that looked plastic and contrived. Conservators were crying foul and urging the artists to use more permanent mediums and the honey and clay was replaced by tempra and acrylic. Art supply stores and discount retail stores started carrying the same bands of folk art paints.
Within upper echelons folk art collectors however, they had had enough and began testing the waters of a sell off by culling their collectors. When work didn't move as they had hoped, they realized the secondary market wouldn't support their investment. A silent panic set in as collectors began dumped entire collections on the doorstep of their favorite museum as donations for a tax write-off.
Established folk art galleries began to consolidate before closing all together. Ownership of major works were suddenly called into question as major collectors began distancing themselves from the genre. The collapse of the secondary market for the first time revealed the work was only a collection of the mediums it represented.
Pickers did their best to find new discoveries, but the rural sources were long tapped out. It was chilly on the road and the pickers were met with informed artists who would quote a recent article in a major art magazine before offering the pieces at a greatly inflated price.
The pickers who had been in the game since the very beginning began dropping out finding new careers. For the rural artist, it was their first taste of a diminishing return -- there was in fact for the first time, no return -- there was no market.
The dealers responded the only way they could. Since it was no longer enough to just see the work and hear the story -- potential buyers had to experience the life of the artist first hand. Dealers began put together tours sponsored by museum educational departments that needed to justify validity of the work in the collection by focusing on cultural preservation issues. The artists themselves became the subjects and they were put on display.
At the art fairs artists would be found painting alone in the corner of the rented booth. They would make blobs of color on pieces of tin while then humming quietly to themselves.
Trance-like, detached from there surroundings they would write verses in poor English and wipe the brush on their paint covered clothes. Potential customers would listened while dealer described the artist at work -- all in hushed tones so as to not disturb the artistic concentration.
By the late 1990's disabilities were an absolute must for the mainline folk artist. Some were blind (or nearly blind) preferably in a tragic work accident; many were struggling with mentally illness, others just plain unable to read -- the more tragic the artist's circumstance the more valuable their commodity.
In this sideshow era, buyers late to the race would wait at the trade booths until the artist stopped working then they would buy the piece while the paint was still wet.
A right of passage was then performed by leaning in and having their picture taken with the artist holding the work. If the painter's smile revealed a tooth or two missing -- it was all th better.
The fear of empty spaces was rampant at trade shows and fairs. Exhibition booths were packed until every conceivable square inch of exhibit space was taken up with product. If a piece sold, the gap was filled from a box of reserve pieces under any number of curtain draped tables.
By this point, each booth was the same and everyone was carrying the same artists - a few new pieces here, a few new pieces there, but the sameness was inescapable. Large pieces ended up in the center of the moveable walls, smaller pieces around the edges and works on paper were neatly shrink-wrapped in a bin or on each side of the booth - perfection.
There was always something for everyone with average prices ranging $15.00 to $5,500 -- all original, all authentic, all for sale.
By 2001, folk art had settled into its own quirky pocket of the art world's jacket. It was self defined as accessible -- sort of an art for every man philosophy. Charity auctions were full of the stuff as donors freed themselves of their white elephants buy donating and taking the fair market value off their taxes. These auctions were where young twenty some odds would cut their teeth as collectors-in-waiting snatching up what they considered deals of the century.
The cash craze had long since caught the eye of folk art production houses springing up in the midwest and Asia. Piles of unstretched canvas paintings covered tables at trade shows and a new breed of pickers would flip through them at an alarming speed. Pieces of tin with fat silly rustic stick figures on them, pieces of wood with chickens and cows were now available in bulk with the swipe of a credit card.
The Blue Chips and major arts institutions had long since made their course correction and the self-taught southern vernacular was now no comparison to the slick new digital media coming out of Tokyo and Berlin simultaneously. Corporate collections were following suit reorienting themselves to protect their investments.
Then the hull of the folk art barge hit the sandbar.
By 2004 it was apparent the art world's self importance was not immune to the earliest pangs of economic woes. Institutions were experiencing the first tremors of an economic collapse. Large fundraising events began to scale back. The corporate model that museums and arts institutions had adopted was beginning to show signs of wear.
Long before the economic crisis would show up on the front page of any newspaper, the art publications began dropping hints it was looming. It was not business as usual. Sales were down, contribution were off, something was on the horizon. A tsunami was building and institutions and associations savvy enough to recognize it were quietly preparing for the worse.
When the wave hit the digital financial collapse swept the globe in real time. For the art world -- it was worse than anyone could have imagined. The pillars of the art world were shaken off their foundations and the upheaval put a quarter century of carefully engineered investment value in the global arts market at risk.
And it is precisely here, surrounded by the collapse that we find the cobble stones of our Path to Victory. It is here, straight through the destruction that we are clearing a way to demonstrate an inversion of poverty.
Part Three: "THE PLAN."
Today, in varying pockets throughout the United States both poverty and wealth accumulation are on the rise. For the savvy entrepreneur, we live is a time of unprecedented opportunity. For the impoverished, we live in worst economic period since the great depression.
Federally funded recovery programs are being absorbed by both the state and local agencies at an alarming rate. Demonstrated success at redistribution has become an absolute prerequisite for receiving funds.
These dollars, however small compared to the actual need, will not be placed directly into impoverished communities where they will be absorbed without an assured return on the investment. Community Chests and grassroots efforts are left to spend their resources either defending their ability to redistribute, or continue to work with the resources they have in hand now. Communities struggling with issues of capacity are rarely selected for recovery dollars because they have a less than below average chance of multiplying those dollars and redistributing the result back into the community.
Distribution and subsequent redistribution of recovery dollars carries with it an establish formula designed to help the greatest number in need first. This does not necessarily include the impoverished.
Recipients must have the ability to multiply the recovery dollars through reinvest in their own local communities in a manner that follows the same formula. This is done in partnership through regional, state, local agencies who have a track record of success in redistribution.
In this way, the overall national condition will finally feels the swing of recovery when all risk of return on investment is removed from the dollars at the local level following the equation that every dollar is multiplied in some way to grow wealth for the greatest number.
For individuals caught in the net of poverty at the bottom of the economic pool, the reality of seeing real recovery dollars in their pockets is slim to none. Their participation and apportionment based on the formula is buried within the multipliers and the reinvestment practices of the recipients of the original dollars.
As a result, entire populations are left to fend for themselves at the mercy of the local reinvestment. Individuals, families, neighborhoods, and communities again resorting to self-reliance as many have done before in every major economic crisis in history.
It is here, through the visual arts that we find success and a clear Path to Victory in the War on Poverty.
Bulldozing through the rubble of the remains of the self-taught artist movement of the twentieth century, this path to victory is wide and able to handle a multitude of participants.
It is solid and rekindles individual's relationship with the source of all inspiration through encouragement, dignity and resolve.
Part Three: "ART AND BEAUTY."
1. The success of the Bountiful Arts Project relies solely on the audience's understanding of why the work is created in the first place.
2. That purchase of the work is to help financially the individuals in need who together created the work.
3. The work is to judged solely as a consolation to the real reason it is being purchased which is to help individuals in need.
4. Several individuals may work on one piece collectively and money from the sale is divided among them equally with the project receiving one share.
5. Because many individuals work on the same piece collectively, no one individual is credited with the creation.
6. Funds from the sale are divided equally between the individuals who worked on the piece with one share going to the Project. For example, four individuals working on the piece + the project = proceeds being split five ways.
7. Artistic considerations such as aesthetic value, merit and worth are left to posterity.
8. Value of the work is determined by an estimate of the cost of living for low wage families in the state where the piece is created (using Dr. Amy K. Glasmeier and Pennsylvania State University's Poverty in America Living Wage Calculator) multiplied by the number of individuals working on the piece.
More soon.
26 February 2010
Roger Lee Moore
ARTIST PROFILE
Roger Lee Moore Born 1985 Spartanburg, South Carolina Currently living and working in Tryon, North Carolina and Landrum, South Carolina
Self-taught artist Roger Lee Moore lives and works in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Southern Appalachia. His works on paper and found object assemblages are inspired by his religious surroundings growing up in the African American communities of both Tryon, NC and Landrum, SC.
Roger Lee's work also pulls inspiration from the Stony Knoll Community in Mill Spring, NC near Tryon. Stony Knoll is home of the Rev. Joshua Jones House and the Stony Knoll Library and Community Center. Founded as an experimental community of ex-slaves after the Civil War, Stony Knoll became home to the oldest private African American lending library in NC outside the University and Educational System founded in 1939.
Born April 28, 1985, Roger Lee Moore has been making pictures since he was ten years old. His first visionary work emerging at a very early age and then again in earnest when he was 17 (the same year he was estranged from his Jamaican father who now lives in Virginia). Roger Lee grew up in two States. He lived half-time in Tryon, North Carolina and the other half four miles away in Landrum, South Carolina.
In Tryon, he would stay with his Grandmother, Ella T. Moore who lived in a small house near Good Shepherd Episcopal Church on Markham Road in East Tryon (only a few short blocks from where jazz singer, Nina Simone was born in 1933). Ella T. Moore was a housekeeper and Roger Lee remembers his years under her care fondly. "I had a good Gran'ma, but the most favorite thing that I can remember is when Otis [Vernor, a local handyman] said I could call him Dad because he knew I didn't have one."
Living on disability now, Roger Lee's mother was a nurses' aid at White Oak Retirement Manor in Tryon. She now cares for her Mother, Ella T's ashes which are kept in her Landrum home. As a child, Roger Lee attended Garrison Chapel Baptist Church on Markham Road in Tryon. Here, he remembers seeing his first vision. Roger Lee remarked to a visiting Pastor that he could see angels "moving up from above the singers in the Choir." He remembers this Pastor leaning in close.
Worrying about what the response might be and that he might be in trouble for revealing what he saw -- Roger Lee repeated his words softly.
Fortunately for us this artist's vision was not crushed but encouraged when the Pastor visiting Garrison Chapel recognized the authenticity of his description and with a voice as soft as Roger Lee's own replied, "You are gifted, Roger Lee Moore."
Bountifulneighborhood@gmail.com
BnESCO 26 FEB 2010 TRYON NC US
07 October 2009
Invert Poverty
One of the most important aspects of BnESCO is our commitment to addressing the issues of "hidden poverty" in rural communities. Invert Poverty 2019 is a ten year commitment by BnESCO to confront, engage and participate in the elimination of poverty from the very fiber of rural communities. This commitment reaches every aspect of what we do, where we go and who we are. Community stake-holders, business leaders, lawmakers, civic groups, associations, families and individuals are our partners in moving this message forward. In short, poverty in the United States in the 21st-century is unacceptable. Our goal is simple - begin in our own communities, encourage knowledgeable dialog at all levels of meaningful interaction, reiterate and disseminate simple, accurate information at the local level and partner with organizations in the community who share our interests and beliefs. We know there are individuals in every community that are well-respected and who work tirelessly to improve the lives our neighbors. Our commitment is to seek out these individuals and build community support for their work wherever we can. Invert Poverty 2019 begins in our own backyard and is carried forward through partnerships, programs and sustainable community support that makes a difference. Join us and help Invert Poverty 2019 and make a real difference in the lives of real people. Contact us at bountifulneighborhood@gmail.com and welcome aboard!
04 October 2009
Tryon Toys 21 C BFLY5 Limited Edition (1000 sets)
Tryon Toymakers and Woodcarvers, LLC, Tryon, NC, US is releasing the first contemporary toy design since 1989. Released to commemorate the founding of Tryon Toy-makers and Wood-carvers in 1915, Bfly5 Stacking Toy represents the first Tryon Toy designed and manufactured in the 21st-century. Brightly colored lead-free powder coated steel plates balance precariously as they are stacked as high as possible. This contemporary educational toy is designed to aid in the development of fine motor skills, cognitive play and color reconnection. Set includes 12 plates with certified lead-free powder coating in 6 primary and 6 secondary colors. Bfly5 Stacking Toy is a 2009/2010 edition limited of 1000 sets. Made in USA. USD$125 with a portion of all proceeds supporting the Bountiful Neighborhood Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization BnESCO. Tryon Toys 21 C are Smart Toys for Brilliant People. Bfly5 Stacking Toy is in stock now. To order, please email thenewgallery@mac.com
12 August 2009
Massey and McIntyre abstract paintings
The visual arts continue to play an important role in the community capacity building programs developed and supported by BnESCO. Self-reference, story telling and cultural continuity are areas explored in a series of collaborations by artists Barry A. Massey (a close friend of Tryon Doll Maker, Andrea Miller) and Kipp McIntyre. Massey and McIntyre use the shapes, forms and colors of the Tryon Dolls made by Ms. Miller to create large scale "community" paintings. The collaboration is part of a BnESCO demonstration project on the importance of the visual arts in helping communicate issues of empowerment and potential in neighborhood economic development and youth engagement in underutilized communities.
24 July 2009
Ideas that support the production of ideas
BnESCO is founded on the belief that working to move ideas into action is vital in all areas of community economic development. Individuals, families, neighborhoods, and entire communities are transformed by action. Research and development always follow, but the initial thrust of community economic development is always on the shoulders of unique individual who are the first to act on ideas. These individuals are not trying to be the best in the world -- they are trying to be the best for the world. BnESCO Young Entrepreneurs are such individuals. Meeting regularly, BnESCO Young Entrepreneurs test ideas by adding value through discussion and applying Heilmeier’s catechism to everything they do.
1. What are we trying to do?
2. How is it done today?
3. What is new in our approach?
4. If we are successful, what difference will it make?
5. What are the risks and payoffs?
6. How much will it cost? How long will it take?
7. What are the midterm and final "exams" to check for success
If you are interested in finding out more about BnESCO, the work we do and how you can help -- please email us at MMF@bnesco.org
21 July 2009
Hannon Barbershop Project
These two young men visit the Hannon Barbershop Project opening night during the stop-over on South Trade Street in Tryon, North Carolina. The Hannon Barbershop Project brings together heritage development and public health issues in an exhibition which celebrates the quintessential African American social experience as defined by the local barbershop.
20 July 2009
BnESCO assists in creating Friends of Historic Ziglar Field
Muriel Ziglar checks the final details on the Articles of Incorporation for the Friends of Historic Ziglar Field Non-profit NGO. The Friends will help protect and preserve the legacy of Historic Ziglar Field and the history of the Tryon All-Stars, members of the Negro Baseball League in the early 20th century. Historic Ziglar Field, dedicated in 2006, is a town park in East Tryon, North Carolina with a soccer field and an unused softball diamond. BnESCO is assisting with a development strategy to help interpret the story of the Tryon All-Stars and their impact on Black Culture in Tryon and the surrounding area.
11 July 2009
Remarks by President Obama to the Ghanaian Parliament
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
______________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release July 11, 2009
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
TO THE GHANAIAN PARLIAMENT
Accra International Conference Center
Accra, Ghana
12:40 P.M. GMT
THE PRESIDENT: (Trumpet plays.) I like this. Thank you. Thank you. I think Congress needs one of those horns. (Laughter.) That sounds pretty good. Sounds like Louis Armstrong back there. (Laughter.)
Good afternoon, everybody. It is a great honor for me to be in Accra and to speak to the representatives of the people of Ghana. (Applause.) I am deeply grateful for the welcome that I've received, as are Michelle and Malia and Sasha Obama. Ghana's history is rich, the ties between our two countries are strong, and I am proud that this is my first visit to sub-Saharan Africa as President of the United States of America. (Applause.)
I want to thank Madam Speaker and all the members of the House of Representatives for hosting us today. I want to thank President Mills for his outstanding leadership. To the former Presidents -- Jerry Rawlings, former President Kufuor -- Vice President, Chief Justice -- thanks to all of you for your extraordinary hospitality and the wonderful institutions that you've built here in Ghana.
I'm speaking to you at the end of a long trip. I began in Russia for a summit between two great powers. I traveled to Italy for a meeting of the world's leading economies. And I've come here to Ghana for a simple reason: The 21st century will be shaped by what happens not just in Rome or Moscow or Washington, but by what happens in Accra, as well. (Applause.)
This is the simple truth of a time when the boundaries between people are overwhelmed by our connections. Your prosperity can expand America's prosperity. Your health and security can contribute to the world's health and security. And the strength of your democracy can help advance human rights for people everywhere.
So I do not see the countries and peoples of Africa as a world apart; I see Africa as a fundamental part of our interconnected world -- (applause) -- as partners with America on behalf of the future we want for all of our children. That partnership must be grounded in mutual responsibility and mutual respect. And that is what I want to speak with you about today.
We must start from the simple premise that Africa's future is up to Africans.
I say this knowing full well the tragic past that has sometimes haunted this part of the world. After all, I have the blood of Africa within me, and my family's -- (applause) -- my family's own story encompasses both the tragedies and triumphs of the larger African story.
Some you know my grandfather was a cook for the British in Kenya, and though he was a respected elder in his village, his employers called him "boy" for much of his life. He was on the periphery of Kenya's liberation struggles, but he was still imprisoned briefly during repressive times. In his life, colonialism wasn't simply the creation of unnatural borders or unfair terms of trade -- it was something experienced personally, day after day, year after year.
My father grew up herding goats in a tiny village, an impossible distance away from the American universities where he would come to get an education. He came of age at a moment of extraordinary promise for Africa. The struggles of his own father's generation were giving birth to new nations, beginning right here in Ghana. (Applause.) Africans were educating and asserting themselves in new ways, and history was on the move.
But despite the progress that has been made -- and there has been considerable progress in many parts of Africa -- we also know that much of that promise has yet to be fulfilled. Countries like Kenya had a per capita economy larger than South Korea's when I was born. They have badly been outpaced. Disease and conflict have ravaged parts of the African continent.
In many places, the hope of my father's generation gave way to cynicism, even despair. Now, it's easy to point fingers and to pin the blame of these problems on others. Yes, a colonial map that made little sense helped to breed conflict. The West has often approached Africa as a patron or a source of resources rather than a partner. But the West is not responsible for the destruction of the Zimbabwean economy over the last decade, or wars in which children are enlisted as combatants. In my father's life, it was partly tribalism and patronage and nepotism in an independent Kenya that for a long stretch derailed his career, and we know that this kind of corruption is still a daily fact of life for far too many.
Now, we know that's also not the whole story. Here in Ghana, you show us a face of Africa that is too often overlooked by a world that sees only tragedy or a need for charity. The people of Ghana have worked hard to put democracy on a firmer footing, with repeated peaceful transfers of power even in the wake of closely contested elections. (Applause.) And by the way, can I say that for that the minority deserves as much credit as the majority. (Applause.) And with improved governance and an emerging civil society, Ghana's economy has shown impressive rates of growth. (Applause.)
This progress may lack the drama of 20th century liberation struggles, but make no mistake: It will ultimately be more significant. For just as it is important to emerge from the control of other nations, it is even more important to build one's own nation.
So I believe that this moment is just as promising for Ghana and for Africa as the moment when my father came of age and new nations were being born. This is a new moment of great promise. Only this time, we've learned that it will not be giants like Nkrumah and Kenyatta who will determine Africa's future. Instead, it will be you -- the men and women in Ghana's parliament -- (applause) -- the people you represent. It will be the young people brimming with talent and energy and hope who can claim the future that so many in previous generations never realized.
Now, to realize that promise, we must first recognize the fundamental truth that you have given life to in Ghana: Development depends on good governance. (Applause.) That is the ingredient which has been missing in far too many places, for far too long. That's the change that can unlock Africa's potential. And that is a responsibility that can only be met by Africans.
As for America and the West, our commitment must be measured by more than just the dollars we spend. I've pledged substantial increases in our foreign assistance, which is in Africa's interests and America's interests. But the true sign of success is not whether we are a source of perpetual aid that helps people scrape by -- it's whether we are partners in building the capacity for transformational change. (Applause.)
This mutual responsibility must be the foundation of our partnership. And today, I'll focus on four areas that are critical to the future of Africa and the entire developing world: democracy, opportunity, health, and the peaceful resolution of conflict.
First, we must support strong and sustainable democratic governments. (Applause.)
As I said in Cairo, each nation gives life to democracy in its own way, and in line with its own traditions. But history offers a clear verdict: Governments that respect the will of their own people, that govern by consent and not coercion, are more prosperous, they are more stable, and more successful than governments that do not.
This is about more than just holding elections. It's also about what happens between elections. (Applause.) Repression can take many forms, and too many nations, even those that have elections, are plagued by problems that condemn their people to poverty. No country is going to create wealth if its leaders exploit the economy to enrich themselves -- (applause) -- or if police -- if police can be bought off by drug traffickers. (Applause.) No business wants to invest in a place where the government skims 20 percent off the top -- (applause) -- or the head of the Port Authority is corrupt. No person wants to live in a society where the rule of law gives way to the rule of brutality and bribery. (Applause.) That is not democracy, that is tyranny, even if occasionally you sprinkle an election in there. And now is the time for that style of governance to end. (Applause.)
In the 21st century, capable, reliable, and transparent institutions are the key to success -- strong parliaments; honest police forces; independent judges -- (applause); an independent press; a vibrant private sector; a civil society. (Applause.) Those are the things that give life to democracy, because that is what matters in people's everyday lives.
Now, time and again, Ghanaians have chosen constitutional rule over autocracy, and shown a democratic spirit that allows the energy of your people to break through. (Applause.) We see that in leaders who accept defeat graciously -- the fact that President Mills' opponents were standing beside him last night to greet me when I came off the plane spoke volumes about Ghana -- (applause); victors who resist calls to wield power against the opposition in unfair ways. We see that spirit in courageous journalists like Anas Aremeyaw Anas, who risked his life to report the truth. We see it in police like Patience Quaye, who helped prosecute the first human trafficker in Ghana. (Applause.) We see it in the young people who are speaking up against patronage, and participating in the political process.
Across Africa, we've seen countless examples of people taking control of their destiny, and making change from the bottom up. We saw it in Kenya, where civil society and business came together to help stop post-election violence. We saw it in South Africa, where over three-quarters of the country voted in the recent election -- the fourth since the end of Apartheid. We saw it in Zimbabwe, where the Election Support Network braved brutal repression to stand up for the principle that a person's vote is their sacred right.
Now, make no mistake: History is on the side of these brave Africans, not with those who use coups or change constitutions to stay in power. (Applause.) Africa doesn't need strongmen, it needs strong institutions. (Applause.)
Now, America will not seek to impose any system of government on any other nation. The essential truth of democracy is that each nation determines its own destiny. But what America will do is increase assistance for responsible individuals and responsible institutions, with a focus on supporting good governance -- on parliaments, which check abuses of power and ensure that opposition voices are heard -- (applause); on the rule of law, which ensures the equal administration of justice; on civic participation, so that young people get involved; and on concrete solutions to corruption like forensic accounting and automating services -- (applause) -- strengthening hotlines, protecting whistle-blowers to advance transparency and accountability.
And we provide this support. I have directed my administration to give greater attention to corruption in our human rights reports. People everywhere should have the right to start a business or get an education without paying a bribe. (Applause.) We have a responsibility to support those who act responsibly and to isolate those who don't, and that is exactly what America will do.
Now, this leads directly to our second area of partnership: supporting development that provides opportunity for more people.
With better governance, I have no doubt that Africa holds the promise of a broader base of prosperity. Witness the extraordinary success of Africans in my country, America. They're doing very well. So they've got the talent, they've got the entrepreneurial spirit. The question is, how do we make sure that they're succeeding here in their home countries? The continent is rich in natural resources. And from cell phone entrepreneurs to small farmers, Africans have shown the capacity and commitment to create their own opportunities. But old habits must also be broken. Dependence on commodities -- or a single export -- has a tendency to concentrate wealth in the hands of the few, and leaves people too vulnerable to downturns.
So in Ghana, for instance, oil brings great opportunities, and you have been very responsible in preparing for new revenue. But as so many Ghanaians know, oil cannot simply become the new cocoa. From South Korea to Singapore, history shows that countries thrive when they invest in their people and in their infrastructure -- (applause); when they promote multiple export industries, develop a skilled workforce, and create space for small and medium-sized businesses that create jobs.
As Africans reach for this promise, America will be more responsible in extending our hand. By cutting costs that go to Western consultants and administration, we want to put more resources in the hands of those who need it, while training people to do more for themselves. (Applause.) That's why our $3.5 billion food security initiative is focused on new methods and technologies for farmers -- not simply sending American producers or goods to Africa. Aid is not an end in itself. The purpose of foreign assistance must be creating the conditions where it's no longer needed. I want to see Ghanaians not only self-sufficient in food, I want to see you exporting food to other countries and earning money. You can do that. (Applause.)
Now, America can also do more to promote trade and investment. Wealthy nations must open our doors to goods and services from Africa in a meaningful way. That will be a commitment of my administration. And where there is good governance, we can broaden prosperity through public-private partnerships that invest in better roads and electricity; capacity-building that trains people to grow a business; financial services that reach not just the cities but also the poor and rural areas. This is also in our own interests -- for if people are lifted out of poverty and wealth is created in Africa, guess what? New markets will open up for our own goods. So it's good for both.
One area that holds out both undeniable peril and extraordinary promise is energy. Africa gives off less greenhouse gas than any other part of the world, but it is the most threatened by climate change. A warming planet will spread disease, shrink water resources, and deplete crops, creating conditions that produce more famine and more conflict. All of us -- particularly the developed world -- have a responsibility to slow these trends -- through mitigation, and by changing the way that we use energy. But we can also work with Africans to turn this crisis into opportunity.
Together, we can partner on behalf of our planet and prosperity, and help countries increase access to power while skipping -- leapfrogging the dirtier phase of development. Think about it: Across Africa, there is bountiful wind and solar power; geothermal energy and biofuels. From the Rift Valley to the North African deserts; from the Western coasts to South Africa's crops -- Africa's boundless natural gifts can generate its own power, while exporting profitable, clean energy abroad.
These steps are about more than growth numbers on a balance sheet. They're about whether a young person with an education can get a job that supports a family; a farmer can transfer their goods to market; an entrepreneur with a good idea can start a business. It's about the dignity of work; it's about the opportunity that must exist for Africans in the 21st century.
Just as governance is vital to opportunity, it's also critical to the third area I want to talk about: strengthening public health.
In recent years, enormous progress has been made in parts of Africa. Far more people are living productively with HIV/AIDS, and getting the drugs they need. I just saw a wonderful clinic and hospital that is focused particularly on maternal health. But too many still die from diseases that shouldn't kill them. When children are being killed because of a mosquito bite, and mothers are dying in childbirth, then we know that more progress must be made.
Yet because of incentives -- often provided by donor nations -- many African doctors and nurses go overseas, or work for programs that focus on a single disease. And this creates gaps in primary care and basic prevention. Meanwhile, individual Africans also have to make responsible choices that prevent the spread of disease, while promoting public health in their communities and countries.
So across Africa, we see examples of people tackling these problems. In Nigeria, an Interfaith effort of Christians and Muslims has set an example of cooperation to confront malaria. Here in Ghana and across Africa, we see innovative ideas for filling gaps in care -- for instance, through E-Health initiatives that allow doctors in big cities to support those in small towns.
America will support these efforts through a comprehensive, global health strategy, because in the 21st century, we are called to act by our conscience but also by our common interest, because when a child dies of a preventable disease in Accra, that diminishes us everywhere. And when disease goes unchecked in any corner of the world, we know that it can spread across oceans and continents.
And that's why my administration has committed $63 billion to meet these challenges -- $63 billion. (Applause.) Building on the strong efforts of President Bush, we will carry forward the fight against HIV/AIDS. We will pursue the goal of ending deaths from malaria and tuberculosis, and we will work to eradicate polio. (Applause.) We will fight -- we will fight neglected tropical disease. And we won't confront illnesses in isolation -- we will invest in public health systems that promote wellness and focus on the health of mothers and children. (Applause.)
Now, as we partner on behalf of a healthier future, we must also stop the destruction that comes not from illness, but from human beings -- and so the final area that I will address is conflict.
Let me be clear: Africa is not the crude caricature of a continent at perpetual war. But if we are honest, for far too many Africans, conflict is a part of life, as constant as the sun. There are wars over land and wars over resources. And it is still far too easy for those without conscience to manipulate whole communities into fighting among faiths and tribes.
These conflicts are a millstone around Africa's neck. Now, we all have many identities -- of tribe and ethnicity; of religion and nationality. But defining oneself in opposition to someone who belongs to a different tribe, or who worships a different prophet, has no place in the 21st century. (Applause.) Africa's diversity should be a source of strength, not a cause for division. We are all God's children. We all share common aspirations -- to live in peace and security; to access education and opportunity; to love our families and our communities and our faith. That is our common humanity.
That is why we must stand up to inhumanity in our midst. It is never justified -- never justifiable to target innocents in the name of ideology. (Applause.) It is the death sentence of a society to force children to kill in wars. It is the ultimate mark of criminality and cowardice to condemn women to relentless and systemic rape. We must bear witness to the value of every child in Darfur and the dignity of every woman in the Congo. No faith or culture should condone the outrages against them. And all of us must strive for the peace and security necessary for progress.
Africans are standing up for this future. Here, too, in Ghana we are seeing you help point the way forward. Ghanaians should take pride in your contributions to peacekeeping from Congo to Liberia to Lebanon -- (applause) -- and your efforts to resist the scourge of the drug trade. (Applause.) We welcome the steps that are being taken by organizations like the African Union and ECOWAS to better resolve conflicts, to keep the peace, and support those in need. And we encourage the vision of a strong, regional security architecture that can bring effective, transnational forces to bear when needed.
America has a responsibility to work with you as a partner to advance this vision, not just with words, but with support that strengthens African capacity. When there's a genocide in Darfur or terrorists in Somalia, these are not simply African problems -- they are global security challenges, and they demand a global response.
And that's why we stand ready to partner through diplomacy and technical assistance and logistical support, and we will stand behind efforts to hold war criminals accountable. And let me be clear: Our Africa Command is focused not on establishing a foothold in the continent, but on confronting these common challenges to advance the security of America, Africa, and the world. (Applause.)
In Moscow, I spoke of the need for an international system where the universal rights of human beings are respected, and violations of those rights are opposed. And that must include a commitment to support those who resolve conflicts peacefully, to sanction and stop those who don't, and to help those who have suffered. But ultimately, it will be vibrant democracies like Botswana and Ghana which roll back the causes of conflict and advance the frontiers of peace and prosperity.
As I said earlier, Africa's future is up to Africans.
The people of Africa are ready to claim that future. And in my country, African Americans -- including so many recent immigrants -- have thrived in every sector of society. We've done so despite a difficult past, and we've drawn strength from our African heritage. With strong institutions and a strong will, I know that Africans can live their dreams in Nairobi and Lagos, Kigali, Kinshasa, Harare, and right here in Accra. (Applause.)
You know, 52 years ago, the eyes of the world were on Ghana. And a young preacher named Martin Luther King traveled here, to Accra, to watch the Union Jack come down and the Ghanaian flag go up. This was before the march on Washington or the success of the civil rights movement in my country. Dr. King was asked how he felt while watching the birth of a nation. And he said: "It renews my conviction in the ultimate triumph of justice."
Now that triumph must be won once more, and it must be won by you. (Applause.) And I am particularly speaking to the young people all across Africa and right here in Ghana. In places like Ghana, young people make up over half of the population.
And here is what you must know: The world will be what you make of it. You have the power to hold your leaders accountable, and to build institutions that serve the people. You can serve in your communities, and harness your energy and education to create new wealth and build new connections to the world. You can conquer disease, and end conflicts, and make change from the bottom up. You can do that. Yes you can -- (applause) -- because in this moment, history is on the move.
But these things can only be done if all of you take responsibility for your future. And it won't be easy. It will take time and effort. There will be suffering and setbacks. But I can promise you this: America will be with you every step of the way -- as a partner, as a friend. (Applause.) Opportunity won't come from any other place, though. It must come from the decisions that all of you make, the things that you do, the hope that you hold in your heart.
Ghana, freedom is your inheritance. Now, it is your responsibility to build upon freedom's foundation. And if you do, we will look back years from now to places like Accra and say this was the time when the promise was realized; this was the moment when prosperity was forged, when pain was overcome, and a new era of progress began. This can be the time when we witness the triumph of justice once more. Yes we can. Thank you very much. God bless you. Thank you. (Applause.)
END 1:10 P.M. GMT
###
Office of the Press Secretary
______________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release July 11, 2009
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
TO THE GHANAIAN PARLIAMENT
Accra International Conference Center
Accra, Ghana
12:40 P.M. GMT
THE PRESIDENT: (Trumpet plays.) I like this. Thank you. Thank you. I think Congress needs one of those horns. (Laughter.) That sounds pretty good. Sounds like Louis Armstrong back there. (Laughter.)
Good afternoon, everybody. It is a great honor for me to be in Accra and to speak to the representatives of the people of Ghana. (Applause.) I am deeply grateful for the welcome that I've received, as are Michelle and Malia and Sasha Obama. Ghana's history is rich, the ties between our two countries are strong, and I am proud that this is my first visit to sub-Saharan Africa as President of the United States of America. (Applause.)
I want to thank Madam Speaker and all the members of the House of Representatives for hosting us today. I want to thank President Mills for his outstanding leadership. To the former Presidents -- Jerry Rawlings, former President Kufuor -- Vice President, Chief Justice -- thanks to all of you for your extraordinary hospitality and the wonderful institutions that you've built here in Ghana.
I'm speaking to you at the end of a long trip. I began in Russia for a summit between two great powers. I traveled to Italy for a meeting of the world's leading economies. And I've come here to Ghana for a simple reason: The 21st century will be shaped by what happens not just in Rome or Moscow or Washington, but by what happens in Accra, as well. (Applause.)
This is the simple truth of a time when the boundaries between people are overwhelmed by our connections. Your prosperity can expand America's prosperity. Your health and security can contribute to the world's health and security. And the strength of your democracy can help advance human rights for people everywhere.
So I do not see the countries and peoples of Africa as a world apart; I see Africa as a fundamental part of our interconnected world -- (applause) -- as partners with America on behalf of the future we want for all of our children. That partnership must be grounded in mutual responsibility and mutual respect. And that is what I want to speak with you about today.
We must start from the simple premise that Africa's future is up to Africans.
I say this knowing full well the tragic past that has sometimes haunted this part of the world. After all, I have the blood of Africa within me, and my family's -- (applause) -- my family's own story encompasses both the tragedies and triumphs of the larger African story.
Some you know my grandfather was a cook for the British in Kenya, and though he was a respected elder in his village, his employers called him "boy" for much of his life. He was on the periphery of Kenya's liberation struggles, but he was still imprisoned briefly during repressive times. In his life, colonialism wasn't simply the creation of unnatural borders or unfair terms of trade -- it was something experienced personally, day after day, year after year.
My father grew up herding goats in a tiny village, an impossible distance away from the American universities where he would come to get an education. He came of age at a moment of extraordinary promise for Africa. The struggles of his own father's generation were giving birth to new nations, beginning right here in Ghana. (Applause.) Africans were educating and asserting themselves in new ways, and history was on the move.
But despite the progress that has been made -- and there has been considerable progress in many parts of Africa -- we also know that much of that promise has yet to be fulfilled. Countries like Kenya had a per capita economy larger than South Korea's when I was born. They have badly been outpaced. Disease and conflict have ravaged parts of the African continent.
In many places, the hope of my father's generation gave way to cynicism, even despair. Now, it's easy to point fingers and to pin the blame of these problems on others. Yes, a colonial map that made little sense helped to breed conflict. The West has often approached Africa as a patron or a source of resources rather than a partner. But the West is not responsible for the destruction of the Zimbabwean economy over the last decade, or wars in which children are enlisted as combatants. In my father's life, it was partly tribalism and patronage and nepotism in an independent Kenya that for a long stretch derailed his career, and we know that this kind of corruption is still a daily fact of life for far too many.
Now, we know that's also not the whole story. Here in Ghana, you show us a face of Africa that is too often overlooked by a world that sees only tragedy or a need for charity. The people of Ghana have worked hard to put democracy on a firmer footing, with repeated peaceful transfers of power even in the wake of closely contested elections. (Applause.) And by the way, can I say that for that the minority deserves as much credit as the majority. (Applause.) And with improved governance and an emerging civil society, Ghana's economy has shown impressive rates of growth. (Applause.)
This progress may lack the drama of 20th century liberation struggles, but make no mistake: It will ultimately be more significant. For just as it is important to emerge from the control of other nations, it is even more important to build one's own nation.
So I believe that this moment is just as promising for Ghana and for Africa as the moment when my father came of age and new nations were being born. This is a new moment of great promise. Only this time, we've learned that it will not be giants like Nkrumah and Kenyatta who will determine Africa's future. Instead, it will be you -- the men and women in Ghana's parliament -- (applause) -- the people you represent. It will be the young people brimming with talent and energy and hope who can claim the future that so many in previous generations never realized.
Now, to realize that promise, we must first recognize the fundamental truth that you have given life to in Ghana: Development depends on good governance. (Applause.) That is the ingredient which has been missing in far too many places, for far too long. That's the change that can unlock Africa's potential. And that is a responsibility that can only be met by Africans.
As for America and the West, our commitment must be measured by more than just the dollars we spend. I've pledged substantial increases in our foreign assistance, which is in Africa's interests and America's interests. But the true sign of success is not whether we are a source of perpetual aid that helps people scrape by -- it's whether we are partners in building the capacity for transformational change. (Applause.)
This mutual responsibility must be the foundation of our partnership. And today, I'll focus on four areas that are critical to the future of Africa and the entire developing world: democracy, opportunity, health, and the peaceful resolution of conflict.
First, we must support strong and sustainable democratic governments. (Applause.)
As I said in Cairo, each nation gives life to democracy in its own way, and in line with its own traditions. But history offers a clear verdict: Governments that respect the will of their own people, that govern by consent and not coercion, are more prosperous, they are more stable, and more successful than governments that do not.
This is about more than just holding elections. It's also about what happens between elections. (Applause.) Repression can take many forms, and too many nations, even those that have elections, are plagued by problems that condemn their people to poverty. No country is going to create wealth if its leaders exploit the economy to enrich themselves -- (applause) -- or if police -- if police can be bought off by drug traffickers. (Applause.) No business wants to invest in a place where the government skims 20 percent off the top -- (applause) -- or the head of the Port Authority is corrupt. No person wants to live in a society where the rule of law gives way to the rule of brutality and bribery. (Applause.) That is not democracy, that is tyranny, even if occasionally you sprinkle an election in there. And now is the time for that style of governance to end. (Applause.)
In the 21st century, capable, reliable, and transparent institutions are the key to success -- strong parliaments; honest police forces; independent judges -- (applause); an independent press; a vibrant private sector; a civil society. (Applause.) Those are the things that give life to democracy, because that is what matters in people's everyday lives.
Now, time and again, Ghanaians have chosen constitutional rule over autocracy, and shown a democratic spirit that allows the energy of your people to break through. (Applause.) We see that in leaders who accept defeat graciously -- the fact that President Mills' opponents were standing beside him last night to greet me when I came off the plane spoke volumes about Ghana -- (applause); victors who resist calls to wield power against the opposition in unfair ways. We see that spirit in courageous journalists like Anas Aremeyaw Anas, who risked his life to report the truth. We see it in police like Patience Quaye, who helped prosecute the first human trafficker in Ghana. (Applause.) We see it in the young people who are speaking up against patronage, and participating in the political process.
Across Africa, we've seen countless examples of people taking control of their destiny, and making change from the bottom up. We saw it in Kenya, where civil society and business came together to help stop post-election violence. We saw it in South Africa, where over three-quarters of the country voted in the recent election -- the fourth since the end of Apartheid. We saw it in Zimbabwe, where the Election Support Network braved brutal repression to stand up for the principle that a person's vote is their sacred right.
Now, make no mistake: History is on the side of these brave Africans, not with those who use coups or change constitutions to stay in power. (Applause.) Africa doesn't need strongmen, it needs strong institutions. (Applause.)
Now, America will not seek to impose any system of government on any other nation. The essential truth of democracy is that each nation determines its own destiny. But what America will do is increase assistance for responsible individuals and responsible institutions, with a focus on supporting good governance -- on parliaments, which check abuses of power and ensure that opposition voices are heard -- (applause); on the rule of law, which ensures the equal administration of justice; on civic participation, so that young people get involved; and on concrete solutions to corruption like forensic accounting and automating services -- (applause) -- strengthening hotlines, protecting whistle-blowers to advance transparency and accountability.
And we provide this support. I have directed my administration to give greater attention to corruption in our human rights reports. People everywhere should have the right to start a business or get an education without paying a bribe. (Applause.) We have a responsibility to support those who act responsibly and to isolate those who don't, and that is exactly what America will do.
Now, this leads directly to our second area of partnership: supporting development that provides opportunity for more people.
With better governance, I have no doubt that Africa holds the promise of a broader base of prosperity. Witness the extraordinary success of Africans in my country, America. They're doing very well. So they've got the talent, they've got the entrepreneurial spirit. The question is, how do we make sure that they're succeeding here in their home countries? The continent is rich in natural resources. And from cell phone entrepreneurs to small farmers, Africans have shown the capacity and commitment to create their own opportunities. But old habits must also be broken. Dependence on commodities -- or a single export -- has a tendency to concentrate wealth in the hands of the few, and leaves people too vulnerable to downturns.
So in Ghana, for instance, oil brings great opportunities, and you have been very responsible in preparing for new revenue. But as so many Ghanaians know, oil cannot simply become the new cocoa. From South Korea to Singapore, history shows that countries thrive when they invest in their people and in their infrastructure -- (applause); when they promote multiple export industries, develop a skilled workforce, and create space for small and medium-sized businesses that create jobs.
As Africans reach for this promise, America will be more responsible in extending our hand. By cutting costs that go to Western consultants and administration, we want to put more resources in the hands of those who need it, while training people to do more for themselves. (Applause.) That's why our $3.5 billion food security initiative is focused on new methods and technologies for farmers -- not simply sending American producers or goods to Africa. Aid is not an end in itself. The purpose of foreign assistance must be creating the conditions where it's no longer needed. I want to see Ghanaians not only self-sufficient in food, I want to see you exporting food to other countries and earning money. You can do that. (Applause.)
Now, America can also do more to promote trade and investment. Wealthy nations must open our doors to goods and services from Africa in a meaningful way. That will be a commitment of my administration. And where there is good governance, we can broaden prosperity through public-private partnerships that invest in better roads and electricity; capacity-building that trains people to grow a business; financial services that reach not just the cities but also the poor and rural areas. This is also in our own interests -- for if people are lifted out of poverty and wealth is created in Africa, guess what? New markets will open up for our own goods. So it's good for both.
One area that holds out both undeniable peril and extraordinary promise is energy. Africa gives off less greenhouse gas than any other part of the world, but it is the most threatened by climate change. A warming planet will spread disease, shrink water resources, and deplete crops, creating conditions that produce more famine and more conflict. All of us -- particularly the developed world -- have a responsibility to slow these trends -- through mitigation, and by changing the way that we use energy. But we can also work with Africans to turn this crisis into opportunity.
Together, we can partner on behalf of our planet and prosperity, and help countries increase access to power while skipping -- leapfrogging the dirtier phase of development. Think about it: Across Africa, there is bountiful wind and solar power; geothermal energy and biofuels. From the Rift Valley to the North African deserts; from the Western coasts to South Africa's crops -- Africa's boundless natural gifts can generate its own power, while exporting profitable, clean energy abroad.
These steps are about more than growth numbers on a balance sheet. They're about whether a young person with an education can get a job that supports a family; a farmer can transfer their goods to market; an entrepreneur with a good idea can start a business. It's about the dignity of work; it's about the opportunity that must exist for Africans in the 21st century.
Just as governance is vital to opportunity, it's also critical to the third area I want to talk about: strengthening public health.
In recent years, enormous progress has been made in parts of Africa. Far more people are living productively with HIV/AIDS, and getting the drugs they need. I just saw a wonderful clinic and hospital that is focused particularly on maternal health. But too many still die from diseases that shouldn't kill them. When children are being killed because of a mosquito bite, and mothers are dying in childbirth, then we know that more progress must be made.
Yet because of incentives -- often provided by donor nations -- many African doctors and nurses go overseas, or work for programs that focus on a single disease. And this creates gaps in primary care and basic prevention. Meanwhile, individual Africans also have to make responsible choices that prevent the spread of disease, while promoting public health in their communities and countries.
So across Africa, we see examples of people tackling these problems. In Nigeria, an Interfaith effort of Christians and Muslims has set an example of cooperation to confront malaria. Here in Ghana and across Africa, we see innovative ideas for filling gaps in care -- for instance, through E-Health initiatives that allow doctors in big cities to support those in small towns.
America will support these efforts through a comprehensive, global health strategy, because in the 21st century, we are called to act by our conscience but also by our common interest, because when a child dies of a preventable disease in Accra, that diminishes us everywhere. And when disease goes unchecked in any corner of the world, we know that it can spread across oceans and continents.
And that's why my administration has committed $63 billion to meet these challenges -- $63 billion. (Applause.) Building on the strong efforts of President Bush, we will carry forward the fight against HIV/AIDS. We will pursue the goal of ending deaths from malaria and tuberculosis, and we will work to eradicate polio. (Applause.) We will fight -- we will fight neglected tropical disease. And we won't confront illnesses in isolation -- we will invest in public health systems that promote wellness and focus on the health of mothers and children. (Applause.)
Now, as we partner on behalf of a healthier future, we must also stop the destruction that comes not from illness, but from human beings -- and so the final area that I will address is conflict.
Let me be clear: Africa is not the crude caricature of a continent at perpetual war. But if we are honest, for far too many Africans, conflict is a part of life, as constant as the sun. There are wars over land and wars over resources. And it is still far too easy for those without conscience to manipulate whole communities into fighting among faiths and tribes.
These conflicts are a millstone around Africa's neck. Now, we all have many identities -- of tribe and ethnicity; of religion and nationality. But defining oneself in opposition to someone who belongs to a different tribe, or who worships a different prophet, has no place in the 21st century. (Applause.) Africa's diversity should be a source of strength, not a cause for division. We are all God's children. We all share common aspirations -- to live in peace and security; to access education and opportunity; to love our families and our communities and our faith. That is our common humanity.
That is why we must stand up to inhumanity in our midst. It is never justified -- never justifiable to target innocents in the name of ideology. (Applause.) It is the death sentence of a society to force children to kill in wars. It is the ultimate mark of criminality and cowardice to condemn women to relentless and systemic rape. We must bear witness to the value of every child in Darfur and the dignity of every woman in the Congo. No faith or culture should condone the outrages against them. And all of us must strive for the peace and security necessary for progress.
Africans are standing up for this future. Here, too, in Ghana we are seeing you help point the way forward. Ghanaians should take pride in your contributions to peacekeeping from Congo to Liberia to Lebanon -- (applause) -- and your efforts to resist the scourge of the drug trade. (Applause.) We welcome the steps that are being taken by organizations like the African Union and ECOWAS to better resolve conflicts, to keep the peace, and support those in need. And we encourage the vision of a strong, regional security architecture that can bring effective, transnational forces to bear when needed.
America has a responsibility to work with you as a partner to advance this vision, not just with words, but with support that strengthens African capacity. When there's a genocide in Darfur or terrorists in Somalia, these are not simply African problems -- they are global security challenges, and they demand a global response.
And that's why we stand ready to partner through diplomacy and technical assistance and logistical support, and we will stand behind efforts to hold war criminals accountable. And let me be clear: Our Africa Command is focused not on establishing a foothold in the continent, but on confronting these common challenges to advance the security of America, Africa, and the world. (Applause.)
In Moscow, I spoke of the need for an international system where the universal rights of human beings are respected, and violations of those rights are opposed. And that must include a commitment to support those who resolve conflicts peacefully, to sanction and stop those who don't, and to help those who have suffered. But ultimately, it will be vibrant democracies like Botswana and Ghana which roll back the causes of conflict and advance the frontiers of peace and prosperity.
As I said earlier, Africa's future is up to Africans.
The people of Africa are ready to claim that future. And in my country, African Americans -- including so many recent immigrants -- have thrived in every sector of society. We've done so despite a difficult past, and we've drawn strength from our African heritage. With strong institutions and a strong will, I know that Africans can live their dreams in Nairobi and Lagos, Kigali, Kinshasa, Harare, and right here in Accra. (Applause.)
You know, 52 years ago, the eyes of the world were on Ghana. And a young preacher named Martin Luther King traveled here, to Accra, to watch the Union Jack come down and the Ghanaian flag go up. This was before the march on Washington or the success of the civil rights movement in my country. Dr. King was asked how he felt while watching the birth of a nation. And he said: "It renews my conviction in the ultimate triumph of justice."
Now that triumph must be won once more, and it must be won by you. (Applause.) And I am particularly speaking to the young people all across Africa and right here in Ghana. In places like Ghana, young people make up over half of the population.
And here is what you must know: The world will be what you make of it. You have the power to hold your leaders accountable, and to build institutions that serve the people. You can serve in your communities, and harness your energy and education to create new wealth and build new connections to the world. You can conquer disease, and end conflicts, and make change from the bottom up. You can do that. Yes you can -- (applause) -- because in this moment, history is on the move.
But these things can only be done if all of you take responsibility for your future. And it won't be easy. It will take time and effort. There will be suffering and setbacks. But I can promise you this: America will be with you every step of the way -- as a partner, as a friend. (Applause.) Opportunity won't come from any other place, though. It must come from the decisions that all of you make, the things that you do, the hope that you hold in your heart.
Ghana, freedom is your inheritance. Now, it is your responsibility to build upon freedom's foundation. And if you do, we will look back years from now to places like Accra and say this was the time when the promise was realized; this was the moment when prosperity was forged, when pain was overcome, and a new era of progress began. This can be the time when we witness the triumph of justice once more. Yes we can. Thank you very much. God bless you. Thank you. (Applause.)
END 1:10 P.M. GMT
###
10 July 2009
Exchange Program LIVE on WLOS 13 ABC Asheville
The Tryon, North Carolina and Accra, Ghana - West Africa Cultural Doll Exchange sponsored by BnESCO was featured recently live on the WLOS Channel 13 ABC Affiliate broadcast at 5:30 p.m. from the Blue Ridge Barbecue Festival June 12, 2009. Currently, dolls in the exchange are on display at the Lanier Library on Chestnut Street in Tryon and the Polk County Public Library in Columbus, North Carolina.
09 July 2009
Ghana Tryon Doll Exchange Exhibit at the Polk County Public Library Columbus, NC USA
Polk County Public Library and The Lanier Library in Tryon are both exhibiting Tryon Dolls this month. The Lanier Library is hosting the Tryon Doll Makers and the Polk County Public Library is exhibiting the Dolls that have returned from Ghana-West Africa. So many partners are stepping forward and offered to help expand the scope of the project and it's impact on grassroots economic development in both Accra and Tryon. Already some heavy lifters in western North Carolina have expressed support for helping the project grow and expand. If the project can work with little or no resources, just imagine what can be accomplished with additional cooperation, planning and development. Everyone is so pleased and cooperating by working to grow something we all believe will benefit so many in so many ways.
08 July 2009
Tryon Dolls arrive back in Tryon after trip to West Africa
The first intercontinental leg of the Tryon Accra Cultural Doll Exchange is now complete as the long anticipated dolls made their way back to Tryon, North Carolina USA after their cross-Atlantic trip to Accra, Ghana-West Africa.
We would like to extend a very special thank you to FedEx for their tremendous work shipping and caring for the dolls in transit.
We have learned much during this first leg and after a short exhibition at the Polk County Public Library, beginning Wednesday, July 8th, the dolls will be worked on further by Doll Makers here and sent back to Accra, Ghanna as the exchange continues. Already the dolls are developing their own personalities as the stories which accompanied the dolls were added to by the Accra Doll Makers.
The Tryon children in this short video represent the excitement in the neighborhood as word circulated of the doll's return accompanied by hand carved gifts, maps, supplies, flags, pencils, postcards and notebooks. For some however -- it was disbelief, after rumors where spread locally a while back that no such Cultural Exchange Project existed.
Well, as light can not be kept in a box, neither can an idea be prevented from moving forward into action when powerful partners push together. Our sincere thanks to the powerful partners who at times pushed on our behalf. Thank you.
We would like to thank the U.S State Department and the U.S Embassy Staff in Accra, Ghana-West Africa for their help and support receiving the dolls and arranging pick-up by Yvonne Plange. We would like to thank Yvonne and her network of supporters who added to the dolls and grew the project. We'd like to thank the children in Accra for their pen-pal letters to the children here in Tryon (and their parents and teachers for helping make it happen, too). We'd like to thank the folks at Handmade in America, specifically Betty Hurst, for her support and ongoing encouragement. And finally, we would like to again acknowledge the tremendous support of Bob Morgan owner of Fulfillment Solutions in Mill Spring, North Carolina for making it all seem so effortless. Thank you, Bob.
To everyone who pushed,
AYEE-KOO
MMF
We would like to extend a very special thank you to FedEx for their tremendous work shipping and caring for the dolls in transit.
We have learned much during this first leg and after a short exhibition at the Polk County Public Library, beginning Wednesday, July 8th, the dolls will be worked on further by Doll Makers here and sent back to Accra, Ghanna as the exchange continues. Already the dolls are developing their own personalities as the stories which accompanied the dolls were added to by the Accra Doll Makers.
The Tryon children in this short video represent the excitement in the neighborhood as word circulated of the doll's return accompanied by hand carved gifts, maps, supplies, flags, pencils, postcards and notebooks. For some however -- it was disbelief, after rumors where spread locally a while back that no such Cultural Exchange Project existed.
Well, as light can not be kept in a box, neither can an idea be prevented from moving forward into action when powerful partners push together. Our sincere thanks to the powerful partners who at times pushed on our behalf. Thank you.
We would like to thank the U.S State Department and the U.S Embassy Staff in Accra, Ghana-West Africa for their help and support receiving the dolls and arranging pick-up by Yvonne Plange. We would like to thank Yvonne and her network of supporters who added to the dolls and grew the project. We'd like to thank the children in Accra for their pen-pal letters to the children here in Tryon (and their parents and teachers for helping make it happen, too). We'd like to thank the folks at Handmade in America, specifically Betty Hurst, for her support and ongoing encouragement. And finally, we would like to again acknowledge the tremendous support of Bob Morgan owner of Fulfillment Solutions in Mill Spring, North Carolina for making it all seem so effortless. Thank you, Bob.
To everyone who pushed,
AYEE-KOO
MMF
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