|fceemrisjyoc wr I e I [ vo j r.. : uii yio amrTifow..^ U SI1 BLACKORLDONE ATIO s Africah itudeht CoNvE h at Ihth'i CahferEhce By: Josephine Oduro School of African Awareness, which is a he pocketed it." IASA is to develop a resume book which Stony Brook' s own African non-profit, non-governmental organiza- Most of the participants at the will be sold to conipanies that are inter- Student Union, participated in the fourth tion that was launched in Zimbabwe. The conference shared a common view that ested in hiring qualified Africans. annual International African Students SAA's major purpose is to address issues the U.S. has absolute power because it A relative view shared by some association (IASA) conference hosted at pertaining to cultural awareness, and Af- holds the most votes in the United Na- of the African students at the conference, Howard University. The conference, rican self-help and self-reliance. The tions, International Monetary Fund and was that they represent a small minority which attempted to address issues facing SAA is designed to play an instrumental the World Bank. The avenue of boycott- on their college campuses and that events Africa, occurred on April 3rd through the role in the educating and development of ing and lobbying was identified to be a like the conference really allow them the 5th. Africa and its people. It is also targeted limited option. chance to unite. "I come here to meet The IASA conference united at people who have an interest in Africa "The only people that address people, because of the atmosphere at my representatives from African Student and its culture. issues in Africa is the white government," university," said Jacqueline Ajala, a stu- Association's (ASA) all over the U.S. and Corruption of some African Sibanda said. "They address us to ex- .dent of The College of William and Mary Canada. "IASA is a student run organi- governments was another topic of discus- ploit us." University. zation, built around the idea that students sion. It is suspected that the Nigerian Field organizer for Amnesty In- Other students said the confer- need to organize to gain more skills so as government sells oil to U.S. companies ternational, Cleopatra Warren brought ence was very productive in educating to help Africa's development," said and pockets the profits. The U.S. com- attention to genocide in Rwanda and ju- them about issues pertaining to Africa. Hafsat Abiola former president of IASA. panies then bribe congressman in order venile executions. "There are 13 minors "I think it's sometimes good to get a new Students that attended the con- to prevent the U.S. from taking action. " on death row in the United States," War- view to solutions of African problems," ference represented the many different Is the Global Money Market more im- ren said. said Frederick Osei-Boah ASU president shapes, colors and voices of Africa. portant than the Nigerian people," The IASA conference also dis- at Stony Brook. "It's a good gathering Among those present were people who Sibanda said. DeShazer responded "We cussed possible projects such as a book of most of the African countries, sharing had origins from Zaire, Liberia, Ghana, wanted to hold the Nigerian governments drive. The project involves sending un- ideas about our homelands." Tanzania, and Nigeria. Some Haitian and feet to the fire, but we couldn't get an used textbooks to people in Africa who In light of the positive response Jamaican students were also in atten- agreement to that process." can better utilize them. It has been pro- from some of the attendees Sibanda dance adding to the idea that Africans do DeShazer went on to discuss the posed to have the U.S. and the countries warned everyone about the repercussions not just reside in Africa but all over the reason why sanctions haven't worked in that are receiving the books in Africa of conferences. "There's a constant dan- globe. Nigeria. "There has been reluctance share the shipping charges. Vice Presi- ger with conference hopping, " said The former Director of African among the international system to enforce dent of IASA Ukonwa Kuzi-Orizy is cur- Sibanda, "organizers make these confer- Affairs for the White House Security freezing assets, " he said. rently working on implementing the book ences, and go home with a fat check and Council, MacArthur DeShazer, Sr., said, Mike Fleshman, Human Rights drive. do not really teach the people. It is no "Displacement has put us in an environ- Coordinator for the American Commit- "Stanford University sends longer a situation where attendance is ment that has caused us to develop dif- tee on Africa said, "The International books to African universities on behalf more important than the experience of ferent values and beliefs, which has Monetary Fund and the World Bank con- of IASA," said Dozie Okpalaobieri, a learning. Once people's minds have been caused us to be different, but that does tinued to give money to Seseke Mobutu Brandies University student. sharpened you know the conference was not mean we should not connect the the former President of Zaire, knowing Another project proposed by effective." dots." Screen writer and director of Amistad, Debbie Allen was scheduled to speak at the conference, but was unable to attend. I DeShazer also discussed the National Summit on Africa and its at- tempt to address issues about struggles in Africa. The summit, which is being funded by the Ford Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation, is set to take place in November 1999. One of the objec- tives of the summit is to raise Africa's profile in the U.S. Many Americans view Africa as a country that is represented by men with spears, bare-breasted women, and bare- foot and hungry children. The attempt to improve Africa's profile is a plan to educate Americans about the mutual ben- efits of a closer U.S.-Africa relationship. Another objective of the sum- mit is to devise a plan of action in which 25 academics will write about democ- racy, human rights and culture. Light regional summits will be conducted to increase the delegation. "We expect to have a stronger, broader constituency that will increase our voice," said DeShazer. Sabelo Sibanda founding mem- ber of IASA said, "Our people have been suppressed for so long, that they've de- veloped this mentality that they need to be helped by someone else. We don't want a situation where we increase our dependency on others, maybe one time Participants of the International African Students Association Conference we'll call on the state department but for now lets leave them out." Sibanda went on to discuss The ~-~pn. ~ ~-~a a laasbsa -- ~sss~-~-~-a _.. _ _ _ s----~--~.-l-~El--~X~_-~-__ll_-·~··~-·YI_I _1_--~_ aa~ra~arn *L am aR O N NAIO * V WV V U The Missing Million Once again the Africana from the annual budget, leaving a causes emotional and intellectual dif- Studies Program is under attack by total of $331,343. It is this figure ficulties," Owens said. University officials. In our last is- multiplied by five years and sub- Another cause for concern is sue we as students questioned why tracted from the two million plus that the recent external review of the AFS such a long-lived program has not yet produces the "missing million" from Program that occurred on April 6th been given departmental status? In the AFS budget. and 7th. After touring the AFS facil- this issue we are questioning the un- Dr. Owens sent a memo to ity and speaking with faculty and stu- explained absence of one million dol- Dean of the College of Arts and Sci- dents, the reviewers, Professor Ernest lars from the AFS budget over a ences, Paul Armstrong, requesting an Dunn, Rutgers, the State University spans of five years. explanation for the misappropriation of New Jersey, Professor Toyin Dr. Leslie Owens of the AFS of funds. In his memo Owens writes: Falola, University of Texas, Austin, Program, alerted a group of student It seems legitimate for AFS to raise and Professor John Bracey, Univer- leaders to the ills that are transpiring questions about how the balanc of sity of Massachusetts, Amherst, all at this University, concerning this $979,185.00 has ncommended that the AFS program particular unit. cwhat u . be elevated to departmental status Thediscovery of the "miss- evelop- with a Masters degree program. ýe SAnd it is abundantly . ing million" resulted from a self- tht AFS program has suc- This would require the Uni- y tt cws d by AS ear that the AFS program has suc- study that was conducted by AFS. essfully produced revenues to fund versity to hire more Black and Latino Over the past five years AFS has gen- itself in the environment of the Uni- faculty and staff, which is something erated more than two million dollars, versity at Stony Brook but has not that has been cleverly avoided for which is a direct result of student been acknowledged for doing so. nearly three decades on this campus. enrollment revenue. Owens proudly says, Dr. Owens summed it up best The College of Arts and Sci- "Africana Studies is totally self-suf- when he said, "We don't have a con- ences, which houses the AFS Pro- ficient. No other department pays for spiracy at Stony Brook, we have a gram, allots an annual budget of itself. They must get outside fund- policy not to hire people of color. In $352,343 to AFS.