Send a Message to the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit!

Update August 1: State Department has launched new official hashtag: #USAfrica. Use this to widen the impact of your tweet. White House and other U.S. government agencies have also previously used #AfricaSummit and #USAfricaSummit.

The White House will host the first U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, DC on August 4-6, 2014.

There will be a host of official and business-oriented events. Some civil society groups have successfully lobbied for inclusion in some events (see the official agenda). But the range of point of views represented will be tilted decisively to those now holding power in their countries.

The US-Africa Network (USAN) is holding a dialogue on August 4 at Howard University to provide an alternative space for a progressive dialogue on sustainability, peace, and democracy. Our fundamental premise is that both President Obama and African leaders need to be reminded of their obligations to defend the interests of the 99% rather than only corporate and political elites.

AfricaFocus Bulletin is a co-sponsor of the dialogue, and has prepared a set of talking points on key themes that will be addressed at the USAN dialogue.

Whether or not you can come to Washington, both African heads of state and President Obama need to hear from you on the urgent priorities for ordinary Africans and Americans. Make your voices heard! Speak out on your blogs, your websites, your FaceBook and Twitter accounts. Upload a video with your message to YouTube.

To increase the impact, tweet your message (including link to your longer statement or YouTube video) to @USAfricaNetwork, and, when possible, to African heads of state (see social media guide linked below for a partial list; we are not aware of a comprehensive up-to-date listing).

You can also use the hashtag #TheAfricaWeWant promoted by the Diaspora African Womens Network (DAWN), with FEMNET and Oxfam America, “U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit Social Media Guide.”

Another campaign, calling for civil society inclusion in the official summit events, is using the hashtag #WeAreAfrica. Its website includes recommendations from a civil society meeting in June (http://www.we-are-africa.org/rec.html).

USAN encourages you to take your own initiatives, particularly on themes of common obligations of U.S. and African leaders to address common problems, such as those included in the USAN dialogue. If you can tweet regularly over the period August 1-7, please let us know your twitter name and that you will be tweeting, so we can watch for possible retweeting. Write to empoweredafrica2014@gmail.com.

 Suggested tweets (samples only; use these or add your own and tweet to @USAfricaNetwork):

* Peace, Jobs, and Equal Rights for All!   #AfricaSummit #TheAfricaWeWant @USAfricaNetwork [your-link-here]

* Don’t sell our future for fossil fuels! #AfricaSummit #WeAreAfrica @USAfricaNetwork [your-link-here]

* Stop corruption, invest in real development! #AfricaSummit #TheAfricaWeWant @USAfricaNetwork [your-link-here]

* USA/Africa: common agenda must be a world of equality and justice! #AfricaSummit #WeAreAfrica @USAfricaNetwork [your-link-here]

* Human rights for all! No exceptions! #AfricaSummit #TheAfricaWeWant @USAfricaNetwork [your-link-here]

* Stop land grabs! Support small farmers! #AfricaSummit #WeAreAfrica @USAfricaNetwork [your-link-here]

* Stop all violence against civilians, whoever the perpetrators! #AfricaSummit #TheAfricaWeWant @USAfricaNetwork [your-link-here]

* Stop tax evasion by multinational corporations and rich elites! #AfricaSummit #WeAreAfrica @USAfricaNetwork [your-link-here]

* End racism and violence against women,Capetown to Delhi and Rome to San Diego! #AfricaSummit #TheAfricaWeWant @USAfricaNetwork [your-link-here]

* End violence against and exploitation of immigrants! #AfricaSummit #WeAreAfrica @USAfricaNetwork [your-link-here]

* No more brutalization and exploitation of children! #AfricaSummit #TheAfricaWeWant @USAfricaNetwork [your-link-here]

* Protect refugee rights, whether in #Africa, the Americas, or Europe. #AfricaSummit #TheAfricaWeWant @USAfricaNetwork

* #BringBackOurGirls requires accountable, honest, & competent security forces #AfricaSummit #TheAfricaWeWant @USAfricaNetwork