Speech by former president Benjamin Mkapa on the occasion of the launch of Change/Mudança magazine: Southern Africa Trust Offices, Midrand, South Africa, 29 October 2009
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
It is my great pleasure to be with you on this special day at the offices of the Southern Africa Trust.
Our southern Africa region indeed needs change. With more than 100 million people in southern Africa living in abject poverty, I must echo the editorial message contained in the launch issue of Change magazine: "Southern Africa's liberation project is not yet done until this situation is changed."
But this requires all role players in the region to work together to achieve this historic task. Political and economic integration in the region must be matched by social integration. The government, business, and civil society sectors have to work in unity for poverty to become a thing of the past. New approaches are needed by all role players for such collaboration to happen. Once these are in place, then regional integration will begin to really work for the poor.
Change magazine presents a huge opportunity for governments, business leaders, and civil society organisations to link country level activities, processes and policies to a regional agenda, in order to develop a shared vision for the development of our region.
I say this because, despite previous achievements, the fundamental transformation of southern Africa has lost some impetus in the present day.
Post-independence governments in our region faced many national challenges with almost no human security and increasing poverty and inequalities. Governments spent most of their energy addressing inward-looking internal issues, looking only narrowly towards the region as a whole. This has not facilitated easy co-operation and pro-poor integration in the region. As a result, the regional economic model constructed by apartheid remains almost intact, with continuing inequalities between and within the countries of our region.
There is now a fundamental need to revisit the common history of southern Africa, to remember the dreams that galvanised the common struggles across the region, and again unite new leaders for change towards a future free from poverty. It is time for a new regional vision to be articulated. How wonderful then, that Change magazine is born at this time to contribute to a renewed regional vision!
Constructing a new regional vision should include all social actors. But the relationship between governments and civil society has been tricky. Governments find it difficult to share what they are accustomed to considering their preserve. Many challenge the interests of civil society organisations, questioning their legitimacy, integrity and accountability. Change magazine can contribute to overcoming this great divide in our region.
Leaders across all sectors in our region and worldwide need to come to terms with this great disparity in today's world: economics, trade, communications and culture are becoming more regional, yet participatory democracy remains essentially national and local. It is crucially important, if regional integration is to work for the poor, to build a better framework for regional governance with democratic accountability to citizens everywhere in the region. The emerging pillars for this framework must include civil society, regional roles for parliamentarians, public opinion and the media.
In this sense, civil society representatives, especially those that most credibly represent the interests and voices of poor people, and business leaders, must be as much part of today's southern African regional governance and development architecture as are governments.
Change magazine offers a platform to move in this direction. It is particularly impressive that it will be available fully in English, French and Portuguese versions of each edition, bridging our historic regional communication barriers.
I noticed with great appreciation that the characteristics of Change magazine are to provoke debate rather than non-engagement and to promote new knowledge rather than traditional way of doing things. It offers a platform for debate among key stakeholders in the region with different perspectives, to achieve a shared vision. I therefore call on governments, business leaders, and civil society organisations to use Change magazine as a key platform to discuss poverty-related issues in our region.
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
In August 2001 we signed the Southern African Development Community (SADC) protocol on Culture Information and Sport, in Blantyre Malawi. One of the objectives of the protocol was to promote regional collaboration to grow different media for the free flow of information in the region. Another objective was to develop regional media content, opinion and talent.
Southern Africa still has a problem of lack of information flow, especially on regional issues. We are an information starved region but need citizens who are well informed and engaged on issues affecting them, if we are to successfully overcome poverty. There is disjuncture between the reality of our region what citizens know through their national media. The mainstream media concentrate their coverage on the governors and not the governed. To make Change magazine a real force for change, I therefore suggest that the stories covered should put the people at the centre of development instead of the governors only.
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
I commend the Southern Africa Trust and the African Monitor for such a unique partnership that promotes citizen engagement to make regional integration work for the poor. I am very happy to be associated with these two remarkable organisations.
The Southern African Trust has demonstrated its seriousness, competence and savoir faire since its establishment. Its deep involvement with civil society organisations across the region and innovative work on pro-poor advocacy is well established and beyond reproach.
I am proud to be part of the Tagona advisory council of the African Monitor. I am passionate about its high quality work on aid effectiveness in Africa. The importance of its authentic African voice to at once make the leaders of rich countries keep their promises to Africa and make the recipients of aid more accountable, cannot be overstated.
I therefore trust you will ensure that Change magazine is well promoted and stays on course for the benefit of the region. I also hope that you will maintain the kind of editorial and content that I see in this launch issue.
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
With these few remarks, I am very happy to now declare Change magazine officially launched!
I thank you for your attention.
Benjamin Mkapa
Former President of the United Republic of Tanzania
