PACP cars drew up on Kita surrounded by honking motorcycles as mid afternoon set. In Mali, honking motorcycles announce an important visit. As party members and Yeah got out of their cars they were greeted with much dancing and cheer. Kita is a town and commune in western Mali that is 112 miles from the main city of Bamako. It lies on the eastern slope of Mount Kita (Bambara: “Kita-kuru”), known for its caves and rock paintings.
There were about 100 youth on motorcycles ready 2-3 km outside of Kita that heralded the PACP cars in. When Yeah arrived at the rally site, almost 500 people were present to hear his message of hope. The meeting was organized by Bengaly Coulibaly who is the President of PACP in the Kita region. Young girls with gourds filled with peanuts and millet welcomed Yeah and PACP. This is customary in Mali to welcome a guest with food. As the rally began, there were a lot of speeches. The main speeches were given by Secretary General Fomba. He spoke of Yeah’s accomplishments in Mali and of his vision for Mali in terms of jobs. He spoke highly of all that Yeah had already achieved in Ouelessebougou and hoped that the rest of Mali would see similar growth and progress if Yeah was elected President. Then Yeah spoke. Yeah spoke of the dream for his beloved country. He told the crowd that this was their time and that PACP was the party that could represent the needs of woman, children and youth. He promised a better education system and more reliable healthcare that is affordable to all. He spoke of how he has been able in the last few years been able to bring doctors from America that have touched lives not only in Ouelessebougou but also for those who travelled from as far as Mopti and Sikasso. He talked about how many more Malian students have had the opportunity to go to America on a scholarship and opportunity almost unheard of before. Yeah advised the people of Kita to continue spreading the word and that if they were able to gain more supporters he would open a PACP office in Kita. Yeah then called upon Monsieur Coulibaly and presented him with a Samake2012 button. He told the people that this button represented his promise to change the country for the better. Bengaly Coulibaly seemed overcome as the button was put on him, filled with gratitude that he could be trusted to represent his entire commune. He spoke briefly of his faith in PACP and especially in Yeah. He also displayed the new PACP logo that would show up on the ballot boxes when people went to vote. This was a very successful meeting and Kita did not disappoint in its support of Yeah and his platform of change. It is the hope that these 500 people can spread the word to neighboring communes.
Motorcycles herald in PACP members
PACP President of Kita: Bengaly Coulibaly
After the main meeting, Yeah headed to present his greetings to the Chief of the village and the chief of the community. Here too he presented the button as a symbol of his solemn promise to bring change and better conditions to Mali.
Yeah with Kita's community leader
Yeah and the dugutigi of Kita
After this there was a meeting of the main Kita PACP party members to set a course of how they would spread Yeah’s message.
This was an amazing meeting and a wonderful reaffirmation of the growing support. It is the hope that other communes like Kita will come out and support Yeah. Mali deserves a new day filled with hope and better conditions. It deserves better healthcare and a more stable education system. It deserves children that do not have to grow up right away but can focus on living and enjoying their young lives. May success be ours of the taking.
Moving Mali Forward 