As Yeah was the in the Dominican Republic, the PACP team headed by Fomba, Secretary General headed towards Dialakoroba around 10 am. Their purpose was to inaugurate the setup of the PACP committee there. Dialakoroba is situated halfway between Ouelessebougou and Bamako. The meeting was excellent!
The start of the meeting was highlighted by a momentary pause in honor of Yeah’s brother Moussa Samake that had passed away. After this, Fomba greeted the supporters. He spoke of PACP and why the party wanted the assistance of Dialakoroba. About 100 community leaders were present. Fomba focused on the youth of Dialakoroba. The youth have in a strong statement of support abandoned their own party PDES to join PACP. PDES is the party that supported the current President Amadou Toumani Toure. So this move is indeed symbolic and important.
Then Kane, another party member, showed the new logo of PACP and explained what it stood for so that people could easily recognize it at the polling stations. In Mali, with the illiteracy rate so high, it is essential for people to see the logo so that they can recognize it easily. The new logo is of a sunrise and is symbolic in its representation of a new day in Mali (Un Nouveau Jour Pour Mali).
Other party members spoke of strategy that the new committee could use to increase reach into the surrounding communities. There was also a representative that came from the nearby village of Sanakoroba where a PACP committee already exists. He spoke very kindly of PACP and its possible impact if Yeah is elected. In addition, Kalise, Karim and Solo, those who know Yeah best as he was growing up, spoke of Yeah’s life and his achievements.
This was the first event that our new American interns got to see. There was dancing and celebration in honor of the new committee being set up. All I can say is our new interns can indeed shake a leg. Watch the second video to see them in action. 🙂
The next meeting in the afternoon was held in Badalabougou in midtown Bamako. Here about 60 community leaders over the handicap society gathered to hear PACP speak. Life in Mali is tough already for those who can barely find work and provide for their families. Imagine how much harder it is for people that are handicapped and cannot contribute to the income of their families. When you drive the dangerous streets of Bamako, the view of handicapped individuals led by their relatives begging from car to car is hard to bear. In America, it is amazing how we care for our handicapped. We have facilities and groups that provide in majority for their needs so that their suffering and shame is lessened. It will be essential for the next President to institute a facility and programs that answer to the needs of these individuals. There were many questions of what these programs would be and Fomba promised that these questions would be presented to Yeah so that he could address them with the importance they deserved.
Badalabougou: Leaders of the Handicap Society
The day of meetings was successful. It is meetings like these that will get the vote in. The people of Mali need a leader that can lead them out of the lifestyles that they are resigned to and show them a lifestyle they deserve and should be living 52 years after independence. There will be many more meetings like these accompanied by music, dancing and the hope of a brighter future under Yeah Samake.
Moving Mali Forward 