House Chair, it is good and well that we have these debates like the one we are having today. Over the centuries Africans have had very little to celebrate. The legacy of oppression and colonialism mean that Africa still has very little to celebrate. The spotlight is always on our conflicts, poverty, lack of resources, dying economies and diseases. It would be no surprise that elsewhere people think of Africa as a place of doom, even though all these problems are universal in nature and can be found in any region anywhere in the world.
But, today, even if it is just for today, we intend to celebrate Africa - the mother continent - where human life is said to have begun. When we celebrate Africa, we celebrate the essence of humanity, we celebrate life. We celebrate the beauty of our continent, of our being; we celebrate all that makes us African. We celebrate our landscapes - oh, our beautiful lands ... [Applause.] ... our gorgeous mountains and hills, our rivers and streams, our dark forests, the changing colours of the soil, the richness of our lands. We celebrate our languages, the beauty in our clicks, our art in choosing words, our art in dialogue which infuses values in the choice of words: if you address a child your choice of words differs from when you address an adult but you are saying the same thing with exactly the same meaning. [Applause.]
We choose different mediums to address different issues - that is our art. Our compassion and our passion are worthy of celebration. Most of what we say is infused with such passion. Our passion is what gives us the hope that, regardless of challenges we may be facing today, we shall triumph; we shall overcome, because that is the essence of humanity. It's the essence of Africans. Thank you. [Applause.]