Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean
Speech on the Occasion of the State Dinner Hosted by His Excellency Amadou Toumani Touré, President of the Republic of Mali
Bamako, Mali, Thursday, November 23, 2006
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This morning, I had the honour of addressing the National Assembly of Mali to tell the Malian people that my fellow Canadians are proud to walk beside them, hand in hand, toward a world that puts individuals and human dignity at the heart of our aspirations.
This evening, on the occasion of my first State visit to Africa, I would like to share something with you. I have dreamed of visiting your country ever since I was a little girl and read the works of Guadelupian novelist Maryse Condé; in particular, Segu, which takes place in Mali.
Those literary journeys, between Bamako and Timbuktu, had ignited my imagination and fuelled my desire to one day visit the continent of my ancestors, from which many Blacks in the Americas, like me, have been cut off.
And now, I have finally come. I can hardly believe it, Excellency. And though I first set foot on this continent in Algeria, from where I have just come, I have the distinct impression that I am now nearing its heart. I am seeing Africa for the first time. To paraphrase the poet Moussa Kanouté, I’d say that “[translation] the wait was long. But it was not infinite.”
At the crossroads of North African cultures and Black African cultures, Mali is the cradle of one of the oldest civilizations on this continent.
I am anxious to experience this culture and to tell my countrymen and women about the many wonders I am sure to see and discover.
Since transitioning to democracy, Mali has been an undisputed leader in promoting human rights, peace and security. Mali embodies for Africa, for all of humanity itself, a glimmer of hope kept alive by an inextinguishable desire to bring out the best in everyone.
Relations between Mali and Canada have only grown stronger over the years, as evidenced by a number of high-level visits. You yourself, Excellency, made a private trip to Canada in 2003 and undertook a State visit in 2005. And you have in turn hosted several Canadian dignitaries, including the Minister of International Co‑operation this past August.
Canada commends the remarkable efforts of the Malian people to achieve democratization and considers Mali to be an extraordinary partner. I would certainly be remiss if I did not point out that the human rights situation in your country is one of the best in the region. Not to mention that you are as concerned with security as we are in Canada.
Mali quickly emerged as a leader and inspiration in the fight against antipersonnel mines and the proliferation of small arms.
You passed legislation on the implementation of the Ottawa Convention and hosted the pan‑African Seminar on the Universalization of the Convention.
Moreover, the Peacekeeping School in Koulikoro, soon to be relocated to Bamako, is a wonderful example of multilateralism. Various countries are working with you to ensure the smooth operation and management of the school.
I am told that more than 14 000 students have been trained at the school and are now putting their knowledge to use in several countries. It is a remarkable, admirable contribution by a country such as yours that has suffered the agony of conflict. During my time here in Mali, I will have the opportunity to meet with military personnel who have trained at this school.
Mali and Canada are also partners in La Francophonie. It was during the November 2000 international symposium, held in Mali, and following the release of the Bamako Declaration on Democracy, Good Governance and Human Rights, that La Francophonie established itself as a political force in the concert of nations.
Canada is proud to stand beside Mali as it works tirelessly to improve its governance and ensure respect for the basic rights of its citizens. The Canadian International Development Agency has supported the day-to-day, constructive efforts by Malians since 1972 and is planning to enhance co‑operation.
Because of its impressive record, Mali is one of twenty-five countries where Canada will be focusing its action in the coming years. By streamlining Canada’s approach, we tripled our financial assistance to Mali in 2004-05.
Three priorities have been identified: improved access to basic social services, including health and education; sustained increase in household incomes; and the promotion of good governance, security and the principle of the rule of law.
Universal access to education, for girls and boys, is essential. To be able to break free once and for all from the devastating cycle of poverty, youth need to be given the means to see beyond the misery around them, the means to reach their full potential unimpeded, and the means to do all they can for the betterment of us all.
Though I stand before you as the governor general of Canada, I was born in a poor country, the poorest in the Americas, where illiteracy and a lack of resources continue to cloud the futures of too many young people, condemning them to a life of destitution, of petty and more serious crime.
Mali, like Haiti, sees its sons and daughters dreaming of a future elsewhere. Not only are these young people taking enormous risks in doing so, they are also draining their country of its very lifeblood. Haiti and Mali are losing their children.
Finally, Excellency, I said it this morning before the National Assembly and I will repeat it once again this evening: as a woman, I hope with all of my heart that my Malian sisters will be given equal opportunity in all sectors of society.
I wish for their physical integrity, health, education and dignity to be a treasure for the people of Mali. Better still, Excellency, a collective responsibility. I am counting on you and on the open hearts and minds of all Malians.
Over the next few days, it will be my great joy to meet with women, military personnel, journalists, members of civil society, artists—in essence, the people who will give me new insights into Mali and whose stories I am anxious to hear.
I will also have the tremendous privilege of visiting Mopti, Djenne, and Bandiagara to fill my eyes and my soul with the invaluable contribution that the Malian culture has made to the heritage of humanity.
I have only just arrived in Mali, but I already know that I will never really leave. I will carry with me, to share with Canadians, a little of your unique perspective on the world.
And now more than ever, I firmly believe that, in the words of Amadou Hampâté Bâ, “[translation] men can achieve the same goal by walking different paths.” Provided that, as the poet so eloquently put it, “[translation] our hunger to know continues to burn within.”
I salute you, the people of Mali, and extend to you the friendship of the people of Canada.
