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A B O U T   T H E    T O U R

The Africa Peace Tour was begun in 1986 by the Africa Peace Committee, a group of faith based, nongovernmental organizations, all with long and active interest in Africa. Over the years the Africa Peace Tour was housed in a number of the larger organizations. In January of 2002, the APT formed a Board of Directors and established itself as independent tax exempt entity. The new Board of Directors believed as the Africa Peace Committee did that in order to change U.S. geopolitical and economic policies toward Africa, citizens of this country must be informed about current issues in Africa. It was felt that this goal was best achieved by working to increase U.S. citizens' understanding of the diverse cultures, languages, religions, economic and social structures, and histories on the African continent.

The Africa Peace Committee decided to undertake educational Tours throughout the country as one method of building this understanding. The committee believed that by bringing knowledgeable Africans directly to U.S. audiences, they could promote personal contacts and gives US citizens access to Africa on an understandable, compelling, and deeply personal level. Personal contact helps to dispel myths, and combats racist ideas that are perpetuated in segments of U.S. society, and make visible the cultural diversity of Africa.

The Tour seeks to challenge U.S. citizens to understand that African interests should not be seen as less important than those of the most industrialized nations. The Tour exposes U.S. citizens to African thoughts on Africa, such as this perspective on democracy by African Trade Unionist Secretary General Hassan Sunmonu: “Participation is meaningless without empowerment, and without active participation by empowered people, there will never be genuine democracy in Africa...Africans do not want the type of democracy that is by the rich, for the rich, on behalf of the poor."

U.S. citizens should also know that aid flows from South to North by a number of mechanisms. These include: high interest rates on loans; rates that are sometimes raised without prior consultation; loans that are also often contingent on the purchase of northern goods; the cheap sale of Africa's raw materials to the North, which are purchased by Africa as expensive finished products; and wealth that flows North through the South's purchase of education and technical assistance.

We genuinely believe that once people in the United States have an accurate picture of the history of Africa and their own historic and current connections with Africa, action will be taken to make a permanent change in U.S. policy toward Africa.