UNION
POUR LA DÉMOCRATIE
ET LE PROGRÈS SOCIAL

Some ideas

First, I begin by wishing hope for your family and friends in the current chaos of the democratic republic of congo.

I am writing to the udps because after attending the march in washington in november, i have thought of some ideas for your group.

First, there is an award called the Right Livelihood Award from Sweden. It is the alternative Nobel prize. People like Petra Kelly of the Green Party in Germany or the mothers of Chechnya have won it in the past. It is free to enter and you have to answer ten questions. It is presented in the swedish parliment. I thought it would be good for tshikedi (i can never spell it right!) or for the UDPS as a group to apply. With an emphasis on non-violence and anti-tribalism, I would wonder why they would say no? There is a cash prize, but more important for Congo is that people are aware of the problems there.

I am american, so I will say something about us that is not so nice. Generally, americans are unaware of africa and the problems there. People ask who is the president of africa, do you have elephants in your backyard-you all know what I am talking about.

What is important is to find ways of making americans aware of Congo. marketing is a part of that. Everything is marketed to us, from dishsoap to politicians-it all has to be packaged and targeted for a specific group.

Tibet is a good example. Five years ago only a small community knew about the problems there. Now, through successful marketing-they aimed at a specific age group, have celebrities heading it and a clear leader-the Dalai Lama-most people know that there is a problem in tibet. How to get congo to this stage?

The Right Livelihood Award is one place to start. Start to think of other ways to get the word out. This website is a good way, but it is important to think of as many ways as possible.

I would like to think that if more people knew about your situation, kabila would have never been backed as someone who could ever bring democracy. any foreign politician would have to be ashamed of deciding for kabila.

If you would like more information about the Right Livelihood Foundation in Stockholm, I have the packet they sent which has the address etc. which I dont have with me now. Please email me for more information. I would like to help however I can.

Jean Vortkamp
Detroit