PAMBAZUKA NEWS
(Pambazuka editor’s note: The following letters are part of a moving and insightful exchange between two women who have been respected leaders of citizen movements in West Africa for decades. These two friends are known for their wisdom, courage, creativity and unfailing commitment to justice, peace and the well-being of their respective countries, Guinea Bissau and Mali. This week, Pambazuka is pleased to share some of their personal correspondence following the coups d’état first in Mali in March and then in Guinea Bissau in April. The letters have been translated from French and are signed with pen names due to concerns for the safety of the women, their comrades and families during these very difficult times.)
BISSAU, MAY 5, 2012
Dear friends at Pambazuka,
Thank you for the invitation to share some of the correspondence between my friend from Mali, Assénatou, and me.
Assénatou and I first met around common causes and struggles in our countries, Mali and Guinea-Bissau in West Africa. We got to know each other within the citizens’ movements for social justice in our continent, as we struggled for strategic ways and means to sustain the well being of our peoples and future generations. It is through these battles that we have become the great friends and true sisters that we are today.
I would like to share with you how my friend Assénatou, with her clarity, wisdom and courage, has supported and inspired our struggle in Guinea-Bissau by sharing with us her own journey and struggles in Mali.
And this connection does not end. It has continued and will continue between us, through e-mails and phone calls as the situations in our respective countries are changing and we feel the need to reinforce each other, to share friendship and tenderness. In this way we encourage each other, we inspire each other and we sustain trust in the future, even if it is still far away.
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