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Clinton pledges 'bright new partnership' with Africa

Clinton
Clinton ends his six-nation tour with a speech at the former slave trading outpost, Goree Island  
April 2, 1998
Web posted at: 3:06 p.m. EST (2006 GMT)

DAKAR, Senegal (CNN) -- From an island that once served as a principal site of the West African slave trade, U.S. President Bill Clinton reflected on a dismal past and predicted a future of partnerships between the United States and African nations.

"Long after the slave ships stopped sailing from this place to America, Goree Island still today looks out onto the new world connecting two continents, standing as a vivid reminder that for some of America's ancestors the journey to America was anything but a search for freedom. And, yet still a symbol of the bright new era of partnership between our peoples," Clinton said.

icon Clinton reflects on his trip to Africa
Memorable moment: Nelson Mandela on Robben Island
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Remembering the "faces of the little children ..."
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"I am proud to be the president of a nation of many colors ..."
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"As certainly as America lies over the horizon behind me, so I pledge to the people of Africa that we will reach over this ocean to build a new partnership based on friendship and respect."

Clinton's comments on Goree Island capped off his 12-day tour of six African nations. Clinton, and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, were to depart Senegal later on Thursday and head home to Washington.

Goree's 'Door of No Return'

The president's speech was preceded by a two-mile boat ride from the Senegalese capital of Dakar to the island of Goree, which means "good harbor."

Cheering children, waving flags, greeted the first couple as they walked along a cobblestone path to a two-story, red-clay former slave house.

Clinton and Diouf peer out from the infamous "Door of No Return" at the slave house  

With Senegalese President Abdou Diouf acting as his guide, President Clinton walked through a dark passageway in the house that leads to the infamous "Door of No Return." There, countless Africans, sold as slaves, were forced onto boats for their voyage across the Atlantic Ocean.

Clinton's aides were not aware of what Clinton would say in his final speech in Africa, but were quick to say he would not apologize for slavery.

But some of the 1,300 people who call Goree Island home said they didn't care whether Clinton apologized, as long as he addressed the issue.

"We just want him to speak about the slavery," said Mustafa Ly, 22. "Pope John Paul (II), he came and he apologized for all the deeds they did, the white people, to blacks.

Clinton's speech
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"We don't have hard feelings, you know, because slavery is past ... But he has to talk about it. It was very important," Ly said.

'We have lived our history'

Although he did not apologize, Clinton talked in depth about slavery and how it forever bonded Africa and the United States.

House of slaves
Goree Island's house of slaves still stands as a stark reminder of the trade  

"We cannot push time backward through the 'Door of No Return.' We have lived our history," Clinton told the crowd. "The long journal of African-Americans proves that the spirit can never be enslaved. That long journey is today embodied by the children of Africa who now lead America in all phases of our common life."

"I am very proud of America's ties to Africa, for there is no area of American achievement that has not been touched by the intelligence and energy of Africa -- from science to medicine to literature to art to music," Clinton told the crowd.

Clinton pointed out a delegation of prominent African-Americans who journeyed with him to Africa, and the crowd gave them a standing ovation.

The president then told the crowd he was returning home convinced a renaissance was under way on the African continent. He recalled the many faces he and the first lady saw during their 12-day trip and said they were the faces of Africa's future.

Greeting Clinton
Well-wishers on Goree Island greet Clinton with an American flag  

"I remember the faces of the young leaders I have met," he said. "Young leaders who believe that Africa can go forward as a free, free continent, where people, all people, enjoy universal human rights."

Observing change

Before leaving Dakar for Goree Island, Clinton met with nine human rights activists from across sub-Saharan Africa. He asked them to consider whether South Africa's approach to reconciliation, following the dismantling of apartheid, could serve as a model for other African nations.

South Africa established a Truth and Reconciliation Commission aimed at exposing apartheid atrocities and putting the nation on a healing course through forgiveness of the past.

A Bridge to Africa Uganda:
Battling AIDS
Senegal:
Unshackling history
Rwanda:
The genocide and after
Ghana:
An economy in shambles
Botswana:
Making hay of ivory
South Africa:
Combating crime

Recognizing the importance of Islam in Senegal, the Clintons also toured the Grand Mosque of Dakar. In keeping with Islamic tradition, the Clintons slipped off their shoes to tour the mosque in their stockinged feet. Respecting tradition, Mrs. Clinton donned a scarf of red, green and gold.

Earlier in the day, Mrs. Clinton met at a Dakar hotel with villagers from Malicounda, who have ended the practice of female circumcision, sometimes referred to as female genital mutilation.

The 2,000-person village, about 100 miles from Dakar, stopped the practice about two years ago. Malicounda's men made the decision, and some of them traveled to surrounding towns to discuss the troubles that can accompany the practice.

"It was not easy for women and men to come together to stand against and speak out against a key ancient custom," the U.S. first lady told the villagers.

Since Malicounda ended the practice, at least 10 other Senegalese villages have followed suit.

Female circumcision is considered an important tradition in dozens of nations across Africa, Asia and the Middle East where girls may be seen as unclean and unfit for marriage if they have not undergone it.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

 
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