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|AUCC RESPONDS TO CRISIS IN HAITI
The African University College of Communications (AUCC) organized a press briefing on 21st January 2010 as part of the University’s response to help the people of Haiti in the aftermath of the devastating quake that has displaced over three million Haitians and killed about two hundred thousand Haitians. The Briefing was held the Discovery House campus of AUCC at Adabraka, Accra, Ghana. Some of the media houses present at the briefing were the Ghana News Agency, TV Africa, Metro TV, GBC radio, and Daily Dispatch.
In his opening remarks, the Vice-President for Institutional Advancement of AUCC and renowned authority of African Studies, Prof. Kofi Asare Opoku informed journalists and students that Haitians and Africans were one people because during the era of the Slave Trade, Africans slaves were sent from Africa to Haiti by French colonialists to work on their plantations there. He lauded the invincibility and creativity of Haitians and stated that Haiti was the first country in the western hemisphere to abolish slavery as well as the second independent republic in the western hemisphere.
The Vice-President (Academic) of AUCC, Prof. Reginald Jackson presented AUCC ‘s response to the Haiti crisis and indicated in his address that as a Pan-African university, AUCC was spearheading the setting up of a fund in collaboration with legitimate aid organizations in order to send monetary assistance to the people of Haiti.
In his address, the head of the Student Representative Council of AUCC, Nana Glover informed journalists and all present that “the most devastating thing abut the catastrophe is “to see young lives in the rubble and young orphaned children in so much anguish.” He also indicated AUCC students were joining hands with the faculty to set up the fund to enable people to contribute their widow’s mite to the people of Haiti.
As the linkage between Africans and Haitians was clearly drawn by more faculty members who gave brief solidarity messages at the function, the reality of the Haitian crisis appeared to have dawned on the entire audience and empathies seemed more pronounced. A minute silence in honour of the numerous departed souls of Haiti was called for by the chairman of the event, Mr. Ato Amoaning, Vice President, Administration and Finance, AUCC.
The press briefing came to an end at approximately 12. 15 pm.