African Activist Archive

This fundraising mailing for the Washington Office on Africa expresses concern that U.S. policymakers are ignoring the ongoing crises in South Africa, Zaire and around the continent, indifferent to the many African nations that are beset by armed conflict, economic collapse, and failed development efforts. The mailing notes the Washington Office on Africa's long record of advocacy for southern Africa and the current pressing challenges to address a broader range of Africa's urgent needs. The mailing explains that the Washington Office on Africa (WOA), a lobbying organization, was founded in 1972 by a coalition of religious denominations and trade unions. The mandate of WOA and its Educational Fund (WOAEF) was to support the movement for freedom from white-minority rule in southern Africa. The distinctive roles played by WOA and WOAEF within the anti-apartheid movement have been to provide information and action resources addressing U.S. policy. The mailing says that, in the 1970's, WOA lobbied for and helped win the Clark Amendment which ended U.S. covert involvement in Angola's internal affairs; WOA also lobbied for sanctions on the white- minority regimes Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe. In the 1980's, WOA helped win sanctions legislation against apartheid South Africa and focused U.S. attention on the illegal occupation of Namibia. In the 1990's, WOA continues to support the goals of a non-racial democracy in South Africa and peace in the southern African region. WOA also must expand its scope to respond to the upsurge of grassroots African demands for democracy and development throughout the continent. This comes in an era of donor fatigue and attention-grabbing changes throughout the rest of the world. The mailing asks for a contribution or subscribing to the Washington Notes on Africa newsletter for $20. An enclosed flyer describes the latest special issue: Apartheid's Legacy and Southern Africa in the 1990s.

African Activist Archive

[Dear Friend, We are writing you because we know you care about Africa.]

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