Kwaku Osei Bonsu, GNA Special Correspondent, Salvador, Brazil

Salvador (Brazil), July 13, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor has challenged African intellectuals to rally around and uphold constitutional democracy as a major cornerstone for the rebirth of the Continent.

The principles of good governance, constitutional democracy based on the rule of law and respect for human rights, enshrine the centrality of the human individual and must, therefore, be made the justification for all governments, he said at a roundtable of the plenary session of the second Conference of Intellectuals from Africa and the Diaspora in Salvador, capital city of the Brazilian State of Bahia, the home to majority of Africans in Brazil.

The theme was: "The Diaspora and African Renaissance: Past Contributions and Present Project."

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil and some African Heads of State including President Obiang Nguema Mbasango of Guinea Bissau; President Pedro Pires of Cape Verde and President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal were among those attending.

Also present were Madam Portia Simpson Miller, Prime Minister of Jamaica; Mr Ali Mohammed Shein, Vice President of Tanzania; Mr Alpha Omar Konare, Chairman of the African Union (AU) Commission and Mr Steve Wonder, a renowned African American Singer and Songwriter. The three days conference seeks to promote dialogue between Africa and the Diaspora with a view to re-uniting them.

President Kufuor said it was heart-warming that while the political leaders eagerly searched for more effective ways of restoring the dignity of the Continent and its peoples all over the world, the intellectuals were brainstorming on how to combine their efforts to solve Africa's problems and mainstream it into globalisation, to end the centuries of the Continent's marginalisation.

He encouraged them to work harder to accentuate the positive and to shed off the negative images that much of the world continued to ascribe to Africa and the people of African descent.

He said Ghana since independence had always sought to promote the rights of all Africans both at home and in the Diaspora through various policies and programmes.

As part of this, the country's Tourism Ministry had been re-designated as the Ministry of Tourism and Diasporean Relations to demonstrate its commitment to developing and strengthening of the ties with the Diaspora.

President Kufuor praised the Brazilian Leader and Government for policies adopted to improve the lives of the people of African descent in Brazil, citing the introduction of the study of Afro-Brazilian history in the curriculum of schools in the country. President Lula da Silva drew attention to the need to make the consolidation of a permanent dialogue between Africa and the Diaspora a priority agenda.

He said his country was determined to collaborate with Africa to overcome the historical discrimination and poverty faced by the people in the Continent.

Mr Wonder in a touching speech that drew prolonged applause called for the encouragement of the youth to understand the history of the Continent and the people in the Diaspora.

"We must unify our history. We must also recognise that peace cannot be achieved through war, hate, imperialism and terrorism. These are facts we must accept."

He said his heart was opened to helping to promote the growth of Africa. President Kufuor had earlier toured the Afro-Brazilian Museum to have a look at some relics of the Slave Trade and the San Francisco Church built in 1708. The building which is gold-plated took 40 years to build. 13 July 06