Remarks(by(H.E.(Mr.(ESTIFANOS(Afeworki,(Ambassador(of(the(State(of(Eritrea(to(Japan(and(Dean(of(the(African(Diplomatic(Corps(in(Tokyo(on(the(Sayonara(Luncheon(hosted(by(the(African(Diplomatic(Corps(on(the(Departure(of(Her(Excellency(Mrs.(Salome(T.(SIJAONA(Ambassador(Extraordinary(and(Plenipotentiary(of(the(United(Republic(of(Tanzania(on(April(24,(2015(!
!Good!afternoon,!Excellencies!and!Dear!Colleagues,!
!
Today,!brothers!and!sisters,!we!are!all!here!gathered!in!this!Sayonara!Luncheon!
to!express!our!sincere!appreciation!and!gratitude!to!Her!Excellency!Mrs.!Salome!
T.!SIJAONA!Ambassador!Extraordinary!and!Plenipotentiary!of!the!United!
Republic!of!Tanzania!not!only!for!her!great!contribution!to!our!collective!
diplomatic!efforts,!here!in!Tokyo,!but!also!for!being!always!a!supporting!and!
lovely!personal!sister,!to!all!of!us!here,!in!the!last!five!years!since!13th!!April!
2010.!
!
Tanzania!is!an!example!among!the!African!countries,!which!has!successfully!used!
tourism!stimulus!to!conserve!and!enhance!the!natural!environment!and!cultural!
heritage!of!Africa!and!Your!Excellency’s!leadership!have!demonstrated!that!to!all!
of!us.!!
!
Her!Excellency's!effort!to!gang!up!public!and!private!sector!efforts!to!help!create!
Africa,!as!one!of!the!important!destinations!for!Japan!tourism,!targeted!the!travel!
market!and!industry.!It!was!a!challenging!task!that!the!African!Diplomatic!Corps!
entrusted!to!Her!Excellency,!besides!the!bilateral!needs!and!requirements!
between!Tanzania!and!Japan,!and!other!personal!challenges!she!skillfully!and!
patiently!managed!here!in!Tokyo!during!the!last!five!years.!!
!
Hawaii,!USA/Canada,!Europe,!Oceania,!Micronesia,!China,!Asia/South!Korea!are!
respectively!the!major!destinations!of!Japanese!tourism!industry.!The!number!of!
Japanese!departure!of!tourists!to!these!destinations!reaches!1.8!million!per!
month.!!Travel!market!trend!to!Africa!is!insignificantly!small!when!compared!to!
these!global!destinations.!!It!is!only!a!few!thousands!departures!from!Japan!to!
Africa.!!
!
As!a!chair!of!the!Tourism!Committee!of!the!ADC,!the!task!to!influence!this!trend,!
the!so!not!good!performance!of!African!tourism!from!Japan,!in!a!positive!manner!
was!not!easy.!Therefore,!the!task!given!to!Her!Excellency!by!the!African!
Diplomatic!Corps!(ADC)!was!without!any!doubt!daunting.!But!Her!Excellency's!
effort!to!use!tourism!as!an!important!stimulus!to!increase!the!visibility!of!our!
continent!in!Japanese!tourism!events!such!as!JATA!exhibitions!and!other!forums!
conducted!in!Tokyo!was!a!success.!!
!
Dear!sister,!on!behalf!of!ADC!and!myself,!let!me!assure!you!that!we!shall!continue!
Your!Excellency's!valuable!efforts,!to!use!tourism!as!vehicle!for!exposing!the!
potential!of!African!countries!to!Japanese!investors,!because!Africa!deserves!to!
become!one!of!the!biggest!tourist!destinations!of!the!world!in!general!and!Japan!
in!particular.!ADC!welcomes!the!inauguration!of!Ethiopian!Airlines!and!looks!

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forward!to!the!restart!of!Egypt!Air!operations!to!and!from!Africa!soon.!ADC!will!
continue!to!encourage!also!Japan!Airlines!to!fly!to!destinations!on!Africa.!!
Her!Excellency's!carrier,!in!the!past,!has!been!marked!with!many!footprints!of!
ground!works!on!developmental!issues!and!economic!challenges!of!Tanzania!
such!as!on!construction!of!schools,!roads,!agriculture,!villagization,!social!work,!
animal!husbandry,!cooperatives,!community!development,!planning,!land!
management!and!many!more,!including!but!not!excluding:!as!a!Deputy!Secretary!
of!the!Ministry!of!Land,!Housing!and!Human!Settlement,!Permanent!Secretary!of!
Regional!Administration!and!Local!Government,!Permanent!Secretary!of!
Ministry!of!Lands,!Housing!and!Human!Settlement.!Her!Excellency's!major!
achievement,!among!the!many!during!these!period,!is!a!survey!made!of!20,000!
plots!in!Dar!es!Selaam,!aimed!at!solving!the!problem!of!corruption.!This!project!
is!now!used!as!a!model!in!other!towns!of!Tanzania.!We!love!you!Salome!for!
leading!that!project!too.!
!
As!we!all!know,!Tanzania!is!one!of!the!first!African!independent!countries,!which!
paid!a!heavy!sacrifice!for!the!cause!of!Pan!Africanism!and!the!dignity!of!the!black!
race.!Tanzania!was!a!key!and!one!of!the!Frontline!States,!which!hastened!the!end!
of!the!white!rule!in!South!Africa!and!Rhodesia!by!pressing!for!sanctions!and!
assisting!the!exiled!ANC!and!ZANU.!It!trained!more!ANC!and!ZANU!fighters!than!
any!other!African!state!during!the!27!years!that!antiaapartheid!icon!Nelson!
Mandela!was!in!prison!and!when!Ian!Smith!took!power!and!announced!a!
Unilateral!Declaration!of!Independence!(UDI)!in!Rhodesia.!Dear!Sister,!allow!me,!
to!say!a!few!words,!on!my!personal!history,!during!this!luncheon,!on!this!
important!issue!of!Tanzania!being!the!heart!beat!of!Africa.!!I!personally!came!to!
know!and!started!following!Tanzania’s!leaders!when!I!read,!Life!Magazine!issue!
on!Tanganyika!in!1964,!when!I!was!a!young!boy.!Mr.!Karume,!quoted!in!this!
article,!saying!"for!Africa!to!be!truly!free!the!two!leaders!in!Africa:!Emperor!Haile!
Selassie!of!Ethiopia!and!Prime!Minister!John!Vorster!of!South!Africa!must!be!
hanged!from!the!highest!tower!in!Johannesburg.”!Ten!years!later,!in!1973,!I!was!
in!prison,!standing!in!the!High!Court!of!Ethiopia!accused!of!plotting!to!overthrow!
the!Emperor.!I!have!to!confess!to!my!sister!today,!the!strong!message!from!
Tanzania!was!always!ringing!in!my!mind!in!those!ten!years.!It!still!is.!
!
Today,!Tanzania's!governance,!agriculture,!industry,!construction,!mining,!
tourism,!banking,!transport!and!social!services!are!successfully!growing.!Its!
demographic,!linguistic!distribution!and!strategic!location!are!also!gaining!fast!
their!importance!in!relation!to!the!neighboring!countries!peace,!stability,!
prosperity,!regional!cooperation!i.e.!Kenya,!Uganda,!Rwanda,!Burundi,!DRC,!
Zambia,!Malawi,!Mozambique!as!well!as!the!Indian!Ocean!countries!and!the!rest!
of!the!world.!ADC!and!myself!wish!Tanzania!and!Your!Excellency!a!very!
successful!voyage!on!this!long!odyssey!of!building!a!strong!nation!worthy!of!its!
history.!
!
Dear!Sister,!let!me!leave!the!floor!because!I!am!sure!Excellencies!and!Dear!
Colleagues!present!in!this!Sayonara!Luncheon,!would!like!to!hear!from!you!on!
how!you!tackled!the!promotion!of!the!strategic!importance!of!Tanzania!and!
Japan!during!the!last!five!years!too.!
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Last!but!not!least,!let!me!extend!also,!on!behalf!of!ADC!and!myself,!To!Your!
Excellency!Dear!Sister,!your!best!half!Mr.!Samuel!Rashid!SIJAONA!and!the!family!
our!best!wishes.!
!
!
Thank!you!
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