Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, September 20, 1993 TAG: 9309200086
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BONNIE V. WINSTON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
The door opened, and out stepped Sir Ketumile J. Masire, president of the Republic of Botswana.
Several hundred children, poised and ready for the moment, cheered at the top of their elementary-school lungs. Excitedly, they waved miniature flags of Virginia, the United States and the southern African nation.
The 392nd Army Band, from Petersburg's Fort Lee, struck up Botswana's national anthem, followed by "The Star-Spangled Banner".
A fourth-grader, speaking in Masire's native tongue, Setswana, welcomed the distinguished visitor to Virginia. Bowing, the youngster presented Masire a ribboned bouquet of flowers, and the visitor stepped to a blue-carpeted podium to acknowledge the welcome.
Gov. Douglas Wilder, escort for Masire and his small entourage through the pomp and pageantry, beamed as news crews from Virginia, Washington and Botswana captured the scene.
It was replayed throughout Sunday afternoon as Wilder greeted the president or representative of more than a dozen sub-Saharan African nations.
The heads of state are convening in Richmond, along with the governors of 14 Southern states, for an unprecedented three-day trade and cultural summit hosted by Wilder, chairman of the Southern Governors' Association.
The capstone of the summit is expected this afternoon when the governors and the African leaders sign an accord pledging their cooperation on trade and investment partnerships, educational and health collaborations, and cultural exchanges.
For the governors, the pact signals the further opening of new markets for Southern-produced goods to up to 650 million people. For the Africans, it is an opportunity to advance their developing nations.
"We have aid. The operative word now is trade," said Masire, who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991.
"If we can have a solid economic base, the chances are better that democracy will flourish," said Chief M.T. Mbu, secretary of foreign affairs for Nigeria.
After a trade show and forums on economic development, health care, waste management and rural electrification, the African delegations will be taken on specialized tours of more than 50 businesses in Virginia and North Carolina.
After their meetings with the African leaders, the governors on Tuesday will convene on their own to discuss improving the quality of life in the South. An "electronic town meeting," moderated by ABC News' Hal Bruno, will be held and televised Tuesday at Virginia Commonwealth University, with college students quizzing the governors on political and economic issues.
In between are an array of elaborate luncheons, dinners and receptions for the governors and the African leaders. The first, a spectacular welcome reception and buffet dinner Sunday for about 1,000 under huge, white tents erected around Capitol Square, featured Virginia cuisine and beverages.
Costumed interpreters in 18th- and 19th-century costumes strolled the grounds, while a Revolutionary War-era fifer and drummer played authentic field music.
Wilder has traveled to Africa twice on trade missions in the last 15 months and is to open a Virginia trade office in an as-yet-unannounced country in West Africa before he leaves office in January.
While the summit may give Wilder the foreign policy experience he needs for a run for the U.S. Senate next year, it also could help Virginia boost exports to Africa.
Last year, the state exported $328 million worth of goods to Africa, but among Southern states was outranked by Louisiana, $1.6 billion; Texas, $1.5 billion; and Maryland, $396 million, in business there.
In addition to food, industrial machinery and electronic parts, Virginia supplied 64 percent of all U.S. tobacco exports to Africa in 1992 and 60 percent of all coal from the United States.
by CNB