22872: Johnson: HAITI AFRICA 2004: TO ALL OF OUR SUPPORTERS (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Johnson <mail@haitiafrica2004.org>

Dear Corbetteers

In Octorber 2003, HAITI AFRICA HERITAGE FOUNDATION and the CONSUL
GENERAL OF BENIN, lunched "HAITI AFRICA 2004"  a back to the roots trip
to celebrate Haiti's 200 years of freedom. however, right after the
press conference, the political situation in Haiti  made it impossible
to promote the project. There were basically a period of inactivity even
after Mr. Aristide departure.
We thought we could have still save the project, so during the month of
May we started our advertising campaign and secured Hotel  and tours
reservations in Benin, Senegal and South Africa. However, during the
past three months all our efforts to get U.S visas for our participants
to transit in the US have Failed. When we lunched the project, we
counted on the USA's ITI and/or TWOV program for the transit leg PAP-USA
of the trip.  We recieved words from the State department prior to the
lunch date that those programs were suspended temporarily and there is
good possibility that they will be reinstated prior to our departure
date. But up to this month this was not the case.

It is important to mention that Mr. Jhonson Napoleon, HAHF's president
used in three different occasions used the ITI (International to
International) program to transit to MIA and JFK with more than 400
Haitians to Isreal, Turkey, Jordan, Palestine and Egypt.

We had more than 80 people mostly from Haiti on our list, among them
more than 72 are without US  Visa.
Because of this situation we have decided to cancel the HAITI AFRICA
2004 project.

We are however in  discussion with  an African company  to see if we
can  still charter a plane to take our people directly to Africa during
the month of November.

Our team in Haiti and USA sincerely sorry that this great even can not
take place (at least for September 1, 2004), we truly did count on this
trip to bring the Haitian culture to our brothers and sister in Africa
and show to them the great African Heritage we have kept.

We are open to suggestion  please send us your questions or comments by
email:
mail@haitiafrica2004.org or call us 786 290 8827

Sincerely yours,

Alex Talon
Consul General du Benin
Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Johnson Napoleon
President of HAHF
Miami Fl.

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