To the Theater department, SIUC staff and students and the people of Southern Illinois.

We, the members of the African Student Council of SIUC would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to you all for the overwhelming kindness and generosity you showed our friend and brother, Joe Kimwenje on the sad occasion of the passing away of his daughter, in Malawi, Southern Africa. Members of the African Student Council had contributed a small sum of money to assist Joe on the first few miles of his trip to Africa but thanks to your generosity, we did not use the money. However, we have decided to save it for a rainy day if , God forbid, we have a similar situation.

The record shows that African students started coming to SIUC about forty years ago; and if I may paraphrase a great son of Illinois, Abraham Lincoln, thought the years they have received nothing but kindness at your hands. The people of Illinois have always received African and other international students with open arms. To paraphrase another American leader, President Bill Clinton, Everyone who thinks Americans are selfish individualists should come to Southern Illinois.

Advertisement

In most African cultures, a person’s net worth is measured in terms of their age as well as the number of their friends and relatives. The hospitality and friendship African students have received here over the years have indeed made them wealthy people in more ways than one.

President, African Student Council