| Three events in which I had the opportunity to participate have just taken place, each one in a different West African country. · The first was a seminar in Bamako, Mali, organised by AproCA (Association des producteurs de coton de l’Afrique de l’Ouest). Food sovereignty was not the subject on the agenda, but the AProCA has publicly expressed its commitment to food sovereignty. · In Bouaké in the Ivory Coast the theme of the meeting was “The Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) and Food Sovereignty. · In Kaolack, Senegal, the third Senegalese Social Forum was held. The main topics were “Stop the EPAs in their present form. Yes to food sovereignty. Yes to fair trade”. It so happened that at each one of these three events, we were served meals of imported rice, mainly from Thailand. During our coffee break in Bamako we were treated to croissants and imported soft drinks! Of course, food sovereignty can not be reduced to a matter of individual choice or to a mere demonstration. It concerns the rights of citizens, the state or a union of states, to determine their farm and food policy. This right, in its essence, is the right to effectively protect the country from imports, but it has still not been recognised for the peoples of West Africa. That is the reason why there is such abundance of old Thai rice and subsidised American rice in these countries. However, if we really wish to be heard by our political leaders and by the international community, we must show responsibility and consistency. We must prove from now on that it is possible to promote West African products and eat less imported foodstuffs. We must try the experience and realise that one can eat very well and eat wisely by using local products and seasonal fruit grown on the land where we live. A first step towards food sovereignty would be to see to it that the various NGOs, associations (and shortly also trade unions and political groups) who have decided to work for food sovereignty, make the decision to no longer offer imported rice at their meetings. And they should also serve more local beverages. I launch this day an appeal to the organisers of the World Social Forum to be held in Mali in February: Make sure that not one single grain of imported rice reaches the premises of the forum. Give us the fine rice of Mali, in particular the Gambiaca! And why not have a forum where only West African food, in particular food produced in Mali, is served? Koudougou, 3 November 2006
Maurice Oudet
Director, SEDELAN | 
