Madam, - Can we for once stop being so politically correct and direct a part of that "constructive anger" which Mrs Mary Robinson talked about at some of the African leaders/dictators who for many years have contributed to the erosion of democracy, peace, progress, civil freedom, pride and contentment in a continent rich in natural resources.
Celebrated, rich pop stars or others in the Western world are not the only people who should be very concerned about the current state of African countries
Hasn't the time arrived for able Africans - not just Nelson Mandela - to have the moral courage to lead their own people towards true freedom - freedom from greedy and senseless dictators, hunger, disease, debt?
I am reminded of the powerful words of Robert Kennedy: "Each time a man stands up for an idea, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centres of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.
"Few are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or greater intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change a world that yields most painfully to change." - Yours etc.,
MARY TOOMEY,
Kill Lane,
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.