Newsmakers
Yearbook
Profiles
Yearbook
Profiles
2
ATA
Chapter
Presidents
Dr.
Beryl Dorsett
and
ThAfrica
GroupWe
met in Lalibela, on Ethiopia's
famous Holy Route.
Imagine a
scene from faraway Tibet, in that
fascinating mountain village on
the Horn of Africa. The charming
lady that appeared that day was
Dr.
Beryl Dorsett, founder of the
Africa Group of New York. She's
an inspiration to all who know
her, and I am proud to call her
friend. Beryl has a big heart,
willing hands and a firm
dedication to helping Africans
enjoy a better lifestyle in peace
and dignity. Africa Travel
Magazine's editors first met Dr.
Dorsett in Lalibela, one of
Ethiopia's Holy cities, in
February, 2000. As International
Governor of the National
Association of Negro Business and
Professional Women's Clubs Inc.
Dr. Dorsett has a Herculean task.
This involves travels to remote
villages in Africa seeking unique
ways to help women cope with
issues of health, education, and
economic
development.
More->
Therese
Haury
Therese
has been a stalwart in the Cote
d'Ivoire, helping establish
health clinics in local villages
and obtaining medical equipment
from sources in Europe and
America. Her company Haury- Tours
Voyages, has two agency offices,
one of which is located in the
lobby of the Inter Continental
Hotel Ivoire. Here is her story,
told in her own words (translated
from French).
"My dream
was to be a surgeon in Africa,
but my family never accepted it,
so I kept that dream in mind
while traveling around the world.
I arrived in Cote d'Ivoire in
1976. I reached my goal to live
in Africa, however, it was not as
a surgeon but as an insurance
Agent.
To realize my dream, I created a
Women's club in Memni village,
helping the Bush Community
clinic, the colonies of leprosy
with material donated by sources
in France. Five villages,
Loundou, Yohou, Cousso, Gnielle,
Tchechanga adopted me.
Every Tuesday since 1995, when
the Village of Memni, 60 km from
Abidjan adopted me, we've had
meetings on managing the village
and settling problems. Lately,
some African friends said I was a
white woman by mistake. If you
learn to leave your European or
American mindset behind, you'll
discover a fabulous life here in
Africa. The human warmth, a
smile, and a simple 'bonjour'
will open most avenues for
you.
Seidnaly
Alphadi,
While
returning to Paris from Cameroon,
we spent some quality time with
Seidnaly
Alphadi,
(opposite) whose African-
inspired creations are taking
Europe by storm. It seemed like
half the plane was filled with
models from a Fashion Show he had
just staged.
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We
Welcome Your Profiles for our ATA
Jubilee Year
Book
Mrs.
Suzan
Muhwezi
Updated profiles of Mrs. Suzan
Muhwezi, President of ATA Uganda
Chapter and other key members are
being updated and will appear
soon in this section of the
website and in our
magazine.
With the
Africa Travel Association's 30th
Jubilee Congress in Nairoibi, May
15-20, the excitement is mounting
as our magazine's editors and ATA
staff present a landmark souvenir
capsule of ATA's progress. The
above profiles of members past
and present are a key step in
that direction, as the
association's great strength is
the caliber of people in its
chapters and on its Board of
Directors.
To
submit a profile, please fax
1-604-681-6595, E-mail
africa@dowco.com
Eddie
Bergman and Miracle Corners of
the
World.
Another
very dynamic and harmonious 'one
man band' we admire greatly is
Eddie Bergman of New York.
Eddie joined ATA after viewing
this web site and he has been a
real engine of activity and
goodwill. He has been recruiting
fellow students at New York
University and rolling up his
sleeves in more ways than one.
The group's first African
project, "Miracle Corners" is
located in Arusha, Tanzania. Read
about their untiring efforts and
accomplishments on our special
page. Biography
Robert
Eilets
Among
some tribes of the Diaspora,
tribesmen avoid being
photographed, as it is believed
that ones' soul will be forever
lost on the earthly plain. When
one views photographer Robert
Eilet's work, one can certainly
appreciate the basis of this
belief for he has surely captured
the spiritual essence of his
subjects. The wisdom of the
elders, the devout faith of men,
the innocence of the little
babies swaddled to their mother's
backs as well as the quiet
dignity and beauty of the women
are all evidenced in this
exceptional photo exhibit that
chronicles.
Chief
Margaret Fabiyi
In
2000 at the Addis Hilton in
Ethiopia, our editor was prompted
to get into the act, and took the
stage, along with his ATA
colleagues at an event sponsored
by Chief Margaret Fabiyi of
Nigeria. The first of what's now
an annual affair, was held in
Arusha, Tanzania . Convinced by
the results from Webtrends and
comments from Tourism Ministers,
we know that Africa Travel
Magazine's readers enjoy this
timely topic. That's why we
invite designers, jewelers and
cosmetics firms to send items of
interest. African wear has been a
routine with us for years at home
and away. It's a reminder of the
wide smiles, upbeat attitudes and
lasting friendships we enjoy.
Like the pace and lifestyle of
Africa itself... it feels good.
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Marlene
Melton
Marlene
E. Melton, president of African
Ventures, Inc. has nearly 20
years experience as an
advertising, sales and marketing
professional. Her career
with The New York Times exposed
her to the many facets of
advertising sales, sales
management, strategy development
and
marketing.
Ms.
Melton's career was distinguished
by four New York Times
Publisher's Awards for
outstanding advertising sales
performance and numerous other
distinctions throughout her
20-year career. Prior to
leaving The Times in July, 2001,
she was responsible for Foreign
Tourism Advertising Sales
specifically for the Africa,
Asia, Middle East and Latin
America regions.
Continued->
Daniel
"Dan"
Dunn
"One of
the most valued friendships we've
enjoyed in recent years, occurred
during our May 2001 visit to
South Africa, while in the
company of Daniel (Dan) Dunn of
Cape Town. During four great days
of dawn to dusk touring by mini
van, Dan not only showed us many
of the Cape area's top
attractions, but added spice to
the occasion by relating a wide
variety of local facts and
legends. In my opinion, the most
intriguing stories involve
Daniel's own family, a line which
descended from John Dunn, whose
story is related in a book by
Charles Ballard. Excerpts from
that book will appear on this web
site and in coming editions of
Africa Travel Magazine. We are
sure you will enjoy it."
Editor
Book Review->
Louis
d'Amore
Founder
and President, International
Institute for Peace through
Tourism. Profile to come. For
details on the history and
current activities of his
organization. Visit
this page.
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ATA at USA Trade Shows
Muguette
Goufrani
Muguette
Goufrani's airline agent, tour
guide and travel agency
background has been the key to
her media success, resulting in
an ATA Travel Industry
Outstanding Service Award in 2001
and 2004.
Her career positions - Royal Air
Maroc, AOL
Airlines,
Air Afrique, Matson Lines, Palm
Springs Resorts, Club Med, Tahiti
Tours and Noumea Tours speak for
her capability. After graduating
from College du Paris, she
launched her career in
Casablanca,
Morocco,
where the Goufrani family has
operated a tour company.
A dual
citizen
and member of Canada's
Francophone
Community,:
Muguette has been featured on
Caribbean and African television,
radio and print media in both
English and French. Her first
assignment was the 1996 ATA
Ecotourism Symposium in
Marrakech, Morocco. This was
followed by a National Geographic
- American Airlines sponsored
project in Haiti, plus numerous
ATA events ever since.
The
World Scene: Muguette's
travels have included Europe,
Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, China,
Japan, Russia, Australia the
Caribbean, and most of Europe.
Active with the Africa Travel
Association and PATA, she focuses
her efforts on tourism to and
from the world's Francophone
community.
David J. Saunders
Mr. David
J. Saunders is the President of
the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the
Africa Travel Association and
cofounder of a full-service
travel and tourism company. Venue
International Professionals, Inc.
based in the Washington
Metropolitan Area. He has written
articles on the Business of
Tourism and several destination
profiles for ATA's magazine and
website. Here are his comments on
a key market of interest to ATA.
"We as African-Americans must
reach out, make contact and
continue to participate in the
emergence of Africa as the
tourism destination for the next
millennium. This bold concept
will hopefully serve as the
impetus to challenge, inspire and
motivate many more
African-Americans to visit Africa
and establish cultural and
economic ties with their brothers
and sisters in Africa. I further
believe that the overall success
of this noteworthy endeavor
requires purpose, imagination,
tenacity and leadership. Within
the Africa Travel Association, I
truly welcome the expertise and
experience of the many interested
African-American travelers to
Africa in assisting us to achieve
our expectations. It is our firm
belief that we can only get
closer together by sharing our
cultures and dreams in order to
bridge the socioeconomic gap
between our two continents."
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