Friday, September 22, 2023
Tribute to A Great Pan-Africanist: Her Excellency Ambassador Dr. Susan H.E. Alfred, President of the Ghana-Caribbean Chamber of Commerce (GCCC), May 1, 1969 – September 19, 2023
Prof. David L. Horne and Dr. Line Hilgros

“Through death, the family is not destroyed, it is transformed, it is just a part of it that goes into the invisible. Death is not an absence, because it remains a discreet presence.”
– Dr. Line Hilgros, SRDC-Guadeloupe

Prof. David L. Horne, founder of the organization SIXTH REGION DIASPORA CAUCUS (SRDC) of the USA, Central America, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyana and all our members, learned with amazement and sorrow the passage towards the luminous summits of our dear friend Her Excellency Doctor Susan Hycenth Efe Alfred.

Guadeloupe-Martinique: ONE PEOPLE ONE NATION ONE GOAL

A great Trinidadian and Ghanaian by adoption has just added her name to the African pantheon of Pan-Africanist pioneers.

The SRDC would like to acclaim you for the legacy you have left us, and above all to thank you, because in all humility you have left the mark of your intelligence on the African world and its descendants.

As Ghana’s excellent ambassador for the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries and the African Union, you have helped to forge unfailing links between the two sides of the Atlantic, the world of Mother Africa and that of her deported children.

The SRDC would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to you as a woman of passion, conviction and determination, whose unshakeable will could not be swayed by any pressure, and whose beautiful creative soul, independent of all powers, had a clear vision for the development of our regions. The SRDC also remembers your courtesy, humility and savoir-être, filled with gratitude and love for our Mother Continent, all qualities that have made your aura reach far beyond the borders of your beloved country Trinidad and Tobago.

Your struggles and work to advance the Pan-African cause, and to build a bridge between Ghana, the Caribbean and, by extension, the Diaspora as a whole, made you an exceptional individual.

To be or not to be? said Shakespeare,

You chose to Be, by quietly building lasting relations between Ghana and its uprooted children, thus implementing the directives of the International Decade of People of African Descent, with the creation of the Chamber of Commerce whose objective is to link the Caribbean with Ghana. Together with your family and colleagues, we will strive to ensure that your legacy continues to flourish.

The SRDC would like to thank you once again for refocusing on the real issues at stake in the future of Ghana-Diaspora relations, with courage and determination.

The time has come for us to say goodbye and not farewell to our fabulous and charismatic comrade, following that fateful Tuesday 19 September 2023, when her luminous smile, a source of inspiration, was brutally snatched from our affection.

The SRDC salutes with love, strength, gratitude and sorrow the memory of our sister Her Excellency Dr. Susan H. E. Alfred who has just joined the circle of Great Ancestors.

And as you advance along the path of Light, we ask Mama Africa (Miriam Makeba) to sing the hymn of welcome to the Righteous of this world, of which you are now a part.

Ase! Ase! Ase! Asante sana

Condolences to the Alfred family and to the Honorable Members of the Ghana-Caribbean Chamber of Commerce (GCCC)!

Prof. David L. Horne, PhD
Founder of SRDC
Founder and Executive Director of Pan African Public Policy and Ethical Institute (PAPPEI)