TACONA 2012 GET-TOGETHER

PRESIDENT'S WELCOME ADDRESS

(READ ON BEHALF OF THE PRESIDENT BY THE VICE PRESIDENT)

First TACONA Get-Together. Silver Spring, Md. July 7, 2012

Novi nutsuwo, novi nyonuwo, xolowo,tsitsiawo kple deviawo kata, medo dza na mi.

I welcome each and every one to TACONA’s first Get-Together celebration. Before I touch on my message for this event, please join me in thanking the Almighty for granting us the favor to witness this day which is made possible by Him. To Him be the Glory. On the human level, I am greatly indebted to the Chairman and all members of the TACONA Get-Together Planning Committee for their hard work to transform our wishes into a reality.

I however deeply regret the fact thatI am not with you IN PERSON today. But in SPIRIT, I’m with you. I’m here. So let us enjoy together.

Let me start my address by thanking all TACONA members for giving me the chance to be the interim President of the association. During the tenure of my office, I try to discharge all my duties to the best of my ability. While attempting to do that, I might have stepped on some toes. I sincerely apologize to those who felt offended by any of my words or actions. Believe me, none of my words or actions were intentionally calculated to hurt anyone. I don’t expect to score100% job approval rating from every member either. To those who hold the opinion that some issues could have been handled differently, my advice to them is to actively participate in the deliberation of matters affecting TACONA. All humans, including the President of TACONA, make mistakes; the only exception is those who do nothing. If we all openly express our views on matters of interest to TACONA, I bet you mistakes will be reduced to a minimum, if not completely eliminated.

Having said that let me express my profound gratitude to the Interim Executives. I couldnot have led TACONA this far without the Executive members, who immensely contributed to the smooth running of TACONA. When we think of the fact that these members put in their time and efforts without any compensation whatsoever, we all just have to, not only admire them, but be very grateful to them as well.

There are those that I term “behind the scene contributors”. These are individuals who did not have any official tittle in the administration of TACONA and yet their care for TACONA went beyond giving expert advice on certain issues to running errands for TACONA. To them I say thank you.

Last but not the least, I thank all members from the bottom of my heart for their warmth; I have truly enjoyed the comfort they provided me for being part of their family. Let me hereby state that the existence of TACONA and her merits are largely because of the aforementioned groups and individuals. The deficiencies remain my own.

Now, a little background history o TACONA…..…..Taviefe Citizens of North America(TACONA)” was born” during the funeral and burial of the late Dominic Abiew (peace and blessing be upon his soul) whose sudden death sent a wave of shock through all those that knew him. His untimely and sudden departure to the next world left us perplexed, to say the least. We were totally lost and unprepared for such a devastating tragedy. In that state of mind, the idea of forming an Association to better cope with any similar situation that might crop up in the future came from someone at the funeral. As would be expected the idea was enthusiastically embraced by all like minds and on the 20th day of January 2009, TACONA was formally inaugurated.

The circumstance under which TACONA was formed is the underlying factor why the Association at the moment is seen as more tragedy oriented. The primary focus of TACONA at the moment is to be able to offer some financial assistance to a bereaved family when the unfortunate but inevitable happens. But sadly, the current amount entrenched in our Constitution as a donation to the bereaved family is very minimal; in fact, it is only symbolic, not a help in the true sense of the word. It is my hope that a proposal to slightly raise this amount during the review of our Constitution should be on the table. As time goes on this amount should continue to be beefed up based on our financial standing . It is my prayer that TACONA’s contribution to a bereaved family in the near future should make a dent on the funeral expenses.

“Mi wor novi le agbeme”. That is our popular Ewe adage. Furthermore, “Venor memloa axa deka dzio”. With this in mind, we have to balance our commitment between the unfortunate bereaved families and families that will be blessed with joyous news such as child births, graduations and weddings. The revision of the TACONA Constitution should therefore include expansion of the constitution to address these two vital stages of our lives.

Now, why are we gathered here today? We are here today to put faces on the voices that we have heard on numerous occasions on our Tele Conference calls; We are here today to eat, drink and dance together. But above all, we are here today to introduce TACONA to those who are not yet members. Yes, they’ve heard about TACONA. Now we present them TACONA. We therefore urge all non-members to join us today. Simply put, this is a membership drive get-together. Everyone gathered here today is a potential member of TACONA. How do I know this? Theanswer is simple: You will not be here today if you don’t care about TACONA in any way. Just see the secretary for your membership package. You will not be turned down. I promise you. Also, I humbly ask everyone gathered here today to share the newsabout TACONA with friends and families. The importance of being a member of TACONA, especially, those born to citizen(s) of Taviefe, or tied to Taviefe by marriage cannot be over emphasized. I know times are difficult. BUT, whether itis the best of times or the worst of times, it is the ONLY TIME we’ve got to make a difference in the history of TACONA as an association and Taviefe as a whole. Not in the next life. The going maybe tough….but remember, only dead fish swim with the flow of the stream. Join us today in our in our effort to bring a change inTaviefe. Join us on our monthly Tele conference calls. This monthly Teleconference call normally lasts for about one hour. That is the time some people spend on their favorite TV series or favorite games every week. TACONA is only asking for a small fraction of that time. Therefore, lack of time will not be a valid excuse; lack of funds should not be an issue either. Because for all I know, bright ideas come from people from all walks of life; and money is neverr equired to have a bright idea. So, join us on our Tele conference calls and share your ideas with us. Your single idea might change the course of TACONA and for that matter, the future of Taviefe.

To conclude, I wish you luck in the deliberations of the TACONA Constitution and th eelection of new Executives.

Enjoy yourselves to the fullest.

Again, thanks for coming.

Viva TACONA.

Major Dodzi Komla Amenu (Rtd)

President,TACONA