Michelle Obama made a speech at the Democratic Party Convention, in 2008. She talked about how both she and her husband arrived at the decision that saw Barack Obama become a candidate in the 2008 US Presidential election. Her verbatim words were; “because we were so tired of being afraid we had to make that brave decision to let my husband stand for election!” I am saying, in the tone of the Obamas, I am tired of being scared, very tired. I am tired of wearing this heavy mask of fear of light: therefore I do not fear light anymore; I am tired of the endless comfort of darkness.
I, Nomazulu Thata am standing for the European Parliamentary elections and am entering a race to become a European parliamentarian on a Feminist Party: the Women ticket. In a way I am going on trial putting myself in  a position where questions will openly be asked and scrutinised without fear or favour: Why feminist, why an African, why a black woman in the European parliament?  But because elections in Europe are a battle of ideas, I embrace the challenge.
Has Nomazulu Thata forgotten the pledge she made, to give back the talent to where it belongs: Africa? My mother was a politician and a diplomat in several African countries. A qualified metallurgical engineer, an environmental scientist, a qualified chemistry teacher: the African continent is neglected and genuinely demands its talent back because it deserves better. Food insecurities resulting in chronic hunger in numerous African communities, climate change affecting already vulnerable communities, abundant resources but lack of adequate know-how to make use of the riches in continent, all these are questions that pelted me in my pained conscience the moment I think about my EU parliamentary candidacy, my days have never been peaceful ever since the idea crossed my mind that I should stand for these EU elections and win!
The Alternative EU Marshall Plan with Africa
The Marshall Plan with Africa is a ‘stroke of genius’ because it gives me a golden opportunity to serve the African continent effectively. A Marshall with Africa: a brain-child of the Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation and Development; is envisaged as a new Africa & Europe partnership for development. Realizing the Marshall Plan is to give the African continent new leaf, a new and elaborate well defined partnership with Europe; these two continents are geo-politically speaking, neighbors. The Marshall Plan with Africa is up for a debate in EU parliament in the coming months: it will automatically replace the Cotonou-agreement that has reduced Africa as an aid recipient rather than a global player. The Alternative EU Marshall with Africa must be holistic in approach and not serve as a "virtual wall" between Europe and the rest of the world
The cornerstones of the new Alternative-EU Marshall Plan with Africa are as follows: Realizing that Africa is a continent with a very distinct history, greatness and culture, to manage the challenges facing  Africa equally benefits Europe. The Feminist Party demands an Alternative EU Marshall Plan with Africa
Africa should not be seen as a continent full of natural and man-made disasters but as a continent full of opportunities for the fast growing population. Africa has tremendous assets: 11 out of 20 fastest growing economies in the world are in Africa.
Time for development assistance or Development Aid should be a thing of the past: the buzz-word today between Europe and Africa is new partnership with the African continent. Cooperation between the two neighbors at eye-level is essential to a future oriented approach. The Cotonou-agreement should be replaced by a new partnership. The scattered responsibilities within Brussels should be revisited and grouped to one single unit because time for donor and recipient relationship should be eradicated altogether
The focal point of the Marshall Plan for Africa is the AU-Agenda 2063: this agenda puts emphasis on education vocational training and overall empowerment of women and girl-children.
Great exceptions will be taken on the new EU Marshall Plan for Africa. African countries who will be part of it must concentrate on political social and economic reforms, fight corruption, develop tax systems, invest in education will be invited to enter a dialogue of both continents
Foreign direct investment must increase and there should be protection against and risks related to it.                            Africa has the natural resources and the European Union has the know-how: this creates a suitable environment of equal partnership.
 Climate change is a great challenge globally and it must be tackled by both continents effectively for the betterment of both continents.
Renewable energy sources in Africa can directly benefit Europe: e.g. the solar energy source from the Sahara desert can provide energy to most of Europe’s energy needs in their domestic- and industrial needs.
Indeed Africa has large reserves of gold and platinum reserves and several other industrial mineral resources that could also benefit our European neighbor’s industries: and also Africa still has vast agricultural lands that have not been put to use
The EU Marshall Plan with Africa and the Feminist Party 
My campaign manifesto
The Feminist Party: The Women embraces this idea of a new EU Marshall Plan with Africa for many reasons. It has poignant points that have the capacity to sustainably change the lives of millions of women in rural communities in Africa. For this reason, I find it pertinent to give my whole attention to the New Altenative Marshall Plan with Africa as my campaign message that borders exclusively on the NEW Alternative Marshall Plan with Africa.
The EU African Marshall Plan in its verbatim sentence defines itself as follows: “The focus of the eu African Marshall Plan will be on fair trade, more private investment, more bottom-up economic development, more entrepreneurial spirit and above all more jobs for the young and growing African people in the continent.” The African Marshall Plan’s aims and objectives are to strengthen African ownership and reduce donor dependency, and bring hope for marginalized communities through durable development goals. The African countries and the European countries must be partners that engage with each other at eye-level; on the same page, and never a donor – recipient relationship: that very engagement that has failed to alleviate poverty in most African communities.
The first part of this manifesto is highlighting issues related to the African continent. Highlighting challenges bedevilling Africa helps in planning a strategy for cooperation between the two continents. In the background we should never lose sight of issues regarding migration and the suffering it causes, especially in North Africa. Many Africans are trapped into slavery, suffer thousands of deaths in the Mediterranean and are victims of human-trafficking and other forms of exploitation induced by migration.
The main focus of this manifesto closely examines the plight of women in African communities, especially in rural areas. The Feminist Party intends to engage actively in the new eu African Marshall Plan in order to assist rural women to help themselves mostly in their communities. Women are the niche in Africa that bears the brunt of underdevelopment. They suffer this much more than their male counterparts. Poverty is feminine, but at the same time, poverty is the push that fuels migration.
To alleviate poverty in African communities, the new Alternative Marshall Plan with Africa must mainly offer its assistance to the continent's marginalized societies and rural communal regions. Poverty is a rural phenomenon in African societies. The development of rural communities depends on being able to afford projects that bring sustainable and durable communal setups such as durable housing, clean water & sanitation and food security.  When development is guaranteed, rural communities stabilize and development becomes sustainable, and this reduces unnecessary migration.
The second part of this manifesto is to make concrete recommendations to the European Union on how the new Alternative African Marshall Plan can reach out to the communities that need such assistance most. The proposed African Marshall Plan, unlike Foreign Aid,  should be utilized mostly by project oriented NGOs or European expertise in areas needed by the rural communities in engaging economic, social and cultural cooperation. The new Marshall Plan will not be assistance for recurrent government expenditures, but an empowerment incentive to uplift marginalized communities that need durable and sustainable development. The African Marshall Plan therefore will be a panacea to durable projects that target poverty elimination in communities.
The EU  African Marshall Plan emphasises the need for young Africans to see Africa as their own continent which has all the answers to their social, economic and political needs. Young Africans must see a bright future in Africa. In 2050, the population of Africa will have doubled to two billion. This factually means that the continent has to create 20 million jobs every year. Job creation and ownership to durable and sustainable projects will indeed stabilize African communities. Solutions to African problems that bedevil African growth are in Africa and will be done by Africans with the European technical knowhow that is of great necessity to transform lives durably and sustainably.
Your vote is very important to me: this mandate is an instrument for sustainable change in most African rural societies. This mandate has the power to transform lives and alleviate unnecessary migration to the north. This mass migration to EU countries is becoming unsustainable and it creates unnecessary social conflicts in those receiving countries. There is innate fear in the minds of the Europeans that their social nets will collapse due to migrants coming in their millions to Europe. The African continent has space and also resources to make Africa a liveable place. Working together with our European neighbours will assist African communities to development their own.
The lives loss in the Mediterranean Sea and in the Sahara Desert, the selling of human beings in North African Markets as slaves, the war-conflict zones that forcefully cause movement of people, abject poverty and food insecurities in most communities in Africa, natural disasters such as cyclones and floods, and drought  due to climate change are evidently  triggered the displacements  of communities and mass migration. 
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Feminist Party:
WAHLZETTEL 31: Liste 3