London - A campaigner who walked nearly 200 kilometres barefoot to raise awareness for human rights violations in Africa arrived at the seat of the British government in London Wednesday to hand over a petition. Emanuel Neba Fuh, a 35-year-old Cameroon national, said his 19-day trek from the city of Derby in central England to London was meant to draw attention to the fact that African leaders "stay in power for too long."
"My decision to walk barefoot, rather than in shoes, aims to challenge people from this country to look differently at the whole human rights issue and compel them to act and not just to observe," said Fuh, who was wearing traditional African dress.
He said he plans to walk barefoot across Africa next year, collecting a million signatures in support of a treaty to prevent African leaders from staying in power for more than 10 years.
"Too many African leaders have been in power for too long," he said. "They stifle democracy and change. Something has to be done in support of millions of destitute Africans who have become refugees in their own country. They are hungry for justice and thirsty for better opportunities."
