To explain the meaning of Pan-Africanism, one can refer to it as a philosophy or an ideology and explain their way around it. To be pragmatic, Pan-Africanism is whatever African people undertake to be successful in their development and emancipation struggles. It is what Africa wants, the process it takes to achieve these wants, and what it takes to return the continent to where it belongs: the epitome of human civilization.
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Continental Map of Africa. |
The Africa we want is a common phrase among the majority of African people. Many scholars, political leaders, citizens, and Pan-African proponents have their list of preferences on the Africa they wish to live in or at least see their future generation live in. Nevertheless, when pressed for answers and compelled to give details, the majority of African people and even experts will be lacking in words on the real deal about the “Africa we want” phrase.
Having come across the publication, Agenda 2063: Africa We Want, which is an African development blueprint to transform the phase of the continent over the years, I come to realize that what Africa wants is not explainable in one sentence or one publication. Africa’s development and emancipation quest has never been so demanding. The realization of the Africa we want surely calls for a lot, more than I ever realized before.
The Africa We Want
When the publication titled Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want was published and later adopted in 2015, its main areas of focus were and are still aimed at delivering the goals; sustainable and inclusive development. This publication is typically the continent’s strategic framework to achieve total victory in the emancipation of the African continent.
As a blueprint meant to transform and get back the continent to its deserved place; a global powerhouse, the Agenda 2063 from a Pan-African point of focus seems to be lagging. Thirty-nine short of 2063, the continent is still embattled with disunity, unemployment, corruption, and impunity, civil wars in Congo, Sudan, etc.
The majority of our nation-states are still dependent on foreign aid for development in whatever manner, and Africa’s mineral resources are still being shipped out in raw form to be processed and imported back as finished products.
While the content of the Africa We Want is all about the Pan-African call for collective prosperity, freedom, self-determination, unity, etc., the continent is still inadequate in these various sectors years down the line. What does Africa want? Without a doubt, what Africa needs is unity. AFRICA MUST UNITE. This was the vision and the coveted goal of Africa’s founding father Dr, Kwame Nkrumah upon which the principles of Pan-Africanism are derived.
I believe just like Dr. Nkrumah that unity in Africa will be a solution to several of Africa’s problems. With unity will come our strength to mobilize our resources to achieve meaningful development. With unity, African states will be in a strong position to negotiate in world affairs without the feeling of inferiority, exclusion, or being dictated upon.
Finally, with unity, African states will open their borders, African people and cultures will spread all over and our cohesion with each other will improve to higher levels. As a result, Africans will be free within Africa to explore new ventures, spread their cultures and traditions, and more than most promote peace, love, and unity which the continent so direly needs currently. The Africa we want is a united Africa, with borderless states, common currencies, centralized leadership, and a single military command unit.
Is Africa Free?
The question of independence is a complicated topic with many-sided views. Freedom in Africa and the world at large is yet another complicated story. The majority of Africans like most global citizens enjoy freedom of speech and expression, freedom of life, freedom to live where they want to live, and freedom to be, to own, to desire, etc. Nevertheless, from a development point of focus, the African continent takes on a very dependent approach.
As a long student of Pan-Africanism, I have always had a siege mentality toward Africa’s prosperity. From where I sit, I believe that Africa’s independence movement was greatly compromised. Africa’s struggle for independence, however fierce and determined it was, was hijacked, infiltrated, and compromised. Africa’s road to internal, self-governance was greatly undermined by colonialists in a variety of subtle ways that the final victory was not in totality.
Reading through the pages of history, we see that some African front runners for independence were belittled, sidelined, betrayed, and assassinated by the colonialists. Others were well-received, praised, and even recognized as heroes by the colonialists. From where I sit, Africa’s independence was awarded in round table talks and undermined and compromised on the battlefields. Well, freedom, as we have come to realize [from Malcom X] is not something that is given but something that is fought for.
With events unfolding in Africa such as underdevelopment, corruption, impunity, political coups, etc., accompanied by intense interference and involvement by former colonial powers in our administrations, it is difficult to provide proof for elements of freedom or independence in Africa. Africa is far from free. The rate of dependency of Africa on its former colonizers is disturbing.
Our trade and commerce are controlled from outside the continent. Our religious deities are borrowed and so are our national languages. Most of our development initiatives are funded and run by foreign expatriates and our leaders are summoned like [junior staffs] by former colonials powers [and sadly] at will. Ladies and gentlemen, Africa is far from independence.
Leadership for The Africa We Want
After freedom and unity, there comes the need for leadership. Leadership is the final solution for Africa’s emancipation problems. Well, many will wonder; does Africa lack leadership? It is very difficult to gauge Africa’s soundness in leadership when we examine it from a balkanized point of view.
When we single out Uganda or Morocco, we might think of them as a well-led, well-managed, and functional state, but when we put the whole continent into context we realize that it is due to inadequate leadership that Africa has a limited voice in the global affairs. It is due to inadequate leadership that Africa’s resources and raw materials cannot fully benefit African people.
The leadership that Africa wants is a strong leadership that will stand up for the continent and not give in to the demands of colonial forces. This is a leadership that will be spearheaded by leaders who have African interests at heart and who are not going to sell out the people at an instance due to greed and self-interests. Such leaders are not puppets of the West or East. Such leaders are not the textbook definition of corruption and impunity. Such are the leaders who will put their lives in line when necessary to spearhead and uphold Africa’s independence.
The way to treat a boil is to squeeze it out, and I have made it my responsibility to do that. I know squeezing out a boil hurts, but unfortunately, there are no two ways about it.
~The late Tanzanian President, John Pombe Maghufuli
In his words, the late Tanzanian head-of-state asserts that to tackle Africa’s problems to a total victory, we must be willing to face them head-on. This only requires sound, dedicated, and patriotic leadership that will not bow under pressure. Such is the leadership to propel Africa to total victory in the independence struggles.
Is Africa Important?
Today, the majority of African people especially the youthful generation are fed up with the continent's outlook of wretchedness and poverty, underdevelopment, and inadequate leadership. From a siege mentality point of view, this is not a coincidence. The hate towards African cultures and traditions by Africans is not an accident but by design.
Many African people are not aware of Africa’s true history because when early Europeans set out to colonize Africa, they did so to African history too. Today the majority who have not done their research only think of African history from the onset of European arrival (colonization and enslavement.)
Is Africa important? I cannot convince you but I will try showing you. If Africa was not important, Europeans would not want it. Arabs would not have set out to conquer the north, and today major world powers would not be so interested in controlling it. I have watched a world war documentary titled World at War, and having seen how the Allies fiercely fought for Tobruk, it was clear that whoever took Africa would win the war. Similarly, as we have now come to witness, whoever controls Africa controls the world.
Africa is important because it has everything the rest of the world needs so badly. Ranging from agricultural, environmental, and human resources to mineral wealth and tropical climates the continent has everything suitable for perfect civilization. This way, Africa has got Europeans, Asians, Americans, etc., flooding into the continent for various reasons.
According to Dr. Umar Johnson, the four stages of modern man i.e., homo habilis, homo erectus, homo neanderthalensis, and homo sapiens all start and are discovered in Africa. Dr. Umar declares that if homo sapiens never left Africa for whatever reasons and experience the various climatic condition that caused them to evolve differently, then other races would not have appeared. According to Dr. Umar, this is a well-known fact, Africa is the cradle of mankind.
Elsewhere, the late Dr. John H. Clarke asserts that when history was barely an embryo, the black people of North Africa had already set the philosophical fire that the Greeks and later the Romans warmed their intellectual hands on. The late Garveyite scholar declared that from a civilization point of view, Africa played a major role as the pioneer of various world inventions and social laws and thoughts that govern a society. Also, various archeological findings place Africa in a very important position in world history.
Therefore, if you do not know how important Africa is, it is not an accident, it is by design. Today, the majority of African people are misled and miseducated to disconnect from their roots, despise their culture and traditions, and distrust their African counterparts. All these are designs to keep us distracted, confused, and indifferent toward how important our motherland is. This is also a move to keep us preoccupied with non-issues thereby neglecting the real issues affecting our continent. Africa is very important. Needless to say, African people are equally very important.
Parting Shot; The Africa I Want to See
The Africa I want to see is an Africa where member states do not have a difficult time digesting the feast of reason for unity. As a long student of Pan-Africanism, I desire to see an Africa where leadership is not clouded with greed and impunity. I dream of an Africa where a centralized leadership concerned with continental interests and welfare is in action.
To some people, it may seem an impossibility due to where we are at currently but I believe that Africa’s revolution is gaining ground and soon we will emerge victorious in the battle for emancipation of our minds and the motherland. I dream of an Africa without physical borders, without hatred and bigotry towards this or that tribe, and an Africa that is respected and listened to in global affairs.
You can contact Kisao via meta/call +254(7)41377074 to grab a copy of the book POLITICIAN X (World Problem) and read more on factors influencing Africa in matters of History, Politics, religion and other sectors. You can also send an email today via kisaofidel.writer@theafrikanshujaa.com
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