Random Notes on Change, Youths, and the United States of Africa

We tend to forget that African Unity is the obligation of all people of African descent. Pushing for good governance, equality, development, and the security of any black person in any country of the world is also an obligation of all black people everywhere in the globe. Since we have African governments and other negro leaderships in the diaspora to govern our people, it is the masses of the people that have the greatest responsibility in this course. We all are required to ensure accountability in our leadership in place and make sure that that leadership serves not only the interest of its subject but that of the entire race and humanity. This means that among many calls we can make to our governments today, that of African Unity should not be forgotten on the list. In most cases, it should even lead for as it has been said before, our strength as a race lies in our unity. When we united in the colonial era, slavery and colonialism were defeated. Different political movements in our respective countries today have also shown us the advantages of mass action in bringing reforms.

Kenyan Gen-z protests (Photo Credits: Boniface Mwangi)

The 2024 anti-finance bill protests in Kenya that were led by young patriots are a good example of this. The solidarity that was shown by activists around the continent with most Pan-Africanists expressing their support of the movement for change in Kenya gives us important lessons on how effective unity can be.  It is due to the unity expressed by the Kenyan youths and the solidarity that was shown by other African youths in the continent and the black diaspora that the government of Kenya gave in to the revolutionary requests of the people. This revolution in Kenya has reminded us of many things. We have been reminded of the independence era when young Africans across the continent fought for self-determination. Historians will tell you of the South African youths who played a very critical role in leading the resistance against the injustices of the apartheid rule. In Angola, African youths actively took part in the armed struggle against the oppressive colonial regime of the Portuguese. We also cannot forget the Black Panthers in the USA who fought against racial injustices in the United States of America. 

The Soweto Uprising (Photo Credits)

Most of the liberation movements were led by youths, our fathers, mothers, grandfathers, and grandmothers in their youthful days. And like it has been said, “Every generation has its purpose,” our forefathers served their purpose and did it wholeheartedly. Therefore, we cannot blame them but take up the relay stick and continue the race. While they freed us from colonialism and slavery, it is now the responsibility of African youths in the 21st century to unite against bad governance and imperialism. It is not always over until it is over. We should also not forget the ultimate goal for the race is unity. This is not just a mere thought or faith but what was well-planned and clearly envisioned by our forefathers as they fought for our liberation. Leaders, such as Dr Kwame Nkrumah and Mwalimu Julius Nyerere advocated for a United Africa as they warned that the 19th-century independence was just a situational victory that might soon be faced by other vices which may be more dangerous. Even though our leaders had conflicting ideas on how to approach unity, they all agreed that unity was necessary as they formed the Organization of African Unity (OAU). 

I sign out with what Kwame Nkrumah gave us as food for thought, he questioned African countries on which one of them had the power to rise against a powerful neo-colonialist force that would seek to manipulate its independence? The answer is none, which calls for African unity in dealing with foreign aggressions. The interference may not only come in military forms but also political and economic as we have seen in most African countries like Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Therefore, we must unite in all aspects, most important of all, for community development under the philosophy of Ubuntu. Our various political and social movements in Africa must see change beyond their nations and call for it continentally and globally. Ideally, one rotten fruit in the basket will affect the others so we must see to it that there is good governance, democracy, and development in the whole of Africa and the black world.