For many years Africans have lived in united shared states and communities. Africa could record countless strong ancient kingdoms and empires. Great empires like the Egyptian empire, Ethiopian Empire and many other Sahelian Kingdoms like Mali empire and the Ashante Kingdom have majored an important role in the history of the world. There is no doubt that these are evidences to suggest the ability of self governance, social and political organizations of Africans.
African unity is not a dream. It’s a reality that lives with each African. People who know Africans could easily detect how they are nit together in a common union of fraternity. They are people with same cultural formulae, one God, intelligent, strong, resilient and hospitable irrespective of their vulnerabilities.
African proverbs like, “Unity among the cattle makes the lion lie down hungry”, “The heavens will fall” is not the concern of only one ”, “Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable”, “The reason two antelopes walk together is so that one can blow the dust out of the other ones eyes” and more are all synopsis of contemporary Pan-African concept of unity.
Today, the concept of African unity is shifted from local community to a wider scope, even a continental level. Everywhere, in the community of Africans, comes the same cry, “Africa must unite!” Movements and organisations like Pan-Africanism, Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and African Union (AU) are names that evoke Africa’s interest for a united continent or people. Other regional groups however like the, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Central Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), Economic Community of Great Lakes countries (CEPGL), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), East African Community (EAC), Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Indian Ocean Commission (IOC), Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and Southern African Customs Union (SACU), Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD) and many other organizational institutions are all players in this longstanding nostalgia.
Marting Luther King Jnr once said 1968, "Something is happening in our world. The masses of people are rising up. And wherever they are assembled today, whether they are in Johannesburg, South Africa; Nairobi, Kenya; Accra, Ghana; New York City; Atlanta, Georgia; Jackson, Mississippi; or Memphis,Tennessee, the cry is always the same: 'We want to be free.' " Martin Luther King, Jr., 3rd April 1968.
Recalling his words to mind suggest how long the African continent has longed to have independent economic, social and political self governance. The concept of this independence wasn’t championed for the absence of colonialism. However, it was embodied in the ability of personal management without foreign interference or influence, and above all, internal management of resources and development.But today the continent Africa which Martin Luther King Jnr once described as a “Dark Continent” is still under the shadows of foreign exploitation and dictatorship. The influence of colonialism still permeates through out the land of Africa, only in an indescribable backend system. The natural resources, industries, formulation of policies and political businesses, are all cramped up in foreign influences. This is now the “silent pistol” depreciating the African continent both from unanimous power and economic breakdown.
The adage has always been the same, “Africa shall never be free unless Europe and America let them alone”. But the great question is, “Doesn’t Africa has the power to break from foreign influence?” Yes it has the power. But now everyone outside this part of the continent knows that Africa is a “toothless bull dog” a “sleeping giant” and above all a “wounded soldier”. The word is Africa is weak.
To recall our memories, on the night of 6th March 1957 during Ghana’s independence address, Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of Ghana, Pan-African activist and father of Africa, made a startling statement which was not for the people of Ghana but as a cushion and bedrock for all African states. I quote “And as I pointed out... I made it quite clear that from now on – today – we must change our attitudes, our minds, we must realise that from now on, we are no more a colonial but a free and independent people. But also, as I pointed out, that also entails hard work. That a new African is ready to fight his own battles and show that after all, the black man is capable of managing his own affairs. We are going to demonstrate to the world, to the other nations, that we are prepared to lay our own foundation. Our own African identity….. Seeing you in this… it doesn't matter how far my eye goes, I can see that you are here in your millions and my last warning to you is that you are to stand firm behind us so that we can prove to the world that when the African is given a chance he can show the world that he is somebody! We have awakened. We shall no longer sleep anymore. Today, from now on, there is a new African in the world!”
In following of Ghana’s independence and the active work of Nkrumah and others, many African states began to gain their freedom from colonialism. The good work started was shared and talked about in foreign newspapers about the rising of the African continent. But this lasted for a short period of time, and Africa turned into war and conflicts, sicknesses and diseases, hunger and famine, poverty and creed, political instability and economic breakdowns.
What happened to Africa? When did the powerful words of Nkrumah wane so quickly from Africans? If Africa is weak today it is because she has failed to master the management of her own affaires and losing sight of a common identity that unifies and separates her from the other parts of the world.
To point out some of these failures by Africa are failure to the resolution of internal wars and tribal conflicts, provision of security, lack of a unified combatants, infiltration of rebels and finally the overthrown of Muammar Muhammad al-Gaddafi which the African Union could have done in their own way without any rain of foreign bombs on the continent.
Indeed I believe strongly that, the fall of Gaddafi should give all Africans a new perspective toward continental unity.
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