With so much controversy surrounding the British commemoration the 200th anniversary of the 1807 Abolition of the Slave Trade Act, it’s nice to read about the progressive strides African countries are making.
Forty-four years after Ghana’s first president Kwame Nkrumah called for a United States of Africa at the founding conference of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in Addis Ababa, this summer African leaders will once again debate the issue.
“The people of Africa call for the breaking down of the boundaries that keep them apart. They demand an end to the border disputes between sister African states – disputes that arise out of the artificial barriers raised by colonialism. It was colonialism’s purpose that divided us. It was colonialism’s purpose that left us with our border irredentism that rejected our ethnic and cultural fusion.†– Kwame Nkrumah
The entire story and article is a good read. What do you think about the hope for Africa lying in a united continent?
David McQueen
Personally I dont see much hope for this.
the original convention put forward by Kwame was on the assumption that members of the OAU were in agreement with Kwame’s model of African Socialism. Time have changed much since then much of SubSaharn Africa is still terriotorial. Think Ethiopia, Sudan, DRC, Rwanda, Sierra Leone.
Nice idea, but nah, especially with Africa’s dependency for the time being on aid or “Chinese infrastuctrual investment” I cant see it happening in my lifetime.
March 29, 2007 at 2:56 pm
marion
i don’t think the US model will work in Africa, as it is way too diverse in terms of each country’s culture. in the US, everyone thinks of themselves as American, but that’s not the case in Africa. i’m thinking the EU model might be a better fit…
April 1, 2007 at 12:37 am
YBP Guide — weekly roundup: 3/31
[...] United States of Africa [...]
April 1, 2007 at 9:09 am