The rise and paradoxes of pan-Africanism today
Posted on June 30, 2015 by AfricanArgumentsEditor
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Participants in the “Y’en Marre” protest movement in Senegal.
Of the numerous concepts which have influenced Black Africa since the
wave of independence in the 1960s, pan-Africanism is, after democracy,
probably the most popular. Paradoxically, the continent remains the
least integrated in the world and continues to experience outbreaks of
xenophobic violence.
Historically, the first pan-African movement, founded in the late 19th
century, was a search for a common identity: ‘pan-Negrism’. The aim
was to unite black people across the world in order to fight slavery
and colonialism. Pioneers were Edward Blyden, WEB Dubois, Stokely
Carmichael and Kwame Nkrumah.
Pan-Africanism developed into a machine to advocate for African unity
by tackling common issues affecting the continent. After that,
pan-Africanism inspired the creation of the Organization of African
Unity (OAU) in 1963, which became the African Union in 2002 and
different pan-African institutions such as the African Development
Bank, the African Court on Human and People’s Rights, the African
Court of Justice, etc.
For many Africans today, beyond the question of identity, which
remains relevant, pan-Africanism has shifted more to a quest for
democracy and good governance. This article analyzes the contradiction
between the growth of pan-African ideology in black Africa and the
persistence of intra-African conflicts and xenophobia.
The rise of pan-Africanism today
When travelling in many African countries it is often striking to see
how many young people feel attached to the concepts of African
identity and African unity. In Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal and Cameroon, to
give just three examples, pan-Africanism has become something close to
a religion.
As the power of globalization continues to weaken boundaries of
statehood, many young people in Africa are increasingly becoming aware
of their own political and economic environment. It is in this regard
that pan-Africanism has found a viable niche for renewal in the 21st
century among an educated grouping of middle-class Africans.
Rather than focusing only on identity, this ‘new’ pan-Africanism is
also a call for democracy, good governance and economic development.
The renewal of this pan-African attitude is manifested through
increased intra-African trade, increased exchanges within Africa’s
universities, continent-wide calls for good governance and the
ubiquitous and growing membership of pan-Africanist groups on social
media platforms.
Dreaming of a brighter future, most young people are tired of
dictatorial leaders who have clung to power since independence.
Recently in Burkina Faso, many people rose up against former president
Compaoré, eventually forcing him to exit from power. In Tunisia, young
people rose up against decades of repression and poor governance under
President Ben Ali.
The quest for freedom amongst African youth led to the establishment
of associations such as “Y’en a Marre” in Senegal, “Balai Citoyen” in
Burkina Faso, “Filimbi” and “La Lucha” in the DRC and “Ca Suffit comme
ca” in Gabon and the Pan African Youth Union (PYU) which operates
under the AU with a specific mandate of gathering and rallying young
Africans to realize the organisation’s ideals.
In March 2015, the spirit of “Y’en a marre” and “Balai citoyen”
converged in the DRC to mobilize the local population to become more
committed to promoting change throughout the country after it became
obvious to them that President Joseph Kabila is seeking to stay in
power by any means. They organized conferences in Kinshasa with local
civil society and shared lessons drawn from their experiences in civic
engagement.
African young people have also been at the forefront, forging
continental unity through cross-border travel and social media. In
this digital era, social media has turned into a popular platform to
interact and engage in debates. For instance, as South Sudan recently
plunged into political in-fighting and the Central African Republic
was on the brink of a religious conflict, twitter hash tags and
Facebook posts were used to convey messages of peace. On Facebook
alone there are hundreds of pan-African groups. Some are popular with
thousands of members; such has the Pan-African Network, the
Pan-African Movement Reborn, ‘Pan-African Fundamentalism’, ‘Being
Pan-African’, the Center of Pan-African Culture, etc. etc.
The increasing use of common languages is also an indication of the
rebirth of pan-Africanism. A large number of people are learning
French, English and Portuguese, which are the official languages of
the African Union, in order to facilitate communication with their
counterparts from other sub-regions. In the East African region, there
is a growing use of Kiswahili.
Young people in Africa have seen so many ‘pan-African presidents’
remain in power for decades without experiencing any development for
their nations. They are tired of those who use the pan-African
rhetoric for their own interest. If the previous iteration of
pan-Africanism was a hymn to African identity and African unity, today
the concerns of pan-African youths are democracy and economic
development.
The paradoxes of present-day pan-Africanists
The main paradox of present-day pan-Africanism is the growth of
xenophobic violence, for example in South Africa, and difficulties
encountered moving from one country to another within the continent.
Visas are still required for an African to travel within the
continent, even within some sub-regions like ECCAS. Despite the small
increase in intra-African trade, most of Africa’s trade is still done
with Europe and Asia.[1]
If the current pan-Africanism is, in part, a call for democracy and
good governance, how do we explain the enduring popularity of former
Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi among Sub-Saharan Africa’s youth? In
Central and West African regions, since his killing in 2011, Gaddafi
has developed into a surprising pan-African icon.
Philosophically, pan-Africanism is a laudable idea: gather people of
the continent together for the benefit of all. But, the trap is when
some politicians use it to build an authoritarian system. Real
Pan-Africanism must result in tangible fruits of development,
democracy and a real solidarity amid African countries.
The author is Sub-Saharan Africa Political and Security Analyst.
[1] The level of intra-African trade has increased both in nominal and
real terms. In nominal terms, the level of intra-African trade was $32
billion in 2000 and $130 billion in 2011. In real terms (at constant
2000 prices) intra-African trade increased from $32 billion in 2000 to
$54 billion in 2011.. See UNCTAD, Intra-African trade: unlocking
private sector dynamism, Africa report 2013, 2013, p. 125.
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One thought on “The rise and paradoxes of pan-Africanism today”
MPA says:
June 30, 2015 at 3:21 pm
Kaddafi wasn’t Black African, so why bring him into a pan-African
discussion about Black Africans?
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