What is Pan-Africanism?
According to the African Union, ‘Pan-Africanism was seen as the necessary philosophy around which all people of African descent should unite to develop strategies against racial injustice, inequality and ending colonialism in Africa.’[1]Dating back to the nineteenth century, this worldwide movement has been essential to developing and strengthening the bonds between anyone with African ancestry, whether living in Africa or the diaspora. Its message is centred around African unity and it is still relevant in today’s world as people continue to move out of Africa to other parts of the world in search of new experiences and a better quality of life.
Who are the Founding Fathers and Mothers of Pan-Africanism?
Pan-Africanist ideas started to make themselves known in the mid-nineteenth century in the United States of America, heavily influenced by the terrible consequences of the Transatlantic slave trade, which resulted in the displacement of an estimated 10-12 million Africans who were ‘transported across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century.’[2] The effects of this monumental loss of citizens on Africa, which are still felt to this day, were devastating – lawlessness, violence, depopulation, and unnaturally restricted economic and agricultural development due to the removal of healthy young people.[3]
Early Pan-Africanists such as African-American Martin Delany, African-American Alexander Crummell and West Indian-Liberian Edward Blyden paved the way for the emergence of African-American W.E.B. Du Bois, known as one of the true fathers of modern Pan-Africanism. W.E.B. Du Bois shared in the creation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909 and became a lifelong advocate for civil rights for Africa-Americans, freedom for Africa and an end to capitalism, which he said was ‘the cause of racism and all human misery.’[4]
Coming into the twentieth century, the Pan-Africanism fire gathered strength and advocates, leading to the establishment of organisations such as the Pan-African Association (c. 1897) and events such as the series of Pan-African Conferences (1900 onwards) and Pan-African Congresses (1919 onwards). These gatherings were invaluable for bringing together supporters of the Pan-Africanist and anti-colonialist causes from Africa, the West Indies, the United States and the United Kingdom. Names like Nigerian Nnamdi Azikiwe, Jamaican Marcus Garvey, Ghanaian Kwame Nkrumah, Kenyan Jomo Kenyatta, and Malawian Hastings Banda became synonymous with the ideal of a unified Africa.
Women also played significant roles in the Pan-Africanism movement: Jamaicans Amy Ashwood Garvey and Amy Jacques Garvey (Marcus Garvey’s first and second wives), Trinidadian Claudia Jones, African Americans Audley Moore and Dara Abubakari, Grenadian Peggy Antrobus, South African Alice Kinloch, Guinean Jeanne Martin Cissé, Nigerian Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti and many more, were passionate advocates of African unity and defenders of women’s and human rights in their individual countries.
‘The Motherland or Death. We Shall Overcome’: Pan-Africanism in Government
With its emphasis on independence, it was only a matter of time until Pan-Africanism became embedded, albeit for a limited period, in the way some African countries chose to govern themselves as they embraced post-colonial independence. The rejection of Western influence in favour of African self-sufficiency was well-received by the majority of the citizens of these countries, but not by the Western powers themselves (unsurprisingly!).
Guinea: Ahmed Sékou Touré, the first president of Guinea, ‘developed Pan-African ideologies, combining efforts with other African leaders to establish a union of African states. The Organization of African Unity founded in 1963 is an outgrowth of his efforts.’[5] Even though his time in power subsequently became controversially autocratic, he remains widely acknowledged as one of the leaders of the movement.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo: Patrice Émery Lumumba, the first prime minister of the Republic of the Congo (as it was known then), was fiercely in favour of Pan-Africanism and Congolese nationalism. Despite his radical pro-African ideas and hostility towards Western powers, or perhaps because of them, ‘it is believed that some Congolese elites conspired with foreign states, specifically the CIA and US administration, to get rid of Lumumba.’[6] He was dismissed from office and brutally assassinated in 1961, forever to be remembered as a martyr for the cause.
Burkina Faso: Thomas Isidore Noël Sankara, President of Burkina Faso from 1983 to 1987, was a ‘self-described African revolutionary, who contended with not only the behemoth self-imposed task of national development, but also building upon the ideals of Pan-Africanism on a continent where political agency was uneven and uncertain.’[7] Even though his fierce commitment to speaking out against imperialism and colonialism led to his assassination, his legacy remains one of dedication to building national sovereignty, practical ideas for economic and social development, personal integrity and efforts to eradicate corruption.[8]
Does Pan-Africanism Have a Place in the 21st Century?
The short answer? Yes, it does. Pan-Africanism’s long legacy as a framework for ending colonialism and advancing peace, people-based democracy, and human rights remains as vital as ever for reclaiming citizen agency in the present day.[9] Decades later, Africans living in Africa and the diaspora are more interested in ever in championing inclusive governance, lessening African dependence on the West, and a borderless Africa.
Anyone interested in reforming the existing systems in their home countries is a prime candidate for joining the Pan-Africanism movement, not only because it brings together Pan-Africanists from the Americas, Caribbean, and other regions to provide their opinions and support for the mammoth task of unifying Africa, but also because it focuses on ‘reclaiming spaces for intellectual and popular thought, reimagining concepts of freedom, and teaching citizens to become agents of their own self-determination through democracy and vigilance.’[10]
The African Union, launched in 2002 as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity (1963-1999), is widely known as a major carrier of the Pan-Africanism torch. It brought together the 55 member states that make up the countries of the African continent. Its foundations rest firmly on the ‘Pan-African Vision of an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa [and Agenda 2063 was] developed as a strategic framework for Africa’s long term socio-economic and integrative transformation.’[11] Its work has paved the way for Pan-Africanist programmes such as:
- The Great Green Wall Initiative, launched in 2007 and being implemented across 22 African countries, aims to restore 100 million hectares of currently degraded land, sequester 250 million tons of carbon and create 10 million green jobs by 2030.
- Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA), launched in 2015, which is a Pan-African initiative aiming to bridge the significant financing gender gap facing women in Africa by providing credit and technical assistance, and facilitating an enabling environment to liberate women’s entrepreneurial capacity in Africa.
- The Pan-African Initiative for Digital Transformation of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and Skills Development Systems in Africa, launched in 2021, aims to ensure the digital transformation of TVET, so that everyone is empowered to adapt to the new global technological reality.
Even though parts of Africa continue to struggle with democracy, justice and freedom, with ‘opposition parties, the media, and independent thought often violently suppressed in many parts of Africa, leading to a shrinking intellectual space for critical thinking and dialogue,’[12] the ideals of Pan-Africanism remain just as relevant in this new era of increased citizen engagement, demands for governmental accountability and the rise of Reformers and reform activities across Africa.
[1] African Union, The Pan-Africanist Movement and the Road to Liberation; https://oau60.au.int/en/pan-africanist-movement-and-road-liberation
[2] The Encyclopædia Britannica, Transatlantic Slave Trade; https://www.britannica.com/topic/transatlantic-slave-trade
[3] The Encyclopædia Britannica, Transatlantic Slave Trade, Ibid.
[4] NewAfrican Magazine, W.E.B. Du Bois: The Father of Modern Pan-Africanism?; https://newafricanmagazine.com/4091
[5] Maelenn-Kegni Toure, Ahmed Sékou Touré (1922-1984), Black Past; https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/toure-ahmed-sekou-1922-1984
[6] South African History Online, Patrice Émery Lumumba; https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/patrice-emery-lumumba
[7] Kimathi Muiruri, Carolina Digital Repository, “The Color of African Unity”: The Pan-Africanist Rhetoric and Praxis of
Thomas Sankara in the Burkina Faso Revolution, 1983–87; https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/downloads/6969z981k
[8] Ernest Harsch, E-International Relations, Thomas Sankara: How the Leader of a Small African Country Left Such a Large Footprint; https://www.e-ir.info/2023/11/12/thomas-sankara-how-the-leader-of-a-small-african-country-left-such-a-large-footprint
[9] Paul Nantulya, Pan-Africanism Reborn?, Africa Center for Strategic Studies; https://africacenter.org/spotlight/pan-africanism-reborn
[10] Paul Nantulya, Ibid.
[11] About the African Union; https://au.int/en/overview
[12] Paul Nantulya, Ibid.
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