Each year, on the 25th of May, Africans from all walks of life celebrate Africa Day. The roots of Africa Day hark back to 1963 when the Organization of African Unity (OAU) was instituted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
To many, the creation of OAU epitomized a ‘Day of Africa’. Fifty years later, 25 May continues to gain international recognition as Africa Day, a day when, regardless of their geographic location or circumstances, Africans come together to celebrate the idea of African unity.
Whether they are in the dusty streets of Lagos in Nigeria or in leafy suburbs of Sandton in Johannesburg, on this day, Africans come together to dance to the Angolan kizomba music, they dance to Mozambican marrabenta and passada music while appeasing their appetites with the delicious Ghanaian fufu, Ethiopian injera or Moroccan couscous.
Africa day is a day, when Africans, while walking high in the sands of the Kgalagadi, watching the majestic views and appreciating the beauty of our flora and fauna at table mountain, taking a boat trip to Goree Island and enjoying sunset on the beach of Sali in Dakar; they find joy in telling each other about the stories of astronomical and astrological prowess of Dogon people and the deeds of Queen Nzinga of Angola, bravery in the Kingdom of Songhay in West Africa and Mapungubwe Kingdom in Southern Africa.
Africa day affords Africans an opportunity not only to retell their own stories, embrace and celebrate their cultures and heritage, but to also take pride on their sense of shared identity
Africa day affords Africans an opportunity not only to retell their own stories, embrace and celebrate their cultures and heritage, but to also take pride on their sense of shared identity and to celebrate their unity in diversity.
It provides the opportunity for those Africans who are separated from the mother continent to reconnect with Africa. It serves as a reminder to Africans in diaspora and those in the continent about the connectedness of Africans and their common struggles over many decades.
In recent years, Africa Day has also come to represent symbolism of the highest order. It has come to be associated with diplomatic functions, musical concerts, art exhibitions and academic seminars and conferences. But when stripped of its symbolism- what does Africa Day mean to different Africans of different backgrounds, regions, ages and generations?
What is the significance and/or essence of Africa Day? What does it mean to millions of unemployed African youth, to the continent’s poorest households that continue to live under 1$ US dollar a day and to the most vulnerable amongst us- women and children?
Can Sahrawi people, Congolese, Somalis, South Sudanese, Malians and people in Central Africa Republic walk talk and pride themselves for being Africans while dominant systems of governance exclude them in novel ways and their governments are struggling to fulfill their responsibility to protect them?Would these people really care about celebrating Africa Day while they are relegated to the extremities of the political system and while they continue to live in appalling conditions- leading lives marred by vulnerability and lack of resilience?
Can millions of Africans find joy in celebrating this important day in the calendar of the continent even though recent sustained African economic growth has not translated into improvements in their lives?
As long as some Africa systems of governance are not in line with people’s aspirations and needs- Africa Day will be difficult to celebrate with a joyful heart.
As long as unconstitutional changes of governments, absence of durable peace, corruption, bad governance, human rights violations, women and child abuse are still prominent features of African public discourse, it would be difficult to convince ordinary Africans to cherish this day. As one young African recently observed, as long as Eskia Mphahleles, Wole Soyinkas, Chinua Achebes, Tsitsi Dangarembgas, Ngugi Wa Thiongos and Ayi Arhams continue to play second fiddle to the Shakespears of the world, then celebrating Africa Day will not be a meaningful exercise.
As Nkwame Nkrumah pointed out five decades ago, For Africa Day to be cemented into the fabric of our collective consciousness and to be accorded the prominence it deserves, “there is a need for Africans to explain their own culture, and interpret their own thought and soul life, if the complete truth is to be given to the other races of the earth”.Therefore, it suffices to say that, this day should be used as a space to reflect not only on the inspiring milestones that have been achieved by the leaders of the continent since the formation of the OAU 50 years ago, but also on lived experiences, current realities and challenges faced but their motherland, Africa. Africa Day should transcend symbolism- it should move beyond being a symbolic affair.
Africa Day should not only be reduced into a day of festivities, but rather, it should also be used as an opportunity to engage in strategic conversations about the past, the present and the future.
It should be a day when Africans assess reconstruct their past, understand the present, tell new narratives, churn out new ideas and craft new visions for a peaceful and prosperous Africa. Africa Day should be used to send out a positive message to all nations of the world that “Africa Matters and Africa is the Future”.
Hundreds of delegates from around the world who participated in the 3rd Scramble for Africa Conference organized by Africa Institute of South Africa (AISA) between 20-21 May 2013 rightfully observed that, undoubtedly, Africa’s future is bright. Indeed, Africa is having a sense of urgency and Africa is alive with possibilities.
However, Africans, including ordinary people, can only celebrate the many Africa Days to come with a sense of dignity, pride and joy and nations of the world are to join the Old Romans in saying “Semper aliquid novi ex Africa” (from Africa always come something new), ONLY if African policy makers and leaders intensify their efforts in bringing about improvements in peoples’ lives and their commitment is followed by actions in addressing endemic structural, policy and governance (both economical and political) challenges facing the continent.
Thembani Mbadlanyana is a Research Specialist in the Governance and Security Programme of the Africa Institute of South Africa (AISA)
– By Thembani Mbadlanyana, Africa Institute of South Africa (AISA)
