Windhoek — The President of the DTA Katuutire Kaura said unity in Africa on the continental level is the only hope for the upliftment of Africa out of the swamp of civil wars, ignorance, disease and poverty.

Kaura made this observation on Saturday morning when he officially opened a Democratic Union of Africa (DUA) executive and campaign managers' meeting at the Safari Court Hotel in the capital.

Addressing the delegates that came from various African countries, Kaura said Africa is seen in Europe and North America as a continent of savages and cannibals that are slaughtering each other along tribal lines.

He noted that Europe is fuelling civil wars and tribal conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda, Burundi, and Sierra Leone so that they can continue to exploit raw materials with impunity.

He warned that if Africans fail to wake up and realize that they are being taken for a ride, Africans would continue to receive a few shillings from their former masters.

He urged young Africans to wake up and to change the picture through which Africa is categorized.

"This must be the African century, the Asian tiger has woken up and Asia can no longer be classified as an underdeveloped continent."

He said Africa should no longer be classified as wallowing in the morass of civil wars, refugee problems and HIV/Aids.

"Let us raise the continent out of the morass of backwardness, uselessness and raise it to the high ground of peace, democracy, accountability and prosperity."

Kaura said it is the collective responsibility of Africans to travel that road with compassion, dedication and selflessness.

He said Africans are sitting on treasure and they must be found playing with the treasure.

He said many minerals continue to be discovered on the continent and the Scorpion Zinc mine was discovered after independence, while a year ago the Langer Heinrich Uranium mine was discovered with a life expectancy of up to 25 years.

He said Africa must move from the continent of being providers of raw materials to Europe and North America to becoming manufactures of products that would be sold in European markets and other world markets. He added that the question still remains how the African Renaissance is going to be launched. He noted that it could only become a reality by making democracy, accountability, multipartiasm ingrained into the African psychology.

"Free and fair elections must be accepted and not paid lip service to, and opposition parties must be accepted and tolerated."

He added that ruling parties must be prepared to lose elections and not implement the truism that you cannot run an election and lose it.

"It is that very attitude which has led to the recent disaster in Kenya, where 1 500 lives were lost."

The DUA meeting was expected to end yesterday afternoon.