It is well recognized that African states are working hard to emancipate their respective people from underdevelopment and state of lagging behind the world. Especially after the advent of Pan-Africanism, which is a viable movement, an ideology and a geopolitical project for liberating and uniting African people and the African Diaspora around the world, the continent has been endeavoring towards unity, independence and strengthened economic, social and political spheres thereby respecting African sovereignty and destiny.
Undeniably and even plainly stipulated, in times gone by, Pan-Africansim has often taken the shape of a political or cultural movement. It has also predominantly aimed at promoting the unity and solidarity of the African states, coordinating and intensifying their cooperation and efforts to achieve a better life for the peoples of the continent, defending their sovereignty, their territorial integrity and independence as well as eradicating all forms of colonialism from African soil.
In due course of fostering all tasks of entirely emancipating Africa, the deed of some members of the African Union, and even that of the Arab League, particularly these days, is against the notions and ultimate goals of Pan-Africanism and regional integration.
Such an outmoded nation has to be advised in advance before exacerbating a regional threat. True, citing Ethiopia's case of damming its own river with a view to lighting the dark version of its territory where 65% of its population has been residing, the nation has time and again provoked futile attempts which have got Ethiopia annoyed.
Such unhealthy move would be of a pretty bottleneck hindering the smooth flow of activities in the Horn of Africa in particular and across the entire region in general. Furthermore, even though it has become an Arab league member, and even assumed to be the leader, the country has not yet been doing proper works for the progress of the precious continental initiative--Pan African trajectory.
Historically speaking, at the beginning of the second decade of the 21st century, various encouraging story-lines on Africa began to emerge. At an economic level, there seem to be positive signs and numerous reports point to Africa as a 'new growth frontier, indeed!' At a political level, peace and stability are increasingly becoming a trend, although challenges remain and new conflicts do still surface.
There is an all time remembered and golden maxim out of the vocal cavity of Kuwame Nkrumah of Ghana stating 'Our independence is meaningless unless it is linked up with the total liberation of Africa'. Yes, this maxim has born fruits and the liberation of the entire continent has been fueled well to publicly declare Africa's independence.
This phrase/statement demonstrated his profound commitment to African unity or Pan-Africanism. It can be said to have its origins in the struggles of the African people against enslavement and colonization. Undeniably, the continued relevance of Pan- Africanism is rooted in the continuity of the domestic and global forces that propelled its emergence almost two centuries ago.
Most definitely, flourishing Pan-Africanism has required the firm commitment of all member states and those who have developed grudge over elements belittling Africa.
The question is, in view of the ongoing reforms at the African Union, how can the organization foster a new form of Pan- Africanism that can lead to the repositioning of Africa in global affairs? The response is an outright 'it is through cementing unification.' However, as stated earlier, some countries of the continent have acted purely against the long-targeted missions of Pan-Africanism. For instance, countries like Egypt are expected to promote cooperation between/among the East African countries that share the Nile and need to stand for just and equitable water share.
No doubt, such cooperation on the Blue Nile will need much greater trust between the parties. To achieve this trust, the countries and their people will have to overcome centuries of cultural and political preconceptions. This will require much patient work and interaction, which is not easy in the current climate. To this end, of course, all member states have to move in unison and foster cooperation instead of exacerbating confrontation citing minor aspects.
This doesn't mean that the issue of the Grand Abbay Dam needs to be overlooked, but it can always be the source of amity and fraternity if countries can think out of the box and ready to respect others' rights and interest. So as to free Africa and unite its people, all members of the AU have to join forces and work together. It is a conscious acknowledgment of the fact that ultimately; the unity of officialdom is incomplete without the unity of the people; the defeat of tribalism and of narrow territorial African nationalism; free movement of the people; and the restoration of the African personality.
So far, there has been African cooperation so as to create and materialize the pan-African dream of one continent, one people and one destiny. So, the nations working against this immense target have to be well advised and practically translated.
Yes, Africa underpins the need for a Pan- African response that can propel African countries to collectively advocate for, challenge, and possibly alter the global order in ways that can ensure a better deal for the people of the continent and the world in general.
The question here is how the AU can utilize Pan-Africanism to renegotiate Africa's position and its contribution in the evolving international order. This is done with the full consciousness of the past and current challenges confronting the intergovernmental organization, such as lack of resources and overdependence on external funding, lack of political will, and dysfunctional nature in the operations of the organs.
Although there is no single or unified approach to conceptualizing Pan- Africanism, it served as the rallying point for the crystallization of forces that drew attention to the challenges of racism, colonialism, neocolonialism and the associated dehumanization, and oppression of Africans in the Diaspora and the mother-continent from the late nineteenth century.
Pan-Africanism also served as an ideological force for the liberation of colonized people in Africa in the twentieth century. Not only does Pan-Africanism focus on mobilizing Africans across all spheres to take pride in their roots and collaborate for socioeconomic transformation, but it is also fore-grounded on engaging with the rest of the world within the logic of correctly identifying its interests and negotiating as a collective to realize these interests.
Through the AU, Pan-Africanism can contribute to the imagination of the political, social, and economic structures in Africa again, away from the political legacy of the imperial logic that informed the current structures. In other words, Pan-Africanism can serve as a reinvented ideological force for resistance against the subordination of Africa in the global order through paying conscious attention to the unresolved political question that continues to undermine its unity, collaboration, and collective action.
African identity and cooperation, reinvented or new Pan-Africanism would revisit Nkrumah's idea of unity through the lens of African identity, politics, and engagement with the old and new generations of Africans at home and beyond instead of widening differences citing minor and irrelevant reasons like what Egypt has been doing.
By focusing on the interests of the people, especially marginalized workers and underpowered groups, new Pan-Africanism can contribute to the effort of creating a new world order that promotes more collaboration, cooperation, and human development through the infusion of all sorts of human values. To this end, all members of the African Union including Egypt, which has undertaken irregular activities against the region's stability, have to take the right track as backing Pan-African trajectory is helping Africa grow.
The contribution of Pan-African move to international relations lies in the ways in which it re-engages with the political question and the contradictions of the neocolonial state structure in Africa as the main challenge undermining the success of Pan-Africanism. The effectiveness of the AU in its efforts to promote Pan-Africanism as a means of engagement with the rest of the world has to be properly and strongly flourished and cemented via the help of multiple actors at the international level to reshape the global order centering the main goal of global governance.
It must be noted that despite the promise and the potentials of the new Pan-Africanism to achieve the above objectives, there are several challenges that stand in the way. The current neocolonial state structure has worsened incidences of xenophobia, ethnic conflicts, religious extremism, and the rise of nationalist political parties. The AU itself faces both operational and strategic challenges that continue to affect its efficiency. It is this time that the African Union needs to work on the unification of its member states.
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Besides, the quest how can the AU ride on the new Pan-Africanism to foster an African identity that can help reposition the continent in global affairs needs to be well replied. How can Pan-Africanism enhance the full realization of Agenda 2063 under the purview of a stronger and more effective AU? These questions have to be well dealt with through working hard and moving in unison.
If Pan-Africanism was potted as an ideological touchstone and a philosophical resistance to the enslavement, subjugation, and marginalization of Africans wherever they may be, by no means member countries could act out of the track and miss the right trajectory even if there are objections emanating from some gaps. However, what Egypt is doing particularly these days, under the guise of its grudge in relation to Ethiopia's Grand Abbay Dam, is a spoiling scenario and a baseless futile attempt, indeed!
Although it may not be a magic wand for the immediate transformation of Africa, it does possess in it an ontological basis through which the African condition can be redefined and re-interpreted economically, socially, and politically.
From the period of attaining independence, African countries have projected their interests for a mutually beneficial multilateral order under Pan-Africanism. Under the purview of the AU, a stronger Africa can also work with other like-minded countries to push for new modes of trade and finance that foster inclusive development.
Generally, taking all this into account, the international community is expected to take steps against the county, Egypt, to reshape its stance and stand by the side it all sisterly nations to make the vision of Pan Africanism real.
Editor's Note: The views entertained in this article do not necessarily reflect the stance of The Ethiopian Herald
