CALL FOR GRASSROOT MOBILISATION OF SUPPORT FOR A UNIFIED AFRICA

MODEL AFRICAN UNION

If the model African Union is a good simulation of the African Union then the hope for a better Africa and its peoples is far from been realized. After spending a few days in a simulation of the African Union I now understand why the quest for a United Africa seems to be the stuff of legends. However I still left the session with the idea that a United Africa is the best way forward towards addressing its current problems.

If there is one word that can describe my experience at the session, that word would be enlightenment. It is understood that any bureaucracy would slow down decision making processes but when those decisions have more to do with how many lives are saved and impacting the lives of millions of people one would think that differences would be easily shoved aside.

From my stint as a delegate I can see why this does not happen. I should firstly commend all the delegates. Some put real effort into preparing for the sessions and were in character throughout the session. However as a body my impression is that we failed. We, in the name of the people we represent hid behind native traditions, protection of individual sovereignty and impracticability to make decisions that we think are stabilizing our positions in the African continent but which are in actual fact further sinking the African continent into despair.

The resolutions themselves were generally good. All of them were made in good faith. Some more practical than others and some that can only be described as lofty ideals. However I believe that most of these resolutions were not discussed based on their merit but on the various factors that had to do more with diplomatic relations and a facade of individual governments.
In my mind the concern has never been about if a United States of Africa is a good thing. Minds greater than I have always been discussing it. Nelson Mandela once described a United Africa as a dream that we should act upon. In fact, he described this dream as a state of peace. He stated it as; … (the) dream of the realization of the unity of Africa, whereby its leaders combine in their efforts to solve the problems of this continent, (The) dream of our vast deserts, of our forests, of all our great wildernesses, (the) dream of an Africa, which is in peace with itself. The concern about a Unified Africa has always been about its difficulty since the cultures are so diverse.

BLACK IS FOR SUNDAY

In complete contrast to the session, the day after my return to campus I was fortunate enough to see the Invisible Children Documentary, “Black is for Sunday”. It was a documentary about what people face in a Ugandan refugee displaced camp. This documentary further strengthened my resolve to see a Unified Africa. Having hailed from a war ravaged nation, I thought I knew all there was to know about sufferings during conflict times, but the documentary proved to me that that was not the case. I don’t know what the others were thinking while viewing the movie, but in my own case all I felt was shame. I was ashamed to see the suffering that we Africans could place on each other. Ashamed to see that there were still people who lived in poverty and perpetual fear of their lives in a place I call home. Ashamed that even in their worst state young children would appeal to a nation that was thousands of miles away for help, rather than reach out to all the people around them. I felt I had failed them.

CONTENTION

I firmly believe that this is the time when we need to get together to push for a unified Africa. A united Africa admittedly will not mean an immediate end to all the suffering. However a unified Africa will be a stepping stone towards the establishment of the greatest empire yet. It will assure the African people that we are committed to working with each other for the common good. It will assure them that the resources are theirs and they will be used for the general welfare. It will also assure them that their representatives think about their needs and are not only there to pursue their personal agenda.

CALL TO ACTION

The roadblocks to a unified Africa are varied but chief among them is the thirst of our leaders to hold onto power which is easier in separate states. As such therefore, if we think a united Africa is the best way forward we have to let them know that they are there because we put them there and they should be listening to our calls. This can be achieved by mobilizing the young people, facilitating discussions about the benefits of a unified Africa, a reception of suggestions about how the blocks can be shoved aside, the shape of the unified Africa and primary issues that are to be addressed. A call to a united Africa from the grassroots level is not only necessary but timely.