The Africans Rising: Challenges and desire for borderless Africa

 

By Emmanuel Mogbede, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

 

Approximately 1,500 activists from across African continent and the Diaspora, will converge on Accra, both in person and virtually, for the 2nd All-African Movements Assembly (AAMA) scheduled to hold from Aug. 29 to Aug. 31.

 

They are billed to discuss issues affecting the continent.

 

Samia Nkrumah, President of Kwame Nkrumah Pan-African Centre (KNAC) and daughter of Ghana’s founding president, Kumi Naidoo, Africans Rising Ambassador and Human Rights Advocate, Pierre-Christophe Gam, Polymath Artist are expected to headline speakers at the event organised by Africans Arising.

 

Convening under the theme “Towards Pan-African Solidarity: United We Stand, Divided We Fall”, the meeting is coming up amidst youths-led mass protests in Nigeria, Senegal, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana and Uganda.

 

“The All-African Movement Assembly stands as the platform where Africa’s movements envision and construct the desired just and borderless future in unity’’, says Africans Rising Co-ordinator, Hardi Yakubu,

 

Launched in 2017, Africans Rising is a global Pan-African movement of movements, people and organisations working for unity, justice, peace, and dignity.

 

The movement provides space for progressive African civil society leaders and groups engaged in various civic struggles to convene, connect, collaborate, share knowledge, and build solidarity among Africans.

 

It is expected that through Pan-African mobilisation, campaigns, and movement building, oppressive system will be defeated while alternative is created in its stead.

 

“Africa shall unite and in unity, we will regain our strength and push forward to taking destiny into our own hands”. The Africans Arising co-ordinator had said.

 

He explained that building on the success of the first edition, AAMA 2024 will expand its scope to tackle emerging challenges while capitalising on new opportunities for cross-border solidarity.

 

He said the assembly will feature a series of dynamic discussions and workshops on critical topics including climate and ecological justice, ethical governance, economic justice, reparations.gender justice, and the expansion of civic space.

 

“Additionally, the event will discuss the vision of African unity, including the concepts of a borderless Africa and a single African currency, and will address the ongoing struggles against racism and modern-day slaver,” he said.

 

Yakubu at the end of its Borderless Africa Convention in Lusaka in June 2024, had stressed the need for African Governments to ratify the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons on the continent to boost trade,development and understanding.

 

He said the Africans Arising Movement was committed to ensuring a borderless Africa as the best possible way to build economic, social, and geopolitical power.

 

He also said the group is committed to creating inclusive local organising platforms across African countries to ensure every corner of the continent was touched by the vision of a free, just, united and prosperous Africa.

 

To realise its dream, Yakubu said the movement will collaborate with all Africans in movements, civil society, governments, political parties and private sector.

 

He denounced the colonial mental and physical borders and all relics of colonial exploitation, which according to him, has continued to cause division and rancour among Africans.

 

“We assert our oneness as a people, we no longer want to be identified by or to live in the confines of these divisions, which were created purposefully to divide and conquer us.

 

“True to their purpose, these borders and the divisions have hampered trade among ourselves as Africans, both home and in the Diaspora.

 

“Curtailed cultural harmony, arrested our development, limited educational opportunities, job creation and overall prosperity while leading to great losses of our young, energetic and creative people.

 

“We desire to live in an Africa where we are not Zambians, Kenyans, Nigerians or Sudanese, but just Africans with one passport, one currency and freedom to move within our continent.

 

“All logic and rationality since the independence struggles by our forefathers six decades ago to date, confirmed that this is the only sure path to our mutual prosperity,” Yakubu said.

 

He said there must be no delay in its realisation as scientific studies had further confirmed this, stressing that the United States of Africa was the legitimate desire of the African peoples on the continent and in the Diaspora.

 

He added that the form and structure of the envisioned United Africa was open to rigorous discussions guided by the timeless and enshrined African principles.

 

This, he said, included the values of ethical governance, economic-social justice, ecological justice, respect for human rights, fellow-feeling, anti-racism and discrimination.

 

Yakubu expressed happiness that the Government of Zambia had showed solidarity and support for Africans Rising’s call for the removal of colonial borders.

 

He, however, called on the government to take the next logical step and ratify the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, while proceeding to remove VISA requirements for all Africans traveling from all parts of the continent.

 

“Through the leadership provided by the government of Zambia, we call on all African governments to operationalise and universalise free movement.

 

“For intra-African travel and trade by ratifying and implementing the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons,” he said.

 

Recall that the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons initially contained in the 1991 Abuja Treaty, aims to facilitate and increase the movement of Africans within Africa, while enhancing their rights to entry, residence, and establishment in AU member states.

 

To Charles Kojo Vandyck, a former member of the Africans Rising Coordinating Collective, AAMA is more than a gathering; it is a rallying cry for African movements to forge a future beyond oppression, grounded in justice and collective power.

 

Ms Ann Lorna, Communications and Media Lead, Africans Rising, expressed optimism that the All-African Movement Assembly will beyond discussing challenges confronting the continent, proffer possible solutions.

 

She added that there is a need for African leaders to dialogue on ways of addressing issues facing the continent to make it a better place for all.

 

According to her, the 2024 AAMA has become expedient considering the recent protests in Senegal, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and Uganda, calling for better living conditions and dignity for Africans, particularly the youths.

 

Lorna said the theme of this year’s edition of AAMA was apt because it sought to achieve unity among nations.

 

She said it would also provide a platform for assessing our collective mandate as Africans, especially in our quest for unity, justice, peace, and dignity.

 

“As Africa faces a rapidly shrinking civic space with increasing crackdowns on dissent, harassment, abductions, and even killings of activists, there is the need for a dialogue.

 

“And a unified action has never been more urgent. AAMA 2024 will address these pressing issues.

 

“This will be a great opportunity and platform to look holistically and collectively at the crisis moment that we are in and formulate a systems framework for dealing with these matters together in solidarity,”  Lorna said. (NANFeatures)

 

**If used please credit the writer as well as News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

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