Africa Day 2007
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Posted by Karen Lotter May 24, 2007 |
Today it feels good to be an African.
When South African President Thabo Mbeki made this now famous I am an African speech at the adoption of South Africa’s Constitution on 8 May 1996, he was Deputy President to President Nelson Mandela.
I was more move by that speech than I have ever been by any piece of poetry. I sat glued to the television, mesmerized by the beauty of his words - our poet president was beginning to emerge. Few people know that he was the speech writer of many of the great Oliver Reginald Tambo’s speeches.
Two things happened to me after that speech, I printed the words oon a piece of board and pasted them up on my wall, where they still are today. I look at them when I' not typing and every time I see something new. Well this is anew version, the old ones get tatty after a while… and the second thing that happend was, I became a political speechwriter.
Today 25 May, is Africa Day. Today, like every other day I am proud to be an African.
More than 11 years ago when President Mbeki in his I am an African speech outlined the elements that would eventually be seen to comprise the African Renaissance. it was also a radical mind-shift from how we on the African continent have become used to see ourselves and have accepted the manner in which others have engaged with us. The African Renaissance was to be built on the principles of:
- Social cohesion
- Democracy
- Economic reconstruction and growth
- Establishing Africa as a significant player in geo-political affairs
- African ownership of our initiatives and accepting responsibility for our own destiny.
Founding of the Organization of African Unity
On Africa Day as we join millions of our fellow Africans across the continent and across the world to celebrate a day that signifies what is undoubtedly a prolific milestone in Africa’s recorded history, the founding of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), now the African Union (AU). On this day we celebrate the great occasion when 32 independent African countries came together to form this continent-wide organization whose platform was the total liberation of Africa
The spirit of that era is typified by the memorable words of one of the OAU founders, the African visionary, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah: “The Independence of Ghana is meaningless without the total Independence of Africa. We as Ghanaians are prepared to surrender our national sovereignty in part or in total in pursuit of African unity”.
New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD)
The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) has become a charter for the future of our continent. In its founding document NEPAD calls on African leaders to share a common vision that as Africans we have a pressing duty to eradicate poverty and to place our countries on the path of sustainable growth and development.
Whereas the central organizing principle of the OAU was political independence for African states, that of the AU centers on sustainable economic independence from the West. This will be rooted in regional integration, beneficiation, fair trade, technology transfer, sustainable development, gender equity and export based investment
The African Union is taking root, with many of its institutions already established. The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) has been inaugurated as a platform for the articulation of aspirations of the peoples of Africa.
Challenges Facing Africa
But this is a vast continent with a huge backlog, so much remains to be done. With political freedom came new challenges for Africa. Sadly leaders who brought hard fought-for liberation to their people, have become dictators denying their countrymen and women human rights and economic opportunities. Our continent also continues to be afflicted with hunger, disease, civil strife and general economic underdevelopment.
But on this day of celebration I will conclude with the final words of Mbeki's I am an African Speech:
Whatever the setbacks of the moment, nothing can stop us now!
Whatever the difficulties, Africa shall be at peace!
However improbable it may sound to the skeptics, Africa will prosper!
Whoever we may be, whatever our immediate interest, however much we carry baggage from our past, however much we have been caught by the fashion of cynicism and loss of faith in the capacity of the people, let us err today and say - nothing can stop us now!
Watch Thabo Mbeki’s I am an Africa Speech.
Read some African Travel Articles:
South Africa Mozambique Ghana Uganda Swaziland Gabon Cameroon Kenya Egypt Morocco