Pan-Africanism: Another Flash in in the Pan?

In 1885, the most influential European nations assembled at the Berlin Conference, where the talk of the day was the “Scramble for Africa,” each vying against the others to take as much land as it could to exploit the continent’s natural resources. Over 100 years later, despite its final country achieving independence in 1993, Africa still finds itself dependent on the West. Hence, Pan-Africanism, the dream for a united Africa, is once more a fierce discussion.

Historically, Pan-Africanism as a movement germinated in the 19th-century, in response to New Imperialism, but not where it would be expected: it arose with the disaffected slaves of America (Azikiwe). However, it was only in the 1960s that it gained momentum in Africa, spearheaded by such revolutionaries as the first President of Ghana Kwame Nkrumah, culminating in the long-awaited decolonization of Africa in the following decades (Nderitu).

A writer for The New Yorker, Anakwa Dwamena sees the mission of Pan-Africanism as the attempt to gain “trans-Saharan union, diminish tribal and regional differences, and erase the color line in favor of cross-continental unity” (Dwamena). Unhappy with the current national boundaries that imperialists set up, having lost their sense of community, which was taken away by the competitive orientation of its colonizers, Africans constantly war with themselves as a result of minor disputes. Pan-Africanism is a rallying cry for Africans to

define themselves in their own terms. As such, many Africans, like Ikaweba Bunting, call for the dissolution of the nation-state, favoring instead a return to pre-colonial Africa, where tribalism was less rife and caused less strife (Bunting). Furthermore, the effects of 21st-century neocolonialism are not just political, but economic: the “support” of the West leaves Africa in a crippled state, where, “For every one US dollar put into Africa, the West receives back four” (Chimutengwende). Western intervention is not for the benefit of Africa, but for its own self-interest. For a truly independent Africa, Pan-Africanists believe the continent must be able to support itself financially without incurring so much debt. As with any other idea, Pan-Africanism may be nothing more than a dream.

Even though there have been attempts made by leaders like Nkrumah, Mugabe, and Gaddafi, they have usually resulted in disaster involving both internal and external military intervention, occasionally becoming dictatorships. All this seems to contradict the vision of a place where all Africans, regardless of religion or tribe, can belong together safely and harmoniously, without fear of losing their rights. For this reason, Pan-Africanism has been criticized for “its promise, followed by its unfulfillment” (Dwamena). In building up the excitement for unification, and in setting these high expectations, Africa’s leaders try their best to follow through with their plans, often plunging Africa back into disunity and resulting in disappointment. Pan-Africanists realize this, with Bunting seeing the failure of his leaders as being the result of failed attempts to imitate the West; he advises future leaders to stop trying to become like Western ones that are corrupt and selfish. Instead, he proposes they recreate the integrative solidarity experienced pre-colonization and pre-imperialism (Bunting). Pan-Africanism is threatened by the passion it itself stirs up.

The fervor surrounding Africa’s future is not dying out, but is only growing stronger as more and more Africans desire to be truly equal, unsatisfied with merely nominal independence. Africa’s representatives, in order to make their continent a major influence in the modern world, are trying to channel this bottled-up energy into something truly democratic and egalitarian. However, the long history of dictatorship and corruption is constantly reminding them all that they must remain realistic in their goals, oriented to the long-term.

Works cited:

Azikiwe, Abayome. “Rebellion, Emigration and the Development of Pan-Africanism - News Ghana.” News Ghana, News Ghana, 28 Feb. 2019, www.newsghana.com.gh/rebellion-emigration-and-the-development-of-pan-africanism/. Accessed 14 Mar. 2019.

Bunting, Ikaweba. "Abolishing Nation-States Can Reduce Conflict." Africa, edited by William Dudley, Greenhaven Press, 2000. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010216214/OVIC?u=los42754&sid=OVIC&xid=d679f1ed. Accessed 14 Mar. 2019. Originally published as "In Search of a New Africa," The New Internationalist, Mar. 1996.

Dwamena, Anakwa. “The Insufficiency of Pan-Africanism as We Know It.” The Nation, The Nation, 7 July 2016, www.thenation.com/article/why-pan-africanism-lives-on/. Accessed 14 Mar. 2019.

Nderitu, Alice Wairimu. “A Modern Pan-Africa Needs the Fierce Urgency of Now.” The East African, The East African, 14 Mar. 2019, www.theeastafrican.co.ke/oped/comment/A-modern-pan-Africa-needs-the-fierce-urgency-of-now/434750-5026712-8kt8gbz/index.html. Accessed 21 Mar. 2019.