The day Africa almost became a united state
The dream of a united Africa
started way before the formulation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU)
in 1963 following an intervention by the King of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie I in
Addis Ababa.
In the early 1960s, when independence was
sweeping throughout the colonized continent, liberation fighters and
independence heroes were loosely speaking about a united Africa that will end
colonization in the whole continent.
Ghana’s first president, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, had
verbalized the idea in 1957 when the Gold Coast gained independence from Great
Britain. He proposed for an immediate unity of the continent.
Nkrumah further wrote about African unity and
showed the way by financially supporting Guinea after the French abandoned the
newly independent country in 1958. He also organised the first Pan-African
meeting called the All-African People’s Conference in the same year.
The second president of Egypt, Gamal Abdel
Nasser, also penned down the concept of African unity while Tanzania’s first
president, Julius Nyerere, expressed confidence in a united Africa.
Together, with the leaders of Algeria, Guinea,
Morocco, Mali and Libya, they became known as the Casablanca Bloc, formed after
the second All-African People’s Conference in Addis Ababa in 1961 and led by
Nkrumah to push for a federation of all African states to be called the United
States of Africa. The name takes its origin from Marcus Garvey’s 1924 poem,
Hail, United States of Africa.
The United States of Africa
concept was opposed by some leaders of other independent African states
including Senegal’s Léopold Sédar Senghor and the leaders of Nigeria, Liberia
and Ethiopia. They were referred to as the Monrovia Bloc and wanted unity to be
achieved gradually while Africa remains a continent of independent states.
Subsequent debates over a United Government –
before the OAU was formed – was held during meetings in the towns of
Sanniquellie, Liberia and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 1959 and 1960 respectively.
This was followed by an invitation from Emperor Haile Selassie to Addis Ababa
for a summit.
The monarch is reported to have financed the
building of an Africa Hall worth $2 million to provide a place for African
leaders to meet. He also footed the bill for a luxurious guest house and
banquet among others.
Leaders of the 32 independent African states
honoured the invitation of Haile Selassie and were offered a luxurious
treatment ahead of the meeting that was a deciding factor for Africa’s unity.
The Casablanca Bloc stood by Nkrumah’s
philosophy that “Africa must unite now”, as Egypt’s Nasser, Ahmed Ben Bella of
Algeria and Sekou Toure of Guinea denounced “imperialists” and “colonial
exploiters” at every opportunity.
The Monrovia Bloc thwarted
the possibility of an immediate union with the argument that no matter how good
it sounds, unity won’t work unless economic cooperation is achieved.
The host, Haile Selassie, added his voice saying
the leaders must move step?by?step toward unity as “tradition cannot be
abandoned at once” and the disagreement to a union by the people could
frustrate progress toward cooperation and development.
A 1964 New York Times report stated that:
“Africans would disagree on immediate union because they fear Nkrumah’s
driving egocentricity might lead to his becoming the first, and perhaps
permanent, ‘president’ of a United States of Africa.”
The Emperor’s astute voice successfully gained
the signatures of all the 32 independent African states on the charter that established
the Organisation of African Unity on May 25, 1963.
44 years after the attempt to create a Union
Government during the founding of the OAU, the opportunity came up once again
at the 9th Ordinary Session of the newly formed African Union (AU) in Accra,
Ghana.
The agenda was to debate the creation of the Union
Government that will lead to the formation of the United States of Africa as
adopted by a 2006 study. The study proposed a single African military force, a
single currency and a single passport for Africans.
Those in support of the Union
Government included Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and Muammar Gaddafi of Libya.
The heated debate in Accra failed to institute
the Union Government but the heads of state agreed to accelerate political and
economic integration, strengthen the organs and institutions of the AU and then
set a timeframe to establish a Union Government with the involvement of
Africans and the diaspora.
Since then, teams have been set up in 2007, 2008
and 2009 to review the recommendations and give the green light for the
transformation of the African Union Commission into the African Union Authority
to pave way for the Union Government which will be led by a president, vice
president and secretaries.
All the teams have since deferred their
assignments and the dream of a United States of Africa still lingers as its key
proponents including Gaddafi and Mugabe have been kicked out of power.
Source: ghanaweb.com