Two very important meetings that will fundamentally affect the lives of all Africans, both those alive and those yet to be born, took place this week. Both meetings took place in South Africa; one in Durban and the other one in the affluent suburb of Midrand, near Pretoria. The former is a meeting of the Executive Council of the African Union, which consists of all the Foreign Affairs Ministers of the 53 Member states. The latter is the 7th Session of the Pan African Parliament.

What is most significant about the two meetings was the agenda before them. The Foreign Ministers met for final deliberations on the agenda for the forthcoming summit of Heads of State and Governments of the Union in the first week of July in Accra, Ghana. The summit has a one-item agenda: The United States of Africa. The Foreign Ministers meeting was agreeing its final recommendations to their political bosses. In addition to other items on the agenda, the Pan-African Parliament was also having its only chance to discuss and pronounce itself on matters before the summit.

But how many Africans know about these meetings? Of those who know how many care? And among those who care how many can influence the process?

It is not too late to inform yourself and also to influence the process, because whether we like it or not their decision or non decisions will impact on our lives and the future of our children.

There is no longer a debate about the desirability of a full integration of Africa. The powerlessness of most of our states, our marginalization in global trade and finance, and the shame of our states competing for who is lowest at the bottom of most human development indexes has won the argument in favour of unity. However, as in the anti-colonial and immediate independence struggles leading to the formation of the OAU there are disagreements about how far and how fast to travel the road to unity. One would have thought that these debates were settled in the process leading to the restructuring of the OAU and its transformation into the African Union. But these divisions have continued to rear their heads and undermine the capacity of the states to fast track unity.

What are these positions? The first group is led by Libya and Brother Leader Muammar Gaddafi, who has been the driving force behind the fast tracking of the United States of Africa project since 1999. This group wants the immediate union of the states with one government, a common citizenship, a common defense, a standing Army, a Foreign Minister and a President for Africa. The second group consists of states opposed to what they consider to be Libya’s haste, and argue for gradual integration through consolidation of existing regional economic communities as the key building blocs of the Union. Initially they did not have a clear leader (since most of them could not withstand the roller coaster diplomatic, political and economic pressures from Tripoli) but carried out their anti-Libya manouevers through bureaucrats, ambassadors, foreign ministers and the committee systems at which Libya’s proposals are watered down and bogged down in procedural politics. And since the Libyans are not known for paying attention to details they often lose out but take consolation in all kinds of phyrhic victories.

A third consists of those states who share many of the concerns of the cautious path of the second group, but now say that the AU is there and has enough in its Act of Union, enough authority and consensus, to fast-track unity and wish to consolidate it before going further. This ‘AU is enough’ is now led effectively by President Thabo Mbeki and Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. Other important key players like Nigeria, Egypt, Algeria are basically either standing on the fence or trying to hold a dubious half-way house between Gaddafi’s enthusiasm and Mbeki’s cynicism. Other countries are hiding their indecision, ambiguities, hostilities or biases behind the protagonists. But this is an issue that cannot be fudged anymore.

The Durban meeting of Foreign Ministers is basically Thabo Mbeki’s fight back on the road to Accra, juxtaposing his vision directly to Gaddafi’s. Already even the ways in which the South Africans have tabled the matter have made this clear. Instead of the official United States of Africa, they tslk of an African Union Government. Personally I think we should be more original than just copying the USA. But rebranding as a Union Government is neither here nor there.

What is it that we expect the government whether as a Union or as United to do? In spite of the intrigues and maneouvers by the various camps, they share a basic weakness: they are state-led and are projecting this vision without the involvement of the broad masses of their own peoples. They do not even involve their own parliaments, let alone ordinary citizens. In many cases it is only the Presidency that is involved, with Foreign Affairs Ministers playing guessing games. There is enough of agreements, protocols and statutory instruments to fast track the unity project. What has been lacking is the political will by the leaders to put their money where their mouth is and also fully involve the masses. Without both, the grand debate will only be another sham executive posturing, which drive our peoples into inertia and cynicism.

It is not too late to reverse these wagon-less executive trains threatening to run into each other from Tripoli to Pretoria. The business of unity is too important to be left to Thabo and Gaddafi, even too important to be left to the 53 heads of state and government: the peoples of Africa must have full say in it. It is not a privilege to demand to be consulted, but their democratic right. Otherwise the leaders are engaged in yet another futile attempt to try and shave our heads behind our backs. In many countries people are organising to have discussions on this matter on Africa day this year, May 25. Join one or start one where ever you may be and demand of your President or Foreign Affairs Minister to debate the options and declare which side of the debate they are on.

“Forward ever , backward never”…..Kwame Nkrumah (1909 – 1972)

……………DON’T AGONISE!……………..ORGANISE!!…………….

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 10th, 2007 at 3:11 pm and is filed under Thursday Postcard. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.