Africans in Diaspora Seek Strong Unity Government

This Day, Abimbola Akosile - Lagos

Africans in the Diaspora have called on all African Diaspora leaders to support the building a strong Diaspora region that will positively influence the creation of an African government for all African people.

The call, which followed a recent failure by the African Union (AU) leaders to unify Africa under one central government, was made by the convenors of the 2007 Pan Afrikan Movement (PAM) Summit, which is holding in Kingston, Jamaica from July 16-18. The Jamaica summit, according to a statement by the conveners, is expected to have African veteran leaders, scholars, activists, faith leaders, dignitaries, entrepreneurs and students in attendance focusing on Pan African unity in the Diaspora.

The summit leaders summed up the recent 2007 AU Summit’s ‘Grand Debate’ in Ghana for an African government as a bold, noble and an inevitable process that will authentically re-integrate the Diaspora in the AU structure for the future of Africa. Their belief is that if this was not done, Africans everywhere would become more vulnerable to global oppression, thus inviting more imperialist wars in Africa for Africa’s resources.

Speaking on the issue en-route the summit, Dr. Dudley Thompson former Ambassador, Attorney for President Jomo Kenyatta and participant of the 5th Pan African Congress said, “we have a duty to our Motherland to ensure that Africans in the Diaspora do not remain as orphans of Africa, but are treated with dignity and as a source of strength for African unity and power”.

The elder is one of few Pan Africanists alive who has worked for many decades with leaders such as Kwame Nkrumah, Jomo Kenyatta and other major leaders for the liberation and unification of Africa.

The theme of the 2007 Summit is ‘Political Determination - for Cultural and Economic Rebirth’. Some of the key goals are to build a political structure for an African Diaspora Union (ADU) to integrate the Diaspora with Africa; organise cultural campaigns and institutions for African people to promote African values, heritage, history and spirituality; and promote economic initiatives for businesses, trade and commerce amongst Africans in the Diaspora and Africa.

Some of the key conveners and participants of the 2007 Summit in Jamaica are Dr. Dudley Thompson; and Nana Norma Yaa Farika, former official Diaspora delegate to the OAU 6th Pan African Congress (PAC) & 7th PAC organiser.

Others are Dr. Tony Martin, veteran Pan Africanist of Trinidad; Dr. Leonard Jeffries, Vice President of the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilisations (ASCAC); Prof. James Small, CEO of the Organisation of Afro-American Unity (OAAU); Dr. Julius Garvey, son of the late Marcus Garvey; and other leaders representing the African Union; the Caribbean nations (CARICOM) and Africans from across the Diaspora. The Summit is only the second of a series of annual summits to unify the African Diaspora with Africa. At the 2006 Summit, Dr. Leonard Jeffries proclaimed that we are “participating in the building of an African World Community” and Elombe Brath added that the 2006 Summit was a ‘historic Pan African gathering to establish a principled and revolutionary position to help prevent the re-colonisation of Africa’.

Other key leaders and participants of the 2006 Summit were Prof. James Small, OAAU; Dr. Shelby Lewis, Africa Advisor & Consultant; Minister Akbar Muhammad, Nation of Islam; Traditional High Priest Wande Abimbola of Nigeria; and Cardinal Mbuyi Chui, Shrine of the Black Madonna/Pan African Orthodox Christian Church (PAOCC).

The Summit in Jamaica, according to the statement, is also the celebration of the 107th anniversary of the first Pan African Conference and Congress in July 1900 in England. The 1900 Conference was the first bold attempt by Pan Africanists to build a blueprint for a global coordinated movement for the liberation and re-unification of Africans.

The primary goal stated at the 1900 Pan African Conference was to ‘protect Africa from the depredations of empire builders’. The recent AU Summit was a failed attempt to implement the original call by Marcus Garvey and later Kwame Nkrumah for a United States of Africa. Indeed, the July AU meeting has demonstrated that many African leaders are still affected by the hypnotic spell of colonialism with little will-power to advance the Pan African vision to its natural stage for an All African Government.

At the 2007 AU summit, Dr. Konare pushed his nationalist position urging the AU leaders to ‘take the bull by the horns’ to unite Africa as one country. The Pan Africanist leaders at the Jamaica Summit intend to build a Secretariat and a Diaspora Pan African Congress of leaders to continue forging the agenda an African union with a continental African government.

The PAM Summit conference addresses, workshops and plenary sessions are expected to be held on July 16-18, 2007 at the University of the West Indies, Kingston; while pre-Summit activities in Jamaica will begin on July 11-15, with African pilgrimages, rallies, and excursions.

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