May 31st marks the end of Africa month, 61 years since the formation of the Organisation of African Unity. Over the past 31 days, Africans across the globe have been celebrating Africa’s culture and development strides. I have been one of them, in my own way.
As part of my celebration, I would like to take us to 2013, when the then Chairperson of the AfricanUnionCommission, Nkosazana Dlamini Zumaini -Zuma penned (and read) the famous letter to Kwame-an email from the future, Agenda 2063: ” The Africa We Want. The email symbolised the aspirations of Africans-their dreamland in 1963-based on the AU Vision and the priorities of Agenda 2063.
Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission (2012-2016)
My favourite excerpts from the “letter from the future” that give me hope for Africa are the ones below: Let us not fail Kwame:
“Date: 24 January 2063
To: Kwame@iamafrican.com
From: Nkosazana@cas.gov
Subject: African Unity
My dear friend Kwame,
Greetings to the family and friends, and good health and best wishes for 2063.
I write to you from the beautiful Ethiopian city of Bahir Dar. As we finalize preparations for the centenary celebrations of the Organisation of African Unity. Yes, who would have thought that the dream of Kwame Nkrumah and his generations, when they called in 1963 on Africans to unite or perish, would one day become a reality? And what a grand reality.
At the beginning of the 21st century, we used to get irritated with foreigners when they treated Africa as one country…! But the advancing global trend towards regional blocs, reminded us that integration and unity is the only way for Africa to leverage its competitive advantage.
In fact, if Africa was one country in 2006, we would have been the tenth largest economy in the world! However, instead of acting as one, with virtually every resource in the world (land, oceans, minerals, energy) and over 1 billion people, we acted as 55 small and fragmented individual countries.
That was the case in 2013, but reality finally dawned, and we had long debates about the form that our unity should take: confederation, a united states, a federation or a union. As you can see, my friend, those debates are over and the Confederation of African States is now 12 years old, launched in 2051.
What was interesting was the role played by successive generations of African youth… We were a youthful continent at the start of the 21st century, but as our youth bulge grew, young men and women became even more active, creative, impatient and assertive, often telling us oldies that they are the future, and that they (together with women) form the largest part of the electorates in all our countries!
The accelerated implementation of the Abuja Treaty and the creation of the African Economic Community by 2034 saw economic integration move to unexpected levels.
My friend, Africa has indeed transformed herself from an exporter of raw materials with a declining manufacturing sector in 2013, to become a major food exporter, a global manufacturing hub, a knowledge centre, beneficiating our natural resources and agricultural products as drivers to industrialization.
…
We refused to bear the brunt of climate change and aggressively moved to promote the Green economy and to claim the Blue economy as ours. We lit up Africa, the formerly dark continent, using hydro, solar, wind, geo-thermal energy, in addition to fossil fuels.
…
If I have to single out one issue that made peace happen, it was our commitment to invest in our people, especially the empowerment of young people and women.
…KiSwahili is now a major African working language, and a global language taught at most faculties across the world. Our grandchildren still find it very funny how we used to struggle at AU meetings with English, French and Portuguese interpretations, how we used to fight the English version not in line with the French or Arabic. Now we have a lingua franca, and multi-lingualism is the order of the day.
…
How things have changed. The Confederation last year celebrated 20 years since we took our seat as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and we are a major force for global stability, peace, human rights, progress, tolerance and justice.
Till we meet again, Nkosazana”
For the full letter please consult the AU Commission Website.