The African Union ought to be disbanded

An item in the news recently was on how some Africans were caught up in distressing circumstances in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Much as the EU mission in Kenya came out to deny reports of discrimination, there is a undoubtedly a long trail of undignified acts towards Africans in various parts of the world that warrants some soul-searching.

It was incidentally the late President Daniel arap Moi of Kenya who spoke that “the Jews are most persecuted people while the Africans are the most humiliated.”

Ultimately one can ask what he really did to combat this deplorable situation given his autocratic methods in dealing with critics.

It is my considered view that where we are today urgently calls for a revisiting of some independence idealism from none other than Tanzania’s father of the nation, Julius Nyerere.

Nyerere summed up the following in a New York Times article titled ‘Africa Needs Time’ from March 27, 1960: “The Africa we must create, the Africa we must bequeath to posterity, the Africa of our dreams cannot be an Africa that is simply free from foreign domination. It must be an Africa that the outside world will look at and say: ‘Here is a continent that has truly free human beings.’The outside world must be able to say: “If you really want to see how a free people conduct their affairs - if you want to see a people who live up to their ideals of human society - go to Africa! That is the Continent of Hope for the human race.

“I feel that Africa’s own tradition, her moral strength, her lack of ties with one power bloc or another, and that sentiment of oneness which the centuries of suffering have built among all her peoples, can together fit her for the role I have suggested - the role of champion of personal freedom in the world today.”

I never tire of reading his vision for the continent and how I only wish these powerful words were inscribed at the entrance to the AU HQ so that every African leader arriving yearly would inevitably have to read them. They are absolutely timeless.

Casting aside the AU for a moment, there are cases of tremendous accomplishments by individuals of African extraction right around the world that I’m confident even Nyerere would proudly take note of. A figure that stands extremely tall here is Barack Obama. What a story! I’ve often asked myself what the two would have made of each other. Both men were of towering intellect and unimpeachable character. I actually got a sense somewhat of general frustration from Obama in terms of the officialdom he had to work with from his fatherland.

Even looking at the UK, it is striking the sheer number of Africans by origin sitting in the House of Commons.

One can cite many other fields of accomplishments. Amid though the wonderful points of success, there have been far too many ugly images from the continent that seem never ending. As far back as the year 2000, The Economist magazine had on its front cover the words “The hopeless continent”. The following year and just shortly after the September 11th attacks in America, the British PM, Anthony Blair, spoke at his Labour Party conference where he noted that “Africa is a scar on the conscience of the world.”

I happened to have watched live that speech back then and felt that moment poignantly.

What subsequently followed was the formation by Blair of the Commission for Africa.

On this Commission was Tanzania’s President, Benjamin Mkapa as well as Professor Anna Tibaijuka who was then the executive director of UN-Habitat. I personally had no qualms whatsoever with Tibaijuka’s appointment but for Mkapa I was sorely disappointed as I highly doubted his commitment to the principles of democratic governance in his own country before going further afield.

As a continent it speaks volumes that we hardly even know what came out of the Commission report.

This is where I take serious issue with the AU. They should have led the way in thorough deliberations on the contents of the report. Mr Blair should have been called into Addis over the years to share his knowledge. And after all he has shown a continued working interest in a few countries in Africa including Tanzania.

Looking at matters like migration from Africa and you realize the daunting extent of the challenges. It is unacceptable to have hundreds of people dying in the high seas in their attempt to get to Europe. And only last month was there an AU-EU summit in Brussels. Next to nothing was heard on this.

It is safe to say that the only time the AU showed some indignation was following the most unsavoury abuse of Africa by former US President, Donald Trump. They demanded he apologise immediately. I suppose Trump’s unvarnished language was too much to stomach.

It is noteworthy that Tanzania has its own dismal story of frustration with the AU going back to the late 1970s when Nyerere pleaded with the then-OAU to, at the very least, condemn the Ugandan tyrant, Idi Amin, for his territorial provocations.

It failed and has remained a blot on the AU like an albatross around the neck.

In closing, it is my rallying cry to all Tanzanian youth to be in the vanguard of rekindling the noble ideals of Nyerere for Africa. It can be done as he would say. And as for our leaders in particular, please try and help yourself by avoiding moments such as when Mkapa invited to Tanzania the tinpot Gambian ruler called Yahya Jammeh, now living in exile, and starting asking aloud at a banquet that “I really wonder how future generations will remember us?”

It is axiomatic that your company reveals everything about you Sir.

Andrew Bomani is a political scientist and acting publicity secretary of UDP: [email protected]