What would it take for REAL Pan-Africanism to become mainstream again?

[mbewane]

There is a massive, massive difference between the EU and pan-Africanism as an idea.
Pan-Africanism is a stupid fantasy, born of the desire for us all to unite under one "Black race" created by a grouping of people who didn't even have the remotest clue how deeply different Black peoples are from one another. The EU exists as a force not based in a "racial ideology" but on geopolitical, socioeconomic, and general safety concerns.
You're right though.

I agree, except for the bolded. Pan-Africanism started out as very concrete political projects. For example, Boganda wanted the Central African Republic to be composed of the current CAR, Gabon, Congo, Cameroun, and Tchad if I remember well. It was not based on some romantic "We're all brothers" thing, but rather as a economic approach : he (rightly imo) believed that these new countries were too small, weak and didn't have enough elite civil servants to efficiently develop separate countries. Since those countries already had ties due to speaking french and had already interacted before and during french colonization, it made sense. Now one can look at it through the racial lens, and see that it's only black people involved, but that's obvious since it's taking place in Africa. And other panafricanist projects never had the idea of suppressing diversity, it was rather a matter of building on what unites people and having common goals. In a sense, what the EU did.

Panafricanism NOW is perceived as linking Black people all over the world, but that's not how it started out in Africa. Initially it was very concrete political projects.

 

[EndDomination]

I agree, except for the bolded. Pan-Africanism started out as very concrete political projects. For example, Boganda wanted the Central African Republic to be composed of the current CAR, Gabon, Congo, Cameroun, and Tchad if I remember well. It was not based on some romantic "We're all brothers" thing, but rather as a economic approach : he (rightly imo) believed that these new countries were too small, weak and didn't have enough elite civil servants to efficiently develop separate countries. Since those countries already had ties due to speaking french and had already interacted before and during french colonization, it made sense. Now one can look at it through the racial lens, and see that it's only black people involved, but that's obvious since it's taking place in Africa. And other panafricanist projects never had the idea of suppressing diversity, it was rather a matter of building on what unites people and having common goals. In a sense, what the EU did.

Panafricanism NOW is perceived as linking Black people all over the world, but that's not how it started out in Africa. Initially it was very concrete political projects.

Ah, I was referring to the US Pan-African movement, the mid-1900s attempts to ensure interstate power on the continent itself is far different from the Western Black idea of pan-Africanism.

 

[yardman]

All it would take black people to get serious about working with each other.

And what would that take?

 

[↓R↑LYB]

And what would that take?

It would take @yardman to put his money together and start dong business with any of the billion plus Africans in the Diaspora and on the continent.

 

[yardman]

It would take @yardman to put his money together and start dong business with any of the billion plus Africans in the Diaspora and on the continent.

Most definitely I just wanted to see your specific response.

 

[AB Ziggy]

Times were different back then and information didnt travel as it does now. People probably thought they were the only ones being colonized.

Its not that Africans dont want Haiti in the AU..it's the Americans and EU that dont want Haiti in the AU. The AU was most likely warned against giving Haiti membership because it lies in the Western Hemisphere and they wont allow that to happen because of future Geo political implications. I.e., Jamaica, Bardbados and Trindad demanding AU membership etc. Think..

This is stupid though. Haiti's revolution against the white man paved the way for every other black dominated territory to do the same, including the African nations today. Haiti should've deserved to part of the AU more than anybody.

 

[Premeditated]

I think pan-africanism as a political movement is dead for the moment. African countries are too tied up in Western influence, who MIGHT push for more regional economic integration but def not for political integration. And individual presidents have too much at stake to push for more regionalism/panafricanism. Lest we forget that nationalism is a reality in Africa too (SA's treatment of african immigrants, the issues between the two Congos, Chad, etc).

On the other hand, and this might sound cliché, I think it might arise from the bottom-up. A lot of young Africans and people of the Black Diaspora are extremely connected and already live a form of "cultural pan-africanism" imo. Maybe even more so than Europe. People are working/studying all over the place, connecting with other diaspora. Some might hate it, but the use of English and French creates a de facto community within which it is easy to communicate. It's nothing for a Senegalese to discuss with a Haitian. It's more complicated for a French to discuss with a Spaniard.

Maybe all of this will percolate in the political spheres, but I think it can only come from the bottom up. This current generation (in Africa, Europe, and the Americas) I think has what it takes : education, know-how, language skills, "knowledge" of the world, and VERY IMPORTANT IMO know the realities of the Western world and are less "star-struck" than the older generations were. I think the only thing I would hope from politics is easing up visas between African countries and developping good infrastructure to travel the continent (it's sometimes easier to come to Paris than to go from one African country to another). The rest could very much happen through civil society, and politics will catch up on that.

What I most certainly know is that Black people/Diaspora have a unique chance imo : we're deep in three continents, two of which basically (still) rule the world (Europe and America) and the other seen as the future (Africa). And we don't haev any real reason to resent one another, contrary to White people between themselves for example.

 

[Misreeya]

It is really a novel idea, and i would like to see this implemented. However, i don't see this working no time soon. I believe transcontinental trade is a good thing, but the movement of people to different countries is a bit sketchie, which may arouse a xenophobia hysteria in some countries especially in North Africa, and we all had witnessed such violent outbreaks in South Africa several years ago. I have heard instances of hostilities against Sub Saharan students and migrants from Uganda and other African countries when i was visiting relatives in Cairo, and i would hate to read in the newspaper of (such and such) people being killed due to local xenophobia, therefore we need to thread lightly here, and advertise the idea of intertrade and movement in various countries as a positive thing, so we need to educate the general population before implementing this idea, or least have a public discuss, and answer people concerns. Africans also have to learn each other countries, which is definitely a disconnect across the continent.

 

[Ol’Otis]

our shyt was infiltrated

the last time for pan-africanism was in the early 90s (89-96)

 

[mbewane]

It is really a novel idea, and i would like to see this implemented. However, i don't see this working no time soon. I believe transcontinental trade is a good thing, but the movement of people to different countries is a bit sketchie, which may arouse a xenophobia hysteria in some countries especially in North Africa, and we all had witnessed such violent outbreaks in South Africa several years ago. I have heard instances of hostilities against Sub Saharan students and migrants from Uganda and other African countries when i was visiting relatives in Cairo, and i would hate to read in the newspaper of (such and such) people being killed due to local xenophobia, therefore we need to thread lightly here, and advertise the idea of intertrade and movement in various countries as a positive thing, so we need to educate the general population before implementing this idea, or least have a public discuss, and answer people concerns. Africans also have to learn each other countries, which is definitely a disconnect across the continent.

Good point. And yeah xenophobia exists across the continent so one cannot just open the borders and hope everything will be sweet (even though in some countries, the borders are already de facto opened)

 

[KOohbt]

Africans in America have to trade with each other. That's our only problem. We don't trade. We just consume everybody else shyt. All our life's problems are tied to lack of trading and to trade you have to produce something to trade. Now go make some shyt and trade.

 

[CEITEDMOFO]

Related:

 

[Jimmy from Linkedin]

I think Black People worldwide will be feeling themselves after this movie comes out. It is on you to do the learning before hand so when you watch the movie you can use the history you've learned to relate to these people in conversations about how this kinda stuff is possible. I'm gonna be That Dude when it comes down to it because otherwise this will turn into another "We Shall Overcome" "N We Gon Be Alright" type Renaissance

 

[ThatTruth777]

positive results

 

[Grano-Grano]

fukk Pan-Africanism.