Of late, there are an increasing videos in the off-mainstream media, plethora of discourses which show a new wave of African thinking. It is pretty well-balanced academic. But its focus is predominantly how to respond to external negative narratives and presentations of Africa and the people, from euro-centrists to verbally whipping the totality of African Leadership today. There are no holds barred. But it totals the urgency for Africa to UNITE. You wonder as a Ghanaian its import— vindicating ex-President Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah or a growing new movement tentatively or positively flying kites or firing warning shots to whom it may concern.
I think it is both. I would suspect though that there is a parallel external and domestic frenzy to stop it. Somethings correspondingly begun in the 80s. The new African Headships were hailed and fizzled. In 2000 Muamar Ghaddafi revived a resurgence. The rest is history. Uganda’s Uweri Museveni and Paul Kagame, Ruanda are apparent leading exponents. They are doubtlessly targeted and to loan Dr Nkrumah’s saying, ‘’tolerated like toothache’’ for the time being. The Scholars too in this fresh effort led by the outspoken Prof Lumumba. Their clarion calls resonate regular top-up of the “MUST-NECESSITY’’ to unite with Nkrumah’s “UNLESS’’.
It was felt externally like daring; and response has also been a punctuated ‘’ousted’’ with collaborators from within, as every African schoolboy knows or foreign researchers equally. Ghana had its independence 6 Mar.1957. The first nipped coup was Feb. 1958. Nkrumah’s “Africa must Unite was published 1963. A testimony by the lady who kept Nkrumah’s book right in recent social media video strip documentary, says the US and the West marked him as ‘’dangerous’’. That partly explains why ‘’targeted’’ suspiciously, Museveni and other forward frontliners of the nascent revival. [Suspicion is part of the alter ego in any of creation’s species. It ranges from possibility through probability to truth as could or might not occur in human experience and particularly in international politics].
Therefore, the renaissance gathering moss in and among the present and upcoming generations would have enemies; and such don’t sleep, unless. There are two competing “unless’’—the African-Must and the outer cum home. The submission of present brigade points to Africa combining and controlling or indeed own its resources—natural human endowments. Truth is these have been manipulated including the successions of leaderships, pre and post-independence after which status quo of business has changed more in nomenclature than into indigenised, except Kagame in reality. The outer adversary is aware of the outcome of united Africa would be extremely depriving. It is a view Africa does not subscribe because it is in interest of exploiting and subjugation. Unfortunately, some (or a likely majority), are beset with poverty, disease, squalor and mismanagement to the extent of sell-out or the better endowed, have sold off and undertakers, under table to either pawn or mortgage small pieces of left-overs. And widespread rumour alleges what accrues also go into private pockets—supposedly, the leaderships’ families and cronies. That also is apparently pointed as corruption and narrow-minded self-aggrandisements and regimes are unapproved in public opinion ratings throughout the continent.
But beside the phenomenon, there are questions Africa should ask of itself answering honestly, if the fresh groping to be born again could be meaningful and how clean – support the re-buoying. I should Ghana’s example after the overthrow of Nkrumah 1966. The Legonite “WHAT WENT WRONG’’ volumes of erudite news magazine’s academic diagnostics re-shaped a “THIRD FORCE PARTY’’. It ditched at peak and when super credulous country was fully expectant of exciting new breeds which will restore the economy, settling debts for a revived and exciting country to the exuberant heights, pre-independence joy and hopefulness Events after the coup-mania throughout Africa were the same—some are still unstable under both military and civilian governments. So there is on one hand, things are not cool and scary; on another, just disconsolate. How appropriate is it to ring bells for African Unit? In the earlier times after independence and Nkrumah started calling, the West immediately formatted a division separating the ’’Cassablance-8’’ as Leftists Radicals and tagged them ‘’dangerous’’and labelled as underminers of fellow governments, planted hatred. By the formation at Addis Ababa [Ethiopia] May 1963, the West had triumphed to have “Moderates’’ and ‘’Hawks’’ in the just-about-to be inaugurated ‘’The Organisation of African Unity [OAU]. The original intended title was ‘’Organisation of African’’ States [OAS].
The US led a collective opposition that OAS conflicted with theirs, Organisation of American States. Significantly, these were the first body blows, undermining any solid togetherness like NATO and EU, latterly looking wobbly, after British pull out and Russia’s wars of annexation Crimea and currently Ukraine. The OAU succeeded in create the Non-Aligned Movement and formed a kind of Ghanaian TFP to bring balance at the UN, scooping the US-Led WEST. Their biggest prizes were Dr Alex Quaison Sackey as the first Chair of the UN General Assembly; and perhaps unforgiveable hurt of the US was the unseating of China -Taipei for China-Peking at the UN. It had been a fight for 16 years. That same Ghana-led is the Diaspora Group of nations. You now understand the ‘’delenda est Nkrumah’’.
The whole goal for keeping down Africa is not just that the continent shall remain in stupor and divided; but it is going to be a singularly formidable global decider Let it be said that for world governments and Researchers, political pundits Ghana became such an authentic and authoritative world-wide Mecca– physically and electronically via GBC’s most professional External Radio Service, our myriad of research institutions, even local Libraries, education, liberal and sciences –Legon developed satellite, Roman Catholic Rev Fr Koster and the Physics Department and capped by the medical school and the calibre the Foreign Service and quality of men and a coterie of finessed women. Someone stop me, if I am over-hyping.
The essence of that abridgement is to ask another question, pursuant to African unity in vogue. When the repercussions of Al Quaida, osama Bin Laden’s began to spill over into Africa [now bogged down North Africa, America proposed giving Africa a military cover in an agreed high sea oil high-jaks and confront or deter terrorism. Africa for once said ‘’No’’ at a summit in Paris. The aftermath is now a bigger eye-opener. There are secret defence pacts between the US and some strategically selected African governments. Partial leaks of terms are repugnant to sovereignties. The US complained against Russian joint military exercise with South Africa.
Two issues derive: in whose interest to police US and allies oil shipments, general African health and military cost bills. How well placed are the African economies to pay for armouries and health. It is true Covid which is officially a genocide, did not wipe out Africans. Yet, notwithstanding some or most African States were dependent on Donors for vaccines and accounting today is unwelcome request all over. The relative import emphasises weak or emptied finances. In Akan language but put in Fantse; ‘’womfa nsapan mbuei enyitor’’—’it doesn’t take empty hands to save human sight.’ The gravamen of the argument is a twin: Nkrumah did not outline budget on how joining defence forces as a model. The argument that it would have been up to be worked out later relative subscriptions or levies, is a bad hind-thought for him, probably in defence; but this is very low for his meticulousness as he achieved.
The younger twin is that I think either was provided for experts; or that there was a script writer unintended omission. Mind you also that the inauguration was the most outstanding of Nkrumah’s successes. Getting to Addis Ababa was like a war without guns but skilful. Now here is the true problem: Africa hasn’t got the wherewith all to initiate, sustain and recover itself as a force globally. It isn’t that the bill can’t be managed. It is rather that both domestic lackeys and paymasters outside will sabotage it—simplicita. Glib talk proposes that the current leaderships have reached end of statutory terms or approximately. Hope is the follow-on generation shall handle better. This is inaccurate because the expectations have the same since 70s-on between overthrows and ballot-box alterations. And almost 40 years after, it should take a combined guts of Saints and Martyrs to sustain that hope for the continent to recoup. The real missing key is accepting that there is something ungrafting which is the systems of government. I would the gathering strength of the rebirthing tackle the restructuring of governance first before the retrieval– doing business with the predators. African unity lies there in its bosom.
I shall cite the following to brood out its moral: Our first military cum police junta, the NLC settled a pre-emption of the Biafran War at Aburi with leadership of the combatants. All was well until an intervention advisory-protest for their interests, entered back in Lagos and re-ignited hostilities into war. Incidentally, that external government supplied munitions to one side. They were caught, like ex-British Premier Boris Johnson presently. Among the leading gun-running was a former Chief of Defence here.
By Prof Nana Essilfie-Conduah
