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Zvamaida Murwira in MIDRAND, South Africa
AFRICA should resist the temptation to be divided based on foreign and colonial languages inherited by the African continent but instead strive to remain united through home-grown solutions unadulterated by Western capitals, Pan African Parliament (PAP) president, Chief Fortune Charumbira, said yesterday.
Addressing the 11th Conference of Speakers of National and Regional Parliaments whose objective is to promote co-ordination and harmonisation of parliamentary action on the continent, Chief Charumbira said indigenous African languages had never been a source of divisions among Africans but exotic and colonial languages had caused divisions.
This has led to some African countries failing to appreciate inventions and research work by other countries such as Madagascar which explored ways to find a Covid 19 vaccine.
The conference, which is being hosted by PAP, has Zimbabwe being represented by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Advocate Jacob Mudenda and Senate President Cde Mabel Chinomona.
In his keynote address, Chief Charumbira said the period preceding the new PAP Bureau which he assumed leadership of in June this year, was characterised by divisions among members.
“I want to appeal to our national parliaments to assist us in building one united PAP. It is common knowledge that when we meet to discuss some issues affecting the continent as PAP, we are divided or we have been divided in the past, usually on regional language issues. But if you ask us, whose language is causing divisions among us. It is not Cote d’ivoire language, Zimbabwean language, Gabon, or Egyptian language, or our own indigenous languages. But we are divided on languages that are external to this continent say English, French, Portuguese, and Arabic. Indigenous languages are not the cause of conflict,” he said.
“I think that education should be pushed and should assist us through educating your delegates that when we say AU, we are talking of unity, and not to be divided.”
Chief Charumbira said since his assumption of office, he had embarked on a transformative trajectory aimed at uniting the continent.
Some of the measures include ensuring recruitment of PAP staff that reflects regional balance.
“From the inception of new Bureau, we have embarked on a transformation process of ensuring that we are united and that for the first time after electing a new Bureau, we say every region must have at least two chairpersons from every region, vice chairperson and rapporteur equality. This is the only way to a united Africa,” Chief Charumbira said.
He called on national parliaments to enhance their oversight role so that Africa attains food self-sufficiency.
It was saddening, said Chief Charumbira, that some African countries were getting food aid from war ravaged countries like Ukraine when they should be assisted by fellow African countries.
“I received a message this morning that a ship with food from Ukraine had docked in Djibouti two days ago. Ukraine at the moment is at war. How can such a country feed us? While they are at war they are able to deliver food to us. Why can’t we produce our own food? I think we need a measure, some measure of effectiveness of Parliaments on the continent including PAP. Are we being effective,” he said.
“Why should neighbouring countries not deliver food. We need to interrogate these issues. We have a good climate and why are we failing”.
Chief Charumbira said African countries should not continue to be beholden to Western capitals, most of whom look down upon the continent.
One example, he said, was that of Madagascar which had indicated that it had invented what could be a Covid-19 vaccine but no African country stood with it while it was attacked by Western capitals who rejected its claims.
“During the Covid 19 pandemic we relied on the West. When Madagascar said they found the vaccine, the West went to crush them, saying nothing can come from Africa. We left them to be bombarded and we kept quiet, to be safe saying if you talk too much you will not get aid,” said Chief Charumbira.
Online Reporter