The history of Africa Day

After the World War II, the process of decolonisation of the African continent gathered momentum as Africans increasingly agitated for more political rights and independence. While in other parts of the continent colonial powers reluctantly and grudgingly relinquished power, in other parts African people launched protracted struggles against the recalcitrant colonial regimes.

Thus, between 1945 and 1965 a significant number of African countries gained independence from European colonial powers. Ghana became the first African country south of the Sahara to gain independence on March  6, 1957.

Its independence served as an inspiration to other African countries struggling against colonial rule and as a result Ghana occupied a central role in the struggle against colonial rule.

Just over a year after its independence Ghana under the leadership of Kwame Nkrumah convened the first Conference of Independent African States on April 15, 1958. Amongst those countries that attended were Ghana, Ethiopia, Sudan, Liberia, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia amongst others. There were also representatives of the National Liberation Front of Algeria and the Union of Cameroonian Peoples. It is worth noting that there were only eight African countries who were independent at this time.

The conference was an unequivocal assertion of Africa’s rejection of colonial and imperialist domination of the continent. It became the first Pan African conference to be held on the continent bringing together various African countries. Furthermore, the conference became a collective platform from which African countries sought to co-operate in the struggle against colonialism.

To further encourage and forge a common goal of fighting against colonial rule, the conference called for the observance of African Freedom Day once a year, to mark “the onward progress of the liberation movement, and to symbolise the determination of the People of Africa to free themselves from foreign domination and exploitation.”
Consequently, 15 April was enacted and called African Freedom Day (or Africa Liberation Day), and this marked the beginning of what would later be known as Africa Day. Subsequent to the April conference another conference, the All Africa People’s Conference (AAPC) was held on December 8-13, 1958 in Accra Ghana. The AAPC was attended by both independent and non-independent countries, representatives of liberation movements.

From 1959 to 1963 African Liberation Day was celebrated in Ethiopia, South Africa, Ghana and by African people in Britain, China, Soviet Union and the United States. Other conferences were held in January 1960 in Tunisia followed by another one in Egypt in March 1961.

As more African countries became independent, the need for an organisation that would articulate aspirations of African people and their struggle arose. Consequently on May 25, 1963, leaders of 32 African nations converged in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa and formed the Organisation of African Unity (OAU).

The organisation agreed to have an annual assembly of heads of state, a council of ministers a general secretariat and a commission of mediation, conciliation and arbitration. Perhaps, more importantly the OAU supported the struggle for liberation in Southern African through the OAU Liberation Committee.

Both the ANC and PAC received support in the struggle against apartheid from the OAU through this committee.
Amongst other things agreed during at the formation of the OAU was to change the date of Africa Freedom Day on 15 April to 25 May. As a consequence of the change African nations celebrate Africa Day on this date. After the first democratic election in 1994, South Africa joined the OAU on 23 May, 1994.

Another significant development connected to this date was the replacement of the OAU 38 years after its formation by the African Union (AU) on 25 May 2001.

Organisation of African Unity
By the late 19th century the entire African continent had been colonised by Britain, France, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, Italy and Spain in what is called the ‘Scramble for Africa’.

Later, at the end of the First World War, Germany and Italy were defeated and lost their colonies to the victorious powers.

Colonial governments imposed their own systems of law on African societies, these were often brutal and denied Africans their basic human rights. The colonial economy existed for exploitation and benefited the colonial powers and in the “Scramble for Africa”, the colonial powers had divided the continent into mini-countries.

Boundaries cut through cultural, ethnic and economic links. Divisions in colonies were used particularly by the British to “divide and rule”.

At the end of the Second World War, demands for independence and “uhuru” or freedom from colonial rule swept across Africa, this coupled by the influence of the spread of socialism and the Cold War rivalry led to the rapid political de-colonialisation of Africa.

The newly independent states were faced with formidable tasks, namely building the nation, developing the economy and transforming society, while heavily indebted to Western entities like the World Bank and the International Monetary Funds.

It was in this climate that the leaders of the then independent African countries established the Organisation of African Unity on the 25 May, 1963 in Addis Adaba, Ethipoia. In short, the organisation aimed to promote unity and cohesion among the newly independent African states, to advance their economic development and to accelerate the liberation of those African nations still under Colonial or White rule.

Today the founding of the OAU (25 May) is celebrated and commemorated every year as Africa Day, a day when, regardless of their whereabouts or situations, Africans celebrate the notion of African unity.

Originally, 37 independent African States were members of the OAU with the President of Ghana, Dr Kwame Nkrumah as the organisation’s first premier and first president (founder of the OAU).

South Africa became the 53rd and last nation to joining the OAU after overcoming Apartheid and electing a new democratic government in 1994. In 1997, OAU members established the African Economic Community (AEC), envisioned as an African common market; the AEC signed an agreement with regional African economic groupings that was intended to lead to harmonisation of policies of those common markets.

A more radical expansion and transformation of the OAU was adopted at Lomé, Togo, in 2000, in the form of the Constitutive Act of the African Union.

The OAU was officially disbanded on 9 July, 2002 by its last chairperson, South African President Thabo Mbeki and replaced by the African Union.

“Organisation of African Unity issued a Declaration (the Sirte Declaration) calling for the establishment of an African Union, with a view, inter alia, to accelerating the process of integration in the continent to enable it play its rightful role in the global economy while addressing multifaceted social, economic and political problems compounded as they are by certain negative aspects of globalisation”.

The OAU’s aim of total unity proved difficult to achieve as the OAU was largely divided.
The former French colonies, still dependent on France, had formed the Monrovia Group, and there was a further split between those which supported the USA and those which supported the USSR in the Cold War of ideologies.

The pro-Socialist faction was led by Kwame Nkrumah, while Félix Houphouët-Boigny of Cote d’Ivoire led the pro-capitalists. Because of these divisions, it was difficult for the OAU to take action against states involved in internal conflicts because it could rarely reach an agreement on what was to be done.

The OAU did, however, play a pivotal role in eradicating colonialism and minority rule in Africa. It gave weapons, training and military bases to colonised nations fighting for independence or majority rule. Groups such as the ANC and PAC, fighting Apartheid in South Africa and ZANU and ZAPU, fighting for the independence of Southern Rhodesia, were aided in their endeavours by the OAU.

African harbours were closed to the South African government and South African aircraft were prohibited from flying over the rest of the continent. In addition the OAU managed to convince the United Nationa (UN) to expel South Africa from bodies like the World Health Organisation.

The OAU also worked with the UN to ease refugee problems. It set up the African Development Bank for economic projects intended to make Africa financially stronger.

Although all African countries eventually won their independence, it remained difficult for them to become totally independent of their former colonisers.

There was often continued reliance on the former colonial powers for economic aid, which often came with strings attached: loans had to be paid back at high interest-rates and goods had to be sold to the donor countries at low rates.

On 25 May, 1963, the first African organisation after independence, the Organisation of African Unity was formed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The organisation was founded by 32 countries, a further 21 states have joined gradually over the years, with South Africa becoming the 53rd member on 23 May, 1994. The OAU started its operations on 13 September, 1963, when its Charter was adopted.

The OAU was committed to helping bring about change and freedom to many African countries and restore dignity of African people.

The 25th May, now celebrated as Africa Day, marks the beginning of a quest for the unity of the continent and for the political and economic emancipation of its people as well as co-operation among them. It is at this historic meeting that the date of Africa Freedom Day was changed from April 15th to May 25th.
In 2002 the OAU was dissolved and was replaced by the African Union (AU)