Africa Day 25 May 2021
On 25 May 1963, Africa made
history with the foundation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) the
precursor to the African Union (AU).
Africa Day is intended to
celebrate and acknowledge the successes of the Organisation of African Unity
(OAU now the AU) from its creation on May 25, 1963, in the fight against
colonialism and apartheid, as well as the progress that Africa has made while reflecting
upon the common challenges that the continent faces in a global environment.
The annual commemoration of
Africa Day marks the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in
1963.
This year’s Africa Month is
celebrated under the theme: “The year of Arts, Culture and Heritage: in the
year of Charlotte Maxeke”.
Background
The First Congress of Independent African States was held
in Accra, Ghana on 15 April
1958. It was convened by Prime Minister of Ghana Dr. Kwame
Nkrumah, and comprised representatives from Egypt (then a
constituent part of the United Arab Republic), Ethiopia, Liberia, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia,
the Union of the Peoples of Cameroon and
of the host country Ghana. The Union of South Africa was not invited. The
conference showcased progress of liberation movements on the African continent
in addition to symbolising the determination of the people of Africa to free
themselves from foreign domination and exploitation. Although the Pan-African Congress had been working
towards similar goals since its foundation in 1900, this was the first time
such a meeting had taken place on African soil.
The Conference called for the founding of an African
Freedom Day, a day to "...mark each year 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."
The conference was notable in that it laid the basis for the
subsequent meetings of African heads of state and government during the Casablanca Group and
the Monrovia Group era, until the formation of
the Organisation of African Unity (OAU)
in 1963.
History
Five years later, on 25 May 1963, representatives of thirty
African nations met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, hosted by Emperor Haile Selassie.
By then more than two-thirds of the continent had achieved independence, mostly
from imperial European states. At this meeting, the Organisation of African
Unity was founded, with the initial aim to encourage the decolonisation
of Angola, Mozambique, South Africa and Southern
Rhodesia. The organisation pledged to support the work conducted by
freedom fighters, and remove military access to colonial nations. A charter was
set out which sought to improve the living standards across member states.
Selassie exclaimed, "May this convention of union last 1,000 years."
The charter was signed by all attendees on 26 May, with the
exception of Morocco. At that meeting, Africa Freedom Day was
renamed Africa Liberation Day.In 2002, the OAU was replaced by
the African Union. However, the renamed celebration
of Africa Day continued to be celebrated on 25 May in respect
to the formation of the OAU.
Contemporary
celebrations
Africa Day continues to be celebrated both in Africa and around
the world, mostly on 25 May (although in some cases these periods of
celebrations can be stretched out over a period of days or weeks). Themes
are set for each year's Africa Day, with 2015's being the "Year of Women's
Empowerment and Development towards Africa's Agenda 2063".
At an event in New York City in 2015, Deputy Secretary-General of the
United Nations, Jan Eliasson,
delivered a message from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in
which he said, "Let us... intensify our efforts to provide Africa's women
with better access to education, work and healthcare and, by doing so,
accelerate Africa's transformation".
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