It’s a difficult question to answer.
Being African means so many things to different people. And so, too, does being pan-African. The former can mean I was born in Africa, in the Cradle of Humankind. The ancient birthplace of mathematics, architecture and engineering, astronomy, navigation and medicine. It means we hail from a continent rich in tradition, culture, and ingenuity. Africans are great storytellers and artists. Like Cameroonian designer Claude Lavie Kameni, founder of LavieByCk. Entrepreneurs like Sam Mensah Jr., Ghanaian creator of the e-commerce platform KISUA. It can mean leadership and hope. Qualities we saw in former South African President and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. It means joy and strength and perseverance.
The latter, being pan-African, is complex, and has been expressed by Hakim Adi in his book Pan-Africanism: A History (2018) as “a mighty river with many streams and currents.” It means I may not have been born in Africa but that I nonetheless AM African. That my soul reaches out across many generations to claim my heritage. And that we welcome and support each other on this journey. Because at its heart, pan-Africanism is about African unity. Fortifying bonds between indigenous and diasporic ethnic groups of African origin. Encouraging global African solidarity as well as continental unity and pride. We are proud of our individual cultural legacies, uplifting all Africans. Irrespective of nationality or citizenship.
Pan-Africanism has its origins at the start of the 20th century in America, with intellectuals like Martin Delaney, Alexander Crummel and Edward Blyden, who advocated for a return to Africa, and the father of modern pan-Africanism, WEB Du Bois, an advocate for the study of African history and culture. Agenda 2063 of the African Union sets out its own expression of a successful Pan-Africa, codified in its ‘seven aspirations’, declaring it to be:
“…the blueprint and masterplan for transforming Africa into the global powerhouse of the future. It is the strategic framework for delivering on Africa’s goal for inclusive and sustainable development and is a concrete manifestation of the pan-African drive for unity, self-determination, freedom, progress and collective prosperity pursued under Pan-Africanism and African Renaissance.”
And we maintain cultural ties to Africa, with Afrocentric philosophies like Ubuntu and annual celebrations of African heritage.
Today pan-Africanism means that, as we return to Africa, we rediscover and reconnect with our ancestry. We see great men and women promote African cultures and African talents as part of their work. We increasingly see high profile men and women of African heritage, like the late Chadwick Boseman, Rihanna, Beyonce, US former first lady Michelle Obama among many others, speak proudly of their African roots. As Stella Jean, Italian-Haitian designer, says: “I don’t think it’s just a question of advertising a brand or a designer, but rather of promoting a creative and dynamic Africa.”
Being pan-African means being African on a much larger scale, on the world stage. Ivan Van Sertima, author of The Lost Sciences of Africa: An Overview writes: “the nerve of the world has been deadened for centuries to the vibrations of African genius.”
It is our job to revive it around the world. Because we belong and we are welcome. Because we walk proudly in the world. Because we shine as educators and ambassadors of our heritage. It means that we incorporate and embrace our culture. That we are embraced and celebrated for doing so in return.
Who are your modern pan-African heroes? Is Pan-Africanism a panacea or a flawed ideal?
Sources:
https://freedomlab.org/pan-africanism-today/
https://africanarguments.org/2015/06/30/the-rise-and-paradoxes-of-pan-africanism-today/
https://www.asbmb.org/asbmb-today/science/020113/great-achievements-in-stem-in-ancient-africa#:~:text=Many%20advances%20in%20metallurgy%20and,art%20(2%2C%207)
https://www.thoughtco.com/pan-african-leaders-45183
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pan-Africanism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_diaspora
https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/pan-africanism
