The Africa We Want
The aspirations of Africans are well-known and have been registered, the current objective is to pursue what already has been translated into agendas. If we are committed to honor the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, we cannot forget the history of oppression over the indigenous people of Africa and we should advocate for the self-determination and respect to the ones who are autochthonous and their descendants, dispersed throughout the world due to the African slave trade and the remaining legacy of colonialism that divides the Continent in “White and Black Africa”.
From Nationalism to Pan-Africanism!
When talking about identities, many African peoples choose to embrace more Nationalism than Pan-Africanism. People from the North Africa region, for example, have historically focused more on Arabism and Nationalism than they have on Pan-Africanism - they are still hesitant to embrace their African roots and reject an African identity in favor of the Arab pride. Entrenching Pan-Africanism and the common identity doesn't mean letting go of Nationalism or the Arab pride, as these forms of pride can live equally and harmoniously together.
The Africa envisioned by the youth
Previous generations gave their contribution in the Liberation Movements to pave the way and deserve gratitude and acknowledgement. Youth inherits this legacy and the positive and negative aspects of it. There is an idea that the youth is responsible for reversing the negative outcomes of what has been done before and the intergenerational dialogues should go beyond that, holding everyone accountable for either success or failure promoted.
Africa has been, for too long, institutionally failing with its citizens. Power has been a synonym of oppression in and outside the Continent, across every single shared border of neighboring countries. Promoting change or denouncing crimes against humanity have been enough to end someone’s life on behalf of the great powers' interests. The rhetoric about peace is an agenda of vulnerability considering that Africans can barely defend themselves, their territories, and their interests - but Western and Eastern powers are armed to their teeth.
The challenge Africa faces now is to turn pages and pages of declarations, summit outcomes, agendas, sustainable development goals and so many different documents, into reality. This is where the challenges begin: we still face a lack of political will inside each African State when it comes to the demands of the people.
Youth has now a troubled Continent and have the responsibility and pressure over them to revert half of a century (or even more) of injustice and corruption and this scenario cannot be changed overnight. However, we will not do it alone. No more documents are needed. The Africa we want needs, at first, better Africans.
"The Africa we want is the Africa that goes beyond borders, whose countries are committed to keep taking collective actions to open connections with each other and promote union."
Building bridges among Africa’s peoples and economic and social development is mainly the role of the African governments' leaders, and this starts by reaching out to African neighbors and removing any sour ties between the African countries. They also must facilitate the communication between African youth through creating platforms, forums, fellowships, and programs that gather youth from Africa and its Diaspora to encourage a culture of resilience, autonomy, solidarity, and sharing.
From the African 91鶹Ʒ and the African presidential leadership program in Egypt, to Youth ConneKt Africa Summit in Ghana, and to the Biennale Luanda in Angola - Africa needs platforms that gather African youth and stimulate the removal of the obstacles to their effective participation and mobilizing the necessary resources and developing long-term continental plans of action.
The Africa we want is the Africa that goes beyond borders, whose countries are committed to keep taking collective actions to open connections with each other and promote union.
Yasmein Abdelghany is an Egyptian awards-winning young leader in Peace, Education and Sustainable Development. She works with many regional and international organizations on achieving Sustainable Development Goals. She was chosen by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Copenhagen Business School as an outstanding young Egyptian researcher with proven track records in sustainability. She is a speaker at United Nations International Youth Day, author at the United Nations International Youth Conference, as well as an organizer and content creator at the World 91鶹Ʒ. She aims to help youth worldwide in accessing better education and better futures.
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Natália Lima and Yasmein Abdelghany are participants of the Intergenerational Dialogue of the Biennale of Luanda 2021.