Why Pan-Africanism?

A 1981 publication of Ujima, the voice of the Howard University Student Association of the year, poised this poignant question. This is a question that still must be answered 27 years later.

In order to effectively answer the question of the necessity of a Pan-Africanist political social and economic orientation, we must first define the term. P. Olisanwuche Esedebe, in his seminal work, Pan-Africanism: The Idea and the Movement, offers a definition that describes Pan-Africanism as “a political and cultural phenomenon which regards Africa, Africans and African descendants aboard as a unit. It seeks to regenerate and unify Africa and promote a feeling of oneness among the people of Africa among the people of the African world. It glorifies the African past and inculcates pride in Africa.” One of the greatest thinkers of the 20th century, W.E.B. Dubois in a 1933 Crisis article puts it this way, “the Pan-African movement aimed at an intellectual understanding and co-operation among all groups of African descent in order to bring about the industrial and spiritual emancipation of the Negro people.” Simply put, a Pan-Africanist-oriented agenda is aimed at politically, socially, and economically unifying an already culturally unified African people.

“Africa Must Unite!” was the rallying cry of the father of African Nationalism, Kwame Nkrumah. Across the Diaspora, those who trace their cultural heritage to the African continent must come together to bring about the liberation of each other. As Nkrumah later would say, the fates of African descendants and continental Africans are “inextricably tied.” How can we as African-Americans be liberated, when neo-colonialist and aggressive foreign policy with regards to Africa still exists? The same ideology that contributes to the underdevelopment of Africa contributes to the poverty of African-Americans. We must fight these ills together from a united front. For African-Americans, Pan-Africanism means opposing Africom since we are in a strategic position to do so. For continental Africans, Pan-Africanism means using their international leverage to control resources, assuring that their counterparts in other parts of the world are taken care of. In other parts of the world, Pan-Africanism means providing resources and support across the Diaspora to ensure that all Africans are provided for. We cannot reclaim our humanity as African-American people without reclaiming it for continental Africans, Afro-Caribbeans, and Afro-Latinos and vice versa.

Before we were interrupted by the maafa, the unity of African people created the earliest forms of modern democracy and governance. Preceding this, the unity of ancient Africans allowed them to create the first and greatest civilizations. Marcus Garvey famously stated, “What we have done, we can do.” White supremacist dominion in our lives, make Pan-African unity a powerful alternative.

Africans across the world face many challenges, brought about through the aforementioned maafa. The root causes of these problems are centered on factors and agendas that come from the same source, white supremacy. Therefore to combat this, a unified agenda of African unity must first occur. This is what we as an African people must do to return to ma’at. We must utilize the teachings of sankofa across the Diaspora to return to where we were before we were so rudely interrupted.

Dubois also stated in Darkwater, “that a belief in the humanity is a belief in colored men.” Every organization of individuals of African descent, interested in the humanity of African people, must be oriented towards a Pan-African agenda