Tillie Doyle
Pan-Africanism is a term used to describe various movements in Africa that aim for the unity of Africans and the elimination of colonialism and white supremacy from the continent. The roots of Pan-Africanism can be traced back to the First Pan-African Conference in London in 1900, organised by Trinidadian barrister Henry Sylvester Williams. The movement gained wider recognition in 1945, when the Fifth Pan-African Congress was attended by future African presidents including Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya, and Nnamdi Azikiwe of Nigeria. The Congresses, organised by influential thinkers like W.E.B. Du Bois, did not propose immediate African independence but instead favoured gradual self-government and interracialism. The Pan-African movement led to the establishment of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1963, which later became the African Union (AU).
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What You'll Learn
The Pan-African Congresses
The First Pan-African Congress aimed to petition the Versailles Peace Conference, which was taking place concurrently in Paris, to make a case for self-rule in African colonies. The Congress proposed that Germany's colonies be turned over to an international organisation rather than other colonial powers. The meeting also saw the creation of the idea of Pan-African Marxism.
The Second Pan-African Congress took place in 1921 in London, Brussels and Paris. The most important outcome of this meeting was a declaration that criticised European colonial domination in Africa and called for a fairer distribution of the world's resources.
The Third Pan-African Congress took place in 1923 in Lisbon and London, and the Fourth in 1927 in New York City. The movement then faded from the world picture until the Fifth Pan-African Congress in 1945 in Manchester, England. This was organised by Jomo Kenyatta and attended by Kwame Nkrumah, who would later lead Ghana to independence.
The Seventh Pan-African Congress in 1994 in Kampala, Uganda, was the first to specifically address women's issues. A pre-Congress Women's Meeting was held to ensure that women's voices and concerns were listened to.
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The role of women
Pan-Africanism is a belief in the unity of all African people, both on the continent and in the diaspora, sharing a common history and destiny. It has influenced democratic and inclusive governance and popular constitution-making across Africa.
The Pan-African Women's Conference in 1962 facilitated a transcontinental dialogue on women's rights, influencing national policies and fostering a sense of shared identity among African women. Women's roles in African society underwent significant shifts due to colonialism, wars, modernisation, and independence movements. In pre-colonial African societies, women often held substantial economic, social, and political power, with some communities like the Igbo of Nigeria having dual-sex systems. Colonial rule imposed Western gender norms, undermining women's status and limiting them to domestic roles.
The introduction of cash crops and taxation systems forced women into lower-paying jobs or subsistence farming. However, women in West Africa were significant economic agents in local and regional markets, and the 20th century saw the rise of women entrepreneurs. Women also played a crucial role in resistance movements against colonial rule, such as the Aba Women's Riots in Nigeria in 1929.
It was not until the Seventh Pan-African Congress in 1994 that women's issues were specifically addressed. A pre-Congress Women's Meeting was held to ensure women's voices were heard, with over 300 attendees, 74% of whom were women. This meeting primarily addressed women's issues such as genital mutilation and the protection of young domestic workers from abuse. Women participants in the Seventh Pan-African Congress worked towards building an agenda for the Pan African Women's Liberation Organisation.
Despite the important contributions of women to Pan-Africanism, they have often been overlooked in its historical narrative. For example, out of forty Pan-Africanists mentioned in the book "Pan-Africanism History: Political Figures from Africa and the Diaspora since 1787", only three were women. This led to the coining of the term "Africana Womanism" by Clenora Hudson-Weems in the 1980s, which focuses specifically on the achievements of black women.
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The influence of W.E.B. Du Bois
Pan-Africanism is a belief that "African people, both on the continent and in the diaspora, share not merely a common history, but a common destiny". It is based on the belief that unity is vital to economic, social, and political progress, and it aims to ""unify and uplift" people of African ancestry.
W.E.B. Du Bois is considered the "father of modern pan-Africanism". He was a leading African-American intellectual of the 20th century and a scholar at the historically Black Atlanta University. Du Bois was a strong advocate for the study of African history and culture, and his work was instrumental in shaping the Pan-African movement.
Du Bois was a pioneer in advocating for Pan-Africanism, believing that all people of African descent shared common interests and should unite in the struggle for their freedom. He was a leader of the first Pan-African Conference in London in 1900, and he played a key role in establishing the Pan-African Congresses, a series of meetings that advanced the issue of decolonisation in Africa. Du Bois organised the first Pan-African Congress in 1919, which called for an end to European domination and criticised colonial rule in Africa. He also founded the NAACP and was at the forefront of the fight for civil rights, challenging the idea that Black Americans should compromise their basic rights or integrate with white society.
Du Bois's influence extended beyond his lifetime and continues to shape the Pan-African movement today. His ideas inspired many African leaders, including Ghana's Kwame Nkrumah and Nigeria's Nnamdi Azikiwe. Du Bois's work also contributed to the shift towards democratic and inclusive governance and popular constitution-making that swept through Africa from the 1990s to the 2010s. The enduring struggle for freedom, justice, and democracy in Africa is a testament to the ongoing influence of Du Bois's ideas.
In addition to his Pan-Africanist work, Du Bois made significant contributions to sociological inquiries into the condition of Black Americans. He was also a leading thinker on race and the plight of Black Americans, challenging contemporary ideas about race relations and advocating for Black literature and art.
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The fight for liberation
The first formal Pan-African Congress, convened in Paris in 1919 by W.E.B. Du Bois, was a significant milestone. This congress, along with subsequent ones in the 1920s, criticized European colonial rule and advocated for the fair treatment of people of African descent. Du Bois, considered the father of modern Pan-Africanism, emphasized the ""problem of the color line," recognizing the suffering of Africans under colonial rule.
The movement gained wider recognition in 1945 with the Fifth Pan-African Congress in Manchester, England, which included future African leaders such as Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana and Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya. This congress urged colonial peoples to unite, reject external control, and elect their own governments to achieve social, economic, and political emancipation.
The Pan-African Freedom Movement of East and Central Africa (PAFMECA) was formed in 1958 to campaign for independence from colonial and white minority rule. The 1960s saw the establishment of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), with 32 newly independent African countries uniting to promote unity, solidarity, and cooperation among African states and to end colonialism. The OAU played a crucial role in ending apartheid and establishing majority rule in South Africa.
Despite these advancements, the Pan-Africanist movement faced challenges, including the lack of representation of women's contributions and issues. It was not until the Seventh Pan-African Congress in 1994 that women's issues were specifically addressed. The Congress recognized the need to reflect on the role and needs of women, and participants worked towards building an agenda for the Pan African Women's Liberation Organisation.
The enduring struggle for freedom, justice, and democracy in Africa continues, with Pan-Africanist thought emphasizing citizen agency, accountability, and reform to build a democratic society that serves the interests of its people.
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The African Union
The AU also has a representative body, the Pan-African Parliament, which consists of 265 members elected by the national legislatures of the AU member states. The AU Commission, the secretariat to the political structures, is chaired by Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma of South Africa, who became the first female head of the African Union Commission in 2012. The AU's secretariat, the African Union Commission, is based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and the Pan-African Parliament has its seat in Midrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
The primary working languages of the AU are Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swahili. The AU's objectives include achieving greater unity, cohesion, and solidarity among African countries, defending the sovereignty and independence of its member states, promoting cooperation in all fields to raise living standards, and advancing the development of the continent through research and international partnerships. The AU also prioritises economic development and has concluded trade agreements such as the AfCFTA. Additionally, the AU has a peacekeeping role, with troops deployed in Burundi and Sudan for peacekeeping missions.
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Frequently asked questions
Pan-Africanism is a general term for various movements in Africa that have as their common goal the unity of Africans and the elimination of colonialism and white supremacy from the continent.
The ideals of Pan-Africanism came to the fore in 1900, when the Trinidadian barrister Henry Sylvester Williams organised the First Pan-African Conference in London. Thereafter, the African American activist W.E.B. Du Bois organised a series of Pan-African Congresses to keep the movement alive during the intervening periods of the two world wars. The movement gained wider public recognition through the defining session held in October 1945, when people of African descent from the continent and in the diaspora came from all corners of the world to take part in the Fifth Pan-African Congress.
At its core, pan-Africanism is a belief that "African people, both on the continent and in the diaspora, share not merely a common history, but a common destiny." It is based on the belief that unity is vital to economic, social, and political progress, and it aims to "unify and uplift" people of African ancestry.
The Pan-African movement has influenced the establishment of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1963, which later became the African Union (AU). It has also contributed to the shift towards democratic and inclusive governance and popular constitution-making that swept through Africa from the 1990s to the 2010s.
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