The United States of Africa | What is Pan-Africanism & Why You Need It

Today’s LIT history is about Pan-Africanism

Check out our YouTube video on Pan-Africanism and our Africa Fist Neon Light :


Introduction: What is Pan Africanism?


Pan Africanism is an idea that turned into a movement and its cause was - if you came from Africa, or if your mama came from Africa or if your mommas mamas, mommas mamas came from Africa, you should unite for political, economic, and social prosperity and bring your ass back to Africa to make it politically & economically stronger against European nations.

The Pan African Movement was founded by intellectuals such as W.E.B Du Bois, Marcus Garvey and Kwame Nkrumah. They all believed that there should be an organization to fight against racism and colonialism in Africa.

Like, look at this map - its like a mad grab for everything. And while the Portuguese seem very conservative in their conquering's, all of yall need to get out!


The History of Pan Africanism?


So the goal of the Pan-African movement was to unify people of African descent from around the world AND to unify the continent of Africa under one single government. This movement was the brainchild of Marcus Garvey, who was an activist from Jamaica.

He wanted to create a place where black folk could come together and be a powerful nation without colonization, without racism and be proud of their heritage, history, and culture.

He is famous for saying "The Black skin is not a badge of shame, but rather a glorious symbol of national greatness." He was proud to be blackity black black and Marcus Garvey was a strong believer in black liberation and the power of African heritage.


Who are the Famous Supporters of Pan Africanism?

Enter Kwame Nkrumah, he and and Marcus Garvey were two of the most influential leaders in the fight for independence in Africa.

Kwame Nkrumah was the first president of Ghana and a major figure in the Pan-African movement, he played a key role in building the movement as He was an influential thinker and activist who helped to shape African nationalism and Pan-Africanism.


WEB Du Bois - Du Bois believed that the economic dependency of African Americans on European-Americans would lead to political dependency as well. (Its like he predicted present-day America) He wrote about the double consciousness that African Americans experienced by always looking at themselves through the eyes of others.


Julius Nyerere was the first president of Tanzania. He was a self-educated man who became one of the most influential African leaders in history. He believed in Pan Africanism and was an advocate for self-reliance and socialism.

Nyerere's legacy is significant because he helped to build the foundation for the success of Tanzania and other African nations. 


Patrice Lumumba was a Congolese politician and independence leader. He was the first democratically elected prime minister of Congo.

Patrice Lumumba's political ideology is Pan Africanism. This means that he wanted to unite Africa and encourage the liberation of its people from European colonial rule.

Lumumba was assassinated in 1961, several months after being overthrown by Joseph Mobutu, who would go on to rule Congo as a dictator until 1997.

The purpose that all of these men have in common is for black people to free themselves from European politics, European economics, European influence, European anything…

 

The First Meeting of the Pan African Movement: A Revolutionary Step Towards Unity

The first meeting of the Pan African movement took place in 1919, in London. It was a key event in the struggle for unity and independence.

The meeting was organized by Dusé Mohamed Ali, a lawyer from Trinidad who was also an activist for the rights of Africans.

In this meeting, Ali called for "Africans to come together and form a union to work for the liberation of their people."

Representatives from various African countries came together to discuss ways of unifying the continent. They agreed that the only way to fight against European powers was through unity and solidarity. The meeting also proposed a framework for Africa’s development that would allow it to become self-reliant, independent, and prosperous.


The movement would go on to hold conferences in 1947, 1960, and 1970, only to experience a decline by 1975.


One of the reasons for the decline in the movement could be attributed to the numerous organizations inspired by Pan-African ideals. Organizations like Black Panther party, or the NAACP whose purpose was black empowerment and to combat racism. 

However, So many different movements sprouted up and the goal of uniting Africa and reuniting its people to the diaspora never came to fruition. 



Why you Should Care About Pan Africanism, A United Africa, and What you can do to keep the movement alive?

The philosophies and ideas of what Pan-Africanism looks like have evolved. But the root of the movement is a place where people of the diaspora are economically, and politically free. And not just free from racism and colonization, but also in positions of power and leverage amongst the European Nations.


Remember this?

 

See with an economically fierce Africa, with a we gots the gold and the diamonds, oil, natural gas, we grow our own food, if you need some uranium, platinum, copper, holla at us - its gonna cost you, Oh and dont forget the cocoa beans… See with a united Africa, with all its natural resources in African control - no country in the world would ever get away with mistreating an African citizens. 


And that is exactly why they will do everything in their power to keep us divided.


Stay LIT yall.