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Pan-Africanism is a worldwide intellectual movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all people of African descent.
Based upon a common fate going back to the Atlantic slave trade, the movement extends beyond continental Africans, with a substantial support base among the African diaspora in the Caribbean, Latin America and the United States.
It is based on the belief that unity is vital to economic, social, and political progress and aims to “unify and uplift” people of African descent.
The ideology asserts that the fate of all African peoples and countries are intertwined. At its core Pan-Africanism is “a belief that African peoples, both on the continent and in the diaspora, share not merely a common history, but a common destiny”.
The Organization of African Unity (now the African Union) was established in 1963 to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its Member States and to promote global relations within the framework of the United Nations. The African Union Commission has its seat in Addis Ababa and the Pan-African Parliament has its seat in Johannesburg and Midrand.
Pan Africanism in Rwanda
The Pan-African Movement (PAM) in Rwandan Higher Learning Institutions was launched at University of Rwanda (UR) Huye campus on Friday, 01 April 2016. This event organized by students was witnessed by PAM Rwanda Chapter, local government officials, Authorities and Staff of Higher Learning Institutions among other witnesses.
Ambassador POLISI Dennis told the participants that almost all liberation movements of the African continent can trace some aspect of their ideology to the Pan African spirit that was spearheaded by former African Leaders like Mwalimu Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya, and Hastings Banda of Malawi.
‘’The Pan African Movement‘s main mission is mainly to liberate Africans from social, economic, political and cultural enslavement imposed by Europeans and other imperialists. As pan Africanists, we should work towards the liberation of the mindsets of our fellow Africans so that they get total independence from imperialists in order to address the social, economic, cultural problems that affect our modern society’’, said Polisi Dennis, a former diplomat and Deputy speaker of the Rwandan Parliament.
Mr. MUSONI Protais, chairman of the PAN African Movement, Rwanda said that Africans had been divided for a long time and this was the time for them to work together towards emancipation especially the youth who are the future leaders of the country.
‘’It is our duty as Africans to ensure that our continent is peaceful and stable and we can achieve this through the Pan African movement to have capable states and governments. I urge you as young people to participate actively in all the activities of the movement’’, said chairman Musoni.
PAM- Rwanda is engaging various stakeholders including Higher Institutions of Learning to engage in the formation of strategies of making Pan Africanism an Integral Pillar in the National Development Endeavors of Rwanda.
