Social integration as a means

Eyob Balch writes as a young and concerned African who aspires to see the realisation of the dreams of our forefathers. This can also be considered as one of the many suggestions and recommendations that will be forwarded to the AU Commission on its timely engagement of establishing the African Union government.

I am writing this article only as a young and concerned African who aspires to see the realisation of the dreams of our forefathers. This can also be considered as one of the many suggestions and recommendations that will, certainly be forwarded for the AU Commission on its timely engagement of establishing the African Union government.

For the last four and more years, I have been engaged with different activities that have increased my understanding about the current situation of our continent, and the paths that it is embarking on towards its future. I’ve read different books and articles, discussed with different people around me and attended various panels, lectures, conferences and forums both at home and abroad as well as with high level dignitaries/diplomats and with other ordinary African citizens. All the times, I was eager to know the ideas and feelings of these people about the issues of Pan-Africanism and the unity of our continent.

Truly speaking, I myself have gone through different levels of understanding about this particular issue and what I am thinking of at this very moment is very much different from what it has been a couple or more years before. Needless to say, peoples’ perception is also on process of change either to the pessimistic or to the optimistic corner, even to no where. But their might be some basic grounds where we should have, or better to have, common consensus about the process of building the United States of Africa (USA).

I am a youth activist and a sociologist by profession and above all a Pan-Africanist by spirit. And all what I’ll be talking about will be the results of these and other multiple identities that I acquire. I’ve personally and organizationally involved in organizing a public debate on May 25, 2007; marking the African Liberation Day in Addis Ababa. I’ve come across different views and ideas of many Africans on due process with their hopes, fears, concerns and even jokes. But my basic concern is beyond all these. Through the related readings with regard to the topic, I’ve come to know that there are two basic arguments on the establishment of the African Union Government or the USA.

The first bloc, alternative A, insists on the immediate union of African states with one government citizenship, a common foreign minister, a common defense force and a leader or a president of the would be government. And the other, alternative B, is a proposition based on gradual and time proven process of integration through the regional economic communities (RECs) like the COMESA, ECOWAS and SADEC towards the higher level of the union. Moreover, another alternative, more likely alternative C, is cognisant of the fact that gradual transformation is more acceptable but argues that the establishment of the union should be through the existing system of the AU because it has ‘enough’ Acts and procedures to do so.

According to Dr. Tajudeen Abdul- Raheem, General Secretary of the Global Pan African Movement, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is leading the first bloc through his project of the USA since 1999. Whereas the second bloc has no recognized leaders but government officials (ministers and ambassadors) of different nations are working on it. Our PM, Meles Zenawi and Thabo Mbeki of South Africa are proponents of the third alternative. In spite of all the fact that I’ve read and heard about this issue, I haven’t had any information about the ideas of ordinary African on this issue. I remember that, when the then OAU was transforming into the AU, the leaders were telling us that from that very moment the level of interaction and engagement which was restricted at heads of states and government officials’ level will be trickled down to people-to-people level. But what I am witnessing at this very moment is that, it is still our political leaders who are deciding on our lives without going through the rational process. As far as I’m concerned, our leaders are once again too busy of establishing another bureaucratic and cumbersome political system which wouldn’t belong to the real African people. They are still doing their best to take forward their corrupted and mismanaged economic system which is full of imperfect markets and inter-competition; and their political system whose basic character is understood in terms of lack of good governance and democracy, breach of human rights and being considered as ‘indigenous colonizer’. What would we come up with finally when these incompetent and imperfect states become united, ‘United Weak States of Africa (UWSA)’!? May be the UWSA will help us to differentiate the other USA from ours.

Finally I want to make two basic suggestions on the entire process. The basic thing is a rights issue. We African citizens have the right to be involved, consulted and be aware of each and every decision to be made on our fate. What would a Cameroonian, a Zambian or an Ethiopian, for that matter, would feel when s/he is told on one blessed morning that he/she is no more a citizen of Cameroon, Zambia or Ethiopia but Africa? We, African people, have the right to get meaningfully involved on every process that concerns us and we should claim our right in every appropriate manner and through all the legitimate channels.

Besides this, I personally argue that neither political nor economic integration is the sole means for the realisation of the union government. I would say, social integration is the most appropriate tool in our context. One may argue that both political and economic integrations are part of the social integration.

But I would once again argue that I’m afraid that they are considered in such a way since there are many non-political (I mean non-state politics) and non-economic activities that have created a greater bond among African people beyond any other means. Like for example, the civic and non-governmental associations and organizations, the trade unions, youth associations, women’s’ associations, the academic institutions (think tanks), traditional and religious institutions and the like should be given a much more emphasis and meaningful role to play in the process. It is in these groups and institutions that we can find real Africans at the grass root level. Just to mention, according to the African Youth Charter, young people are defined with in the age limit of 15 to 35, which is believed to constitute nearly half of the entire population of the continent. And it is this segment of the society on which all the social, economic, political and whatsoever kinds of positive and negative realities of the continent are manifested.

Therefore, on what kind of rational ground that we would accept the decisions of our political leaders to establish the continental government; without incorporating these peoples’ idea. We should first enjoy the real brotherhood and sisterhood in our respective areas, through our cultures, arts and societal values among ourselves in the spirit of being African, which will be a cornerstone for the realization of our dream. It is people-to-people interaction and integration that should be given the greater value in this process, more than the periodic conferencing of the political leaders.

Let me be, humbly, sure that the process of establishing the union government is for the mere benefit of each and every citizen of the continent. Then, why do our leaders fail to materialise the basic feature of ‘democratic governance’, i.e. participation. The AU will be having its heads of states meeting coming July in Accra, Ghana where they will be discussing about one and only one agenda – the African Union Government/ the United States of Africa. But the significant part of this continent’s citizen are not aware of the process let alone forwarding ideas and failed to be heard.

Finally this is the concern of one young African that, our leaders should have a moment to set-back and to revisit their steps and we Africans should demand our rights to decide on our fate by ourselves, of course legitimately, for the realisation of our dream.

* Eyob Balcha, a youth activist in Ethiopia, is currently a graduate student of sociology at the Addis Ababa University. His is also the founding member of Afroflag Youth Vision (AYV), a local civic youth organisation and the programme manager of the organisation.

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