DURBAN - 25 MARCH 2000
Master of Ceremonies
Provincial MEC's
Mayor Obed Mlaba
Ambassador Andrew Young
Distinguished Guests from the US
Ladies and Gentlemen
The call for an African Renaissance is threatening to become a fashionable concept while remaining largely a mystery to the majority of Africans. The African Renaissance is in fact a call that has been made that all of us need to respond to. It is a call for Africans to take the continent of Africa from where it is presently to occupy a better place in the world of nations. What we all have to guard against is the danger that if it is not conveyed properly so that it could begin to have meaning to every African in every country, city and street in Africa, it is at risk of becoming a superficial topic that is accessible only to academics and intellectuals.
Africa as a continent is in trouble politically, culturally and in many other ways. What the call for the African renaissance seeks to do is make Africans to realise that things need to change in the continent, so that it's people should stand proud to be Africans among the world of nations. This call for rebirth of the African continent is not an entirely new concept. It has been made before in different ways by African leaders. Since the first African countries attained independence in the 1960's African leaders such as Kwame Nkrumah articulated their desire to forge political as well as economic linkages in order to enhance the continents' development prospects and promote the well being of its people.
The problems facing Africa today are a legacy which is not of her making. Our continent has a long history of subjection ranging from the slave trade to colonisation, division of African people to military coups and regional conflicts. Ours has not been an easy path. Given the fact that the entire continent has now attained freedom however, we ought to begin saying: what should we be doing as Africans to ensure that future generations of Africans do not have to endure the shame of poverty, ignorance and backwardness that has been the lot of many of our generation?
We need in particular to be looking at the various organisations that bring us together as Africans and asking how best they can serve as a vehicle for the reconstruction and development of our continent.
Organisations such as the OAU ought to be an instrument of unity in our continent yet leaders from countries locked in conflict with each other boldly attend OAU meetings and go away having not moved any closer to a political common ground.
The OAU in particular must change its agenda and quicken the resolution of the many conflicts now seemingly endemic to Africa. We have, as a continent, experienced deep and prolonged crisis, internal conflicts, and natural disasters that had grave consequences and resulted in the deterioration of living and social conditions. Continued dependence on countries and organisations outside of Africa has placed us in a vulnerable position.
The result has been that the events that occur and decisions that are taken thousands of kilometres from Africa have had the capacity to cripple and destabilise our African economies. I believe that Africans and South Africans in particular, have the potential to change this situation around. What now remains is for the people of this continent to develop the will to seek solutions by themselves and for themselves. This Province has in recent years demonstrated this point admirably.
I do not have to tell you of the devastation that was caused by internal conflict within this very province not very long ago. The peace that now prevails came about, not through international interventions but as a result of the efforts of the people of KwaZulu Natal and other South Africans. I believe that the peace that is now being enjoyed by the people of this province is going to be a lasting one because it is simply home grown. It is unfortunate that the people of Kwazulu Natal who have don't it here do not recognise the contribution that they have made to the African Renaissance because we have a theoretical view of the concept. When we are able to develop African solutions, implement and respect them we will know that the African Renaissance has taken root.
In the broader context, Nkrumah's dream of African unity equally could not take root while half of Africa was under colonial rule. What is different however is that every corner of the African continent is in African hands. We have the power now to shape our own destiny. But first we need to reaffirm our being as Africans, to be proud of who we are. We need to move away from referring to ourselves in colonial terms that seek to divide us in terms of the languages of our former colonial rulers. Today we speak of Francphone Africans and so on when we should celebrate our common heritage.
What this means therefore is that we must continue to engage with fellow Africans and move faster towards self-reliance, individually as countries and collectively as Africans. We must guard against remaining fragmented lest we contribute to the continued marginalisation of Africa. In a gathering of this nature our intellectuals have a unique opportunity which they should not allow to pass, to articulate the practical meaning f the African Renaissance movement for that is what it ought to be. A movement that every African in Africa and the Diaspora should be proud to be a part of. A movement for the betterment of our continent. We need to establish a more visible movement that will take into account ordinary men, women and the youth of or continent.
An even greater challenge for us is that of ensuring that African leaders in particular buy into the movement to rebuild the continent. It is important that the African Renaissance movement engages them directly on these greater challenges facing the continent given their leadership positions in Africa. the many conflicts that plague our continent will continue to do so if we do not engage them.
I had the honour of launching the African Renaissance book in Johannesburg this week I was told that the book, which is a collection of the works of intellectuals and academics in varius fields, has been made available to each and every high school in the country. I cannot think of a better way of ensuring that the message about the rebirth of our country sustains itself. I hope that you also will put in place similar measures that will ensure that this concept not only has a meaning to all Africans, but that they are also able to identify ways through which they could contribute to this vision. The onus is on us as Africans to ensure that the visions of renaissance is accessible to every man, woman and child in every country, city or street in Africa.
I thank you.