In a recent conversation with a friend (a reader of the Unite), I was asked the following question: Why do you think that the philosophy espoused by the Africa Solidarity Council, Inc. is something new? Before I could respond, he went on to remind me that, in fact, other groups and organizations, and several individuals of African descent had espoused the same philosophy in the past but they failed to make discernible success in terms of achieving solidarity among the African people, in and out of Africa. After a brief dialogue, he pointedly asked (perhaps, he was unimpressed with my response): Why do you think the Africa Solidarity Council, Inc. will succeed where these other organizations have failed? The tone of his voice revealed a frustration that these other attempts have not been successful. I could detect from his voice a sincere desire to see that the Africa Solidarity Council, Inc. does not go the way of these other organizations before it, or so I thought. This is my hope, I told him and I am prepared to work for it. I urged him to join me! My friend, I called him, journey with me to our recent past and let us see how these other groups and organizations had fared and note why they may have failed to secure and cement Africa's resurgence. We did. I hope I provided enough fodder he can chew on and at last be able to say, may be, only may be, there is an opportunity here to turn things around for the better, for Africa's sake and for the sake of our posterity.May I invite you to read as I retell my tale?

Okay, let us begin from 1945. Actually, the name >Pan-African= appeared and assumed organizational form for the first time in a meeting held in London in 1900. The newly independent nation of Haiti was at the center of things during this time. The focus during this time was re-emigration to Africa as was championed by Delany. Du Bois and Garvey had similar ambition as they championed Athe role of the Afro-Americans as the vanguard of the coloured people throughout the world."From 1945 or soon before, many Africans from the continent joined the fray. Hence, we choose to begin from 1945.

The convening of the 5^th Pan-African Congress in Manchester, England, in 1945 was a momentous beginning of this trend my friend was talking about. Dr. W.E.B. DuBois was the principal organizer of this convocation. Among the delegates were H.O. Davies, Jomo Kenyatta, Wallace-Johnson, Mrs. Amy Garvey, Jaja Wachuku, Ako Adjei, Dr. Hastings Banda, and of course George Padmore and Kwame Nkrumah. The Manchester meeting proclaimed thus:

Against this backdrop, the first plenary session was devoted to discussing issues such as AThe Colour Problem in Britain@-complaints were voiced about discrimination in Britain. The second session was primarily devoted to AEthiopia and the Black Republics@ - the emphasis was an appeal to defend the interests of the only free black states: Haiti, Liberia, and Ethiopia. On the second day of the Pan-African Congress, AThe Problem in the Caribbean@ took the center stage.

At the conclusion, a manifesto was produced making the following demands:

1. Equal and rapid economic, cultural and social development of Africa and the setting up ofcompetent authorities for this under the United Nations.

2. Maximum participation by Africans in the administration of their countries at all levels. 3. An end to exploitation by foreign monopolies; instead, systematic planning and development, above all in the interests of the Africans.

4. Hand in hand with economic development, participation by Africans in administration with an eye to a full self-government within a certain period. 5. Measures to overcome illiteracy.

In his concluding remarks Du Bois stressed the point that all those present were interested in self-government for Africa.

This marked a momentous time in the struggle for the liberation of Africa and her people from the yokes of foreign domination. Indeed, it was a significant event in the history of decolonization as well as Pan-Africanism. Regrettably, after the congress was over, the Pan-African Federation attempted to maintain the impetus and to translate it into a political action. It was not to be as the movement gained little in internal cohesion and organizational strength.

Another important event in this movement was another Pan-African conclave, which met in 1946 at Bamako, the present day capital of the Republic of Mali. The meeting at Bamako ushered in the organization of the Rassemblement Democratique Africane (African Democratic Alliance (RDA). The principal focus of the conclave was the achievement of home rule (independence) for all the African colonies under French domination.

1946 saw the return of Jomo Kenyatta to Kenya. At the end of 1947, Nkrumah returned to the then Gold Coast. Both later assumed the mantle of leadership in their respective countries but not without a determined struggle, particularly, Kenyatta. Kenyatta and the Mau Mau had to lunch a forceful campaign for the liberation of Kenya. Nkrumah, on the other hand, returned to the Gold Coast to take up position as the general secretary of Danquah=s newly founded United Gold Coast Convention. Nkrumah would throw in all his dynamic personality into the political battle as he would later turn what had been planned as a party of the local elite into a party of the masses. He founded the Convention People=s Party, and while in prison, won the first general parliamentary elections, was then released, and internal self-government and full sovereignty were now but a question of time. On March 6, 1957, the Gold Coast became independent as Ghana. Nkrumah immediately proclaimed that Athe independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked to the liberation of Africa.@ He meant business. There came the Ghana-Guinea-Mali Union. The Union was not able to survive. Mighty credits to the Believer, nevertheless.

The founding of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 1963 derailed the movement as Nkrumah temporarily suspended his campaign for Aunion government for Africa@ so as to allow the OAU to create a basis for it. The rest is recent history and so is Pan-Africanism. It is fair to suggest that Afor the moment at least Pan-Africanism is so badly paralyzed that a new beginning seems only conceivable after its intellectual premises and content have been reexamined.@

Having journeyed with my friend from 1945 through 1966, as scantily as this literary journey may have been, I finally told him the Africa Solidarity Council side of the story.

But first, with deep humility, respect, and reverence, we pay homage to our forebears and leaders of the Pan-African Movement. The Africa Solidarity Council owes them tons of debt for thier initiative, dedication, and hard work. We cannot appreciate them enough for their monumental sacrifice and achievements in gaining our freedom from colonial domination, and most significantly, for their vision for Pan-Africanism as the vanguard for a united Africa.

However, the fact that the overthrow of Nkrumah could lead to the apparent demise of Pan-Africanism points to a conspicuous lack of inner solidarity. The Pan-African movement had attained the goal of political independence with remarkable ease but found it difficult or could not develop a Acommon rational platform whence it could have launched a campaign for its next major objectives: national unification in one form or another and the modernization of African society.@ In our view, the leaders failed to develop a concept of leadership - political leadership and methods for leadership succession, failed to define or address the issue of the role of government in nation-building and the rule of law for governance - both for the governor and the governed. A mistake of colossal proportions was made before independence was achieved, unfortunately. This mistake has sustained a weakness that persists even till today - how to master the tensions between modernization and the need to maintain a traditional society in a meaningful fruitful way. In retrospect, the leaders assumed incorrectly that independence from colonial rule was all that mattered. This was romanticisim in its finest. It is no longer enough, as Du Bois realized in Manchester, England that mistakes would be made after independence, to settle for freedom from colonial domination and to end up in a personal self-propelling, self-sustaining, and self-perpetuating intellectual, mental, and social servitude. This is slavery of another kind, of the worst kind.

It is essential that all people of African descent carve out a niche in the sands of tme and create a society, all her own but respected and admired by all others here and sundry. This will be the Manifesto of the Africa Solidarity Council, Inc.: a call for a new and reinvigorated Pan-African movement to achieve this goal.

The Africa Solidarity Council believes that the present difficult crisis of Pan-Africanism will give way to a renaissance. Such a new beginning will rest on a deliberate and consistent nationalist outlook.

Nationalist governments will emerge and become the engine for the new Pan-African Movement. This is the bedrock of the philosophy of the Africa Solidarity Council. With an engaged government, the two elusive goals of the Pan-African movement of the past: achievement of social modernization and political unification on a continental scale - will be realized. The Africa Solidarity Council believes this today even as P.K. Isaka Seme (an African from South Africa, a student at Columbia University in New York) believed some ninety-three years ago, on April 5, 1906, to be exact, when in his address he said:

If all we can accomplish in the Africa Solidarity Council is to send the clarion call and all that heareth cometh thither for the new renaissance, the new beginning, the Pan-Africanism=s rebirth, whenever it materializes, today or tomorrow, then,we will be satisfied.

So I told my friend. I told him another thing too; that the Africa Solidarity Council intends to learn from the mistakes of the leaders of the Pan-African movement and their romanticized assumptions of post independent Africa that ended up becoming more illusions than realities. We take the position that government and public service should form the bedrock of the new Pan-African movement. How? Why? In the next issue.

I just cannot imagine what it will take for Africans in this country to become concerned enough to register their outrage whenever an African is murdered in cold blood. Not too long ago, in the west coast, and throughout the country, the Latino community expressed their indignation over a police chase of a bus carrying some Latino citizens suspected of being illegal immigrants. They matched! They protested!! They demanded answers!!! But murder an African, nothing. We bury our heads in the sand or go our merry ways, unperturbed, unconcerned. Why?

In the latest case of police brutality, a young African, an unarmed 22-year-old Guinean native, Amadou Diallo, was shot 41 times (19 bullets were lodged in his body as he lay dead on the footsteps of his apartment building) by police officers, two of whom were reportedly standing near the steps of the building no more than 10 feet from Diallo.The city of New York witnessed several days of protests and outcry over the incident by nearby residents, both black and white. It became a rallying point for seeking justice by those who believe that the justice system in this country is stacked up against black people. The African reacted to this incident with deafening indifference as though they receive a better shake from the hands of lady justice. Why? Are we packing our bags to go back home tomorrow, is that it? We all need to wake up, please.

The Africa Solidarity Council, Inc. expresses its appreciation to all persons who participated in demonstrating their outrage over the incident, particularly, Rev. Al Sharpton, for accompanying the Amadou Diallo=s body to the homeland. We express our deepest sympathy to the parents of the young Diallo for whom the pangs of pain of the loss of their son beat so strongly in their hearts. R.I.P

On a more pleasant refrain, recent events within our community (within our limited antenna range) deserve mention. The Africa Solidarity Council, Inc. would like to congratulate all the winners.

For the first time in the history of the government of the District of Columbia has an African become the Chief of Staff. This history-making event took place recently in the city of Washington, D.C. when Mayor Tony Williams appointed Dr. Abdusalam Omer (the former Chief Financial Officer for the District) as his new Chief of Staff. The Africa Solidarity Council, Inc. congratulates Dr. Omer on his appointment and appreciates the Mayor for his courage. A very bold and courageous act, this is, and a manifestation of the Mayor=s commitment to performance and diversity. We wish Dr. Omer well and longevity in his new post as we call on the members of the African immigrant, and non-immigrant, including our diplomatic community, to rally round Dr. Omer and offer their support in ensuring both his success and the success of Mayor Williams in whose administration he serves.

The Africa Solidarity Council, Inc. sends its congratulations to Dr. Emma Samuel Etuk on his new book: Friends:What Would I Do Without Them? The issue of friendship is so endearing to our crusade of building friendships to rebuild trust among the African people. We will honor our commitment to promote the sale of this wonderful book. More greese to your elbow, Dr. Etuk.

We Have A Lot More Kip Keinos of Africa

Marathon race is ours, and we own it. Yes, it's true. Ask Joseph Chebet of Kenya or Moses Tanui before him or John Kagwe before him or the other six Kenyans before them all. Bring in the women, and you can ask Fatuma Roba of Ethiopia.

Chebet was the champ in the Boston Marathon (men) while Fatuma Roba won the women=s title, her third straight year that Ms. Roba has won this race. Congratulations to all of you from the Africa Solidarity Council, Inc. We also congratulate Frank Pooe and Abner Chipu, both from South Africa, for coming in third and fourth respectively in the men's side. C. De Reuck of South Africa came in fourth on the Women's side, and we congratulate her also. In the Bay to Breakers race in Francisco, Lazarus Nyakeraka of Kenya won that one (after being edged out by Joshua Chelang’a, also from Kenya, in the Lilac Bloomsday race). Abraham Assefa of Ethiopia came in third, Godfrey Kiprotich, and Hezron Ofwori, both from Kenya, came in fourth and fifth, respectively. We congratulate all of you. On the women's side, Catherine Ndereba of Kenya, Elana Meyer of South Africa, and Jane Omoro of Kenya won the first, second and third honors, respectively. Teresa Wanjiku of Kenya came in fifth. The Africa Solidarity Council, Inc. congratulates all of our winners.

Ebenezer Ekuban, a Ghanaian native, was selected in the first round of the National Football League draft by the Dallas Cowboys. Ekuban graduated from nearby Bladensburg High (in Prince Georges County, MD) in 1995 and six years after he first strapped on a football helmet and shoulder pads he is drafted by a premier United States football club, the Dallas Cowboys. The Africa Solidarity Council, Inc. congratulates you as we join your proud parents in wishing you a long career in the NFL crowned with good health and success for you and your team mates. Go Ebenezer! Go! Go! Ebenezer Go!

Nana Osei Tutu II, on Monday, April 26, 1999 became the 16^th occupant of the Golden Stool with his crowning as the new Ashanti King. The Golden Stool, from our West African history class, is a much-revered symbol believed to have fallen out of the skies in the 17^th century to incarnate the soul of the Ashanti people. Long live the Ashanti kingdom. Long live King Nana Osei Tutu II. The Africa Solidarity Council, Inc. sends her best wishes for a warm and prosperous reign. Long Live Ghana! Long Live Africa!!

For the Nigerian people, transitioning from military rule to an election-produced presidency must be an ecstatic experience. May the intoxication of freedom linger on and never to wear off, hoping that sober economic reality will set in as the new administration-in-waiting gets its feet wet in the herculean task of tackling the economic and social problems facing the nation. Democracy, it is envisaged, will greatly help in this effort.

The Africa Solidarity Council, Inc.

During his recent stop in Washington, D.C., President-Elect Olusegun Obasanjo remarked: AIf Nigeria succeeds in establishing democracy, Nigeria will be a center from which I expect democracy to radiate out through West Africa.If we fail, it will be a center from which the lack of democracy will spread out through West Africa. You will not fail. You must not fail. It is time for Nigeria to play its proper role in the achievement of the two elusive goals of the Pan-African movement of yesteryears.

The Africa Solidarity Council, Inc. sends its congratulations on your election. We want you and your administration to succeed. As you work to Acreate an attractive climate for international investors, the Africa Solidarity Council, Inc. wishes to ask, your excellency, sir, that you look at the pool of talented and qualified Nigerians (both men and women) and other Africans in the U.S., Canada, and Europe and consider them as essential instruments that can be garnered and used in your effort to rebuild the Nigerian society both politically and economically. So, as we congratulate you on your election as the President-Elect of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, we offer you our support and our prayers and offer our hands in partnership for Africa's rebirth. Long Live Nigeria. Long Live Africa.

The Renaissance Campaign for Africa is still going on. The list of donors (including your comments) will be published in the UNITE There is one we are very happy to share with our readers. The words you speak are gold, priceless.

Dear Ms. Orocktakang Sarah Thomas: The Africa Solidarity Council, Inc. acknowledges the receipt of your donation and we thank you from the core of our hearts. We will like you to know that the words you expressed in your note will be cherished forever by the Council. For some time we have been wondering if our message is reaching any other segment of our community besides our diplomatic community. Your note has reassured us and indeed, has become a shot in our arms to redouble our efforts. I am an African too and very very proud to be. We will work together and one day, the expectations you and I share today will be realized by the living, to the credit of the dead, in our land, our continent, our Africa. Long live Africa. Thank you so much for your heart-warming note.

Yours African,

Mazi Chibuzo Christian Nwachukwu

Executive Director

We will like to thank all those of you who have sent in their donations. Your support of our work is very important and will definitely make a difference. And for those who are yet to, please send in your tax-deductible donation today, don't put it off any longer. The Africa Solidarity Council, Inc. is a non-profit, tax-exempt, charitable, and educational organization.

By several requests, we will republish the letter from the Ambassador of Kenya. Some of you had remarked that printing was not large enough to permit reading without great straining of the eye.

Again, we thank the Ambassador of Kenya for that wonderful letter and expression of support.

The Africa Solidarity Council, Inc. will host An African Community Workshop: Dialogue Among Leaders of African Organizations, Immigrant & non-immigrant Africans, and our Diplomatic community. Theme: Building

Solidarity Through Friendship & Dialogue. Venue: TBA. Time: 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.;When: September, 1999. Refreshments and lunch will be served. A Soccer Match. Details soon. Your invitation is in the mail.

The Africa Solidarity Council, Inc. will host a book-signing session for Dr. Etuk's new book: Friends: What Would I Do Without Them? Venue: TBA. Time: 4:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. Date: TBA. All will be invited. Refreshments will be served. Please Plan to Come and Support One of Our Own.

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