Today, the idea of uniting African countries seems to be widely accepted by the vast majority of Africans. This is because they know that it is through unification that the continent will be able to overcome its problems.
Africans should start by uniting culturally. Indeed, it is our culture that defines us and distinguishes us from other continents; thus from other cultures. African culture should, therefore, be dear to us because it is an intrinsic aspect of our identity. Consequently, cultural identity is a fundamental aspect of Africa’s unity. Yet, African culture must be revisited and polished where necessary so that, without losing its essence, it adapts to current socio-economic realities.
When the cultural aspect of Africa’s unity is promoted as a necessity, it should be much easier to develop economic models that will integrate our cultural realities. Indeed, for so many years now, our economic models have come from the former colonists and we have embraced them as if they were holly scriptures written on a holly stone. But there is a strong disconnect between these models and our way of life.
Therefore, it does not come us a surprise to observe that the majority of African economies are weak and essentially based on the exportation of natural resources or semi-finished products. The manufacturing of African natural resources into finished products was not encouraged by foreign economic models. A strong economic model can only thrive through a clearly delineated industrial vision. This is because industrialization would naturally lead Africans to lean on made in Africa capital goods, instead of importing them.
Through industrialization it is possible to extract minerals and process them into all kinds of goods, including military weapons. Indeed, in the case of Africa, unless she can protect herself against all kinds of aggressions, she is likely to remain weak. Developing a strong defense industry is, therefore, one of the prerequisites to Africa’s freedom; thus to Africa’s true development.
In a nutshell, cultural, economic, industrial and military unity, among others, can help Africans ascend mountains. The methods to reach the objectives may differ from one mind to another. This is not a problem because diversity forbids unilateralism. All that matters is that the objective be met, one day, according to the vision.
