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Christopher Farai Charamba Correspondent
In the post-colonial African society nationalism has been an important ideology followed by a plethora of states. This ideology focused on nation building has its roots in the struggle for independence and as such when it was subsequently attained, formed the basis of leadership and governance. The definition of nationalism is complex as it can be perceived as either a doctrine which promotes sovereignty of nation-states or an ideology encompassing political, ethnic and cultural as a range of forms.

Andrew Heywood’s broad definition states that it is “the belief that the nation is the central principle of political organisation”. This belief implies that the natural division of mankind is into states and that states are the only legitimate entity of political rule.

In order to understand African nationalism, it is important to consider the various forms, political, cultural and ethnic that feature within the African context.

Anti-colonial nationalism was the more prominent form of nationalism from the middle to the latter part of the 20th Century. The political narrative in the post-colonial period has been built on the foundation of this anti-colonial nationalism and the struggle for independence.

Having attained their sovereignty, African states have taken to guarding it diligently. Leaders such as President Robert Mugabe repetitively speak out against neo-colonial imperialists of the West and defend the nationalist narrative their political parties were founded on.

Culture and ethnicity have also played a vital role in the African nationalist narrative. The movement towards building a nation state has been influenced by language, customs, traditions, religion and other facts that people share in common.

On the other hand while nationalism was developing in individual African countries, the ideology of Pan-Africanism was also taking root in various sectors of society on the continent.

In the latter part of the 20th Century, development was taking place in many African countries. As cities expanded, so did urbanisation. This brought a number of black people together from various backgrounds particularly due to the migrant labour system. They shared their frustrations and this led to them coming together to fight for independence

Once these liberation movements for national independence existed in different countries, their allegiance to each other and to the Pan-African ideology was brought by their sharing the struggle in exile and assisting each other till all countries had attained independence.

Movements such as the Pan-Africanist Congress and later the Organisation of African Unity were instrumental in promoting Pan-Africanist ideology and supporting nationalist movements in the hope of establishing a united Africa.

In various parts of Africa attempts at regionalising were established as countries gained independence. The Frontline States formed the Southern African Development Coordination Conference and later SADC. These, however, did not succeed in practical terms, but highlighted the move to transcend ethnic and cultural lines.

Ali Mazrui saidL “Modem African nationalism was born and prospered under the stimulation of racial solidarity and shared blackness. On the other hand, the struggle for viable modern nations within Africa is considerably hampered by acute ethnic cleavages, often separating Bantu from Nilotes, Ibo from Hausa, and the like.”

From this Mazrui portrays an existing dichotomy in African nationalism between the race-consciousness and ethnic-consciousness. During the colonial period, the collective drive for independence led to political nationalism.

The early independent African leaders such as Kwame Nkurumah, Jomo Kenyatta and Abdel Nasser were all supporters of Pan-Africanism and were instrumental in the formation of the OAU in 1963.

In theory, this organisation was to be the platform for a united Africa. In practice many ideological obstacles had to be overcome.

A major hindrance to the OAU and now the AU has faced is that independent African countries have not been willing to forgo their sovereignty as well as the fact that they still have close political and economic ties to their former colonisers.

Major compromises had to be made during the OAU’s formation and it ended up being the strong continental organisation that some wanted.

Post-colonial African nationalism is composed of and compromised by a number of different elements representing sometimes interlocking, but divergent, economic interests, which for the sake of independence had previously temporarily united.

Professionals, the working class, the intellectuals, the traders, the military, and freedom fighters each had a vision and an independent nationalist agenda. Subsequently at the birth of independence these agendas came in conflict with each other and hindered the fulfilment of a continental agenda.

In some aspects Pan-Africanism has not been a complete failure. African countries are moving towards regionalisation albeit at a slow place. Regional organisations such as SADC, ECOWAS and EAC can be seen as building blocks to greater continental integration.

These organisations seek to harmonise political, economic and social life within their respective regions. If this is attained then it would be possible for people and goods to move freely, for homogeneous political atmospheres and for continental integration to have a platform to launch.

The crisis however, faced is that this requires African countries to surrender part of their sovereignty which most leaders due to nationalist ideologies are reluctant to do. The many differences in the type of leadership and the disparity in economies is another hindrance faced by these regional blocs.

Like the African Union, regional blocs also struggle with implementation. As these organisations do not have authority in member states, they lack the power to enforce any of their resolutions; this is coupled with the lack of political will of member state governments to adhere to the terms set by any of these organisations.

It is evident that nationalism has played a distinct and vital role in the struggle for independence. This nationalism has then influenced the manner in which post-colonial governments have conducted their operations as well as being a contributing factor to coups, wars, ethnic and civil conflicts on the continent.

Nationalism ergo has had various positive and negative influences on African countries. The challenge in the unification of the continent has been to find a homogeneous form of Africanist nationalism.

This challenge would require the development of homogeneous regional blocs that can then bridge the gap between individualistic nations and continental aspirations. Nationalism as an ideology limits the desire for greater unification and creates divisions within and beyond national borders.

It has been argued that nationalism is oppressive both in the sense that it submerges individual identity and conscience within that of the national whole, and because of the potential it gives political leaders and elites to manipulate and control the masses.

Under such conditions it is difficult for continental unification to materialise. The promotion of nationalism should then be questioned at all levels of society.

As it was in colonial times, for the Pan-African agenda to be fulfilled, Africans must find a way to overcome their differences and unite towards one specific aim as they previously had done with their liberation nationalist agenda.