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Nadia Mutisi University of Zimbabwe
On May 25, Africa Day, a lot of people took to their statuses and various social media platforms to profess their love for Africa and how proud they were to belong to it.

A few of my woke friends, however, who understood the meaning and the context behind a day for Africa or Africa Day went on to pass disparaging comments about the African Union (AU).

“The African Union is a joke,” they said, while others went on to say: “The very idea of Pan-Africanism is destroyed by the AU.”

Interesting perspectives they were, so I went on to read an article from the African Exponent, “10 ways in which the African Union Betrayed Kwame Nkrumah on Pan-Africanism.”

To make that assertion, though, we must first look at the original aims of the AU.

The Organisation of African Unity (OAU) was formed in May of 1963 in Addis Ababa, it was established by 32 governments. A further 21 states then joined the organisation and by 2002, about 53 states were members of the Organisation of African Unity which in July 2002 then became the African Union (AU) .  Today the AU is made up of 55 member states.

According to the OAU Charter, the objectives of the organisation were to promote the unity and solidarity of African states, to rid the continent of colonisation and establish independence and sovereignty for African peoples, to co-ordinate and intensify co-operation for development and to promote international co-operation within the framework of the United Nations.

From this understanding, we can note that the African Union was meant to be instrumental in bringing about unity within Africa.

Pan-Africanism and African Unity were the founding ethos of the organisation according to Sebastiane Mathembeni in the article, “10 ways in which the African Union Betrayed Kwame Nkrumah on Pan-Africanism”.

In the article, Mathembeni discusses the failings of the African Union, that is, the failure of the organisation to deal justly with dictators and the inconsistency of the AU as some of Africa’s dictators still held positions of power within the African Union.

Mathembeni also speaks on how the AU as an instrument for change within Africa still relies on external forces such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank for it to run.

This undercuts the idea of independence as the AU is deep in debt. Not to mention the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo that he sheds light on, stating that since the DRC’s Independence in 1960, it still remains exploited and at the mercy of Belgium /France and other super powers.

He argues the African Union does little about neo-colonialism and refuses to speak out or as in the case of the Western Sahara which Morocco claimed sovereignty over, the AU keeps quiet. With all this in mind, the question is, “why then celebrate May 25 as Africa Day?”

While the reason for celebrating this day is the African Union itself and while some may argue that the African Union has betrayed its very purpose there still is reason to celebrate Africa Day, particularly now in the wake of the African Renaissance.

Over the last decade, more and more Africans have become at home with the idea of being African. We have seen phenomena such as the Natural Hair Revolution, where women took to wearing out their natural kinks and underwent the famous “big chops” opting for something natural.

We have also witnessed the rise of Burna Boy, dubbed the African Giant whose influence in Africa is one that is uncontested. He brings Fela Kuti in a package that Africa’s Generation Z are prepared to accept.

Artists such as Davido, Yemi Alade, Tamy Moyo, Cassper Nyovest, Black Coffee and Samthing Soweto, to mention a few, have been able to use their roots and inspire others to be proud of their heritage.

Very few people actually remember or note that May 25 is a day to commemorate the founding of the Organisation of African Unity, not that the organisation in itself has not been instrumental. It has set up strong structures for Africa’s development and progress with Agenda 2063 underway but much credit belongs to the arts and culture movement of Africa which, without knowing, has united Africa.

The savvy use of social media with influencers such as Sinovuyo Mondliwa, NnekaJ and even with beauty queens such as Yolanda Chimbarami have greatly influenced the social consciousness of Africa’s youth.

Today in Harare, you are most likely to hear a youth bopping to Tamy Moyo’s “Kwandinobva” where she boldly asserts, “handinyare kwandinobva”, which, loosely translated means, “I am proud of where I come from”.

Africa really is rising and our focus on what Africa Day means to us ought to be more encompassing. While the AU has been instrumental within Africa, I would say that the arts and culture movement of Africa have done more for unity and to create a brotherhood among Africa’s peoples than has the African Union. Of course, that’s up for debate.