PAN-AFRICANIS(MEN)

Being a Pan-Africanist means building solidarity among diversity of people across Africa regardless of nationality, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation and gender. This does not mean you have to be an academic to become a Pan-Africanist; academia is used to enhance and polish one’s skills, knowledge when advocating to a larger crowd. The 3rd Julius Nyerere Intellectuals Festival Week on 12^th April in the University of Dar res Salaam was my first time to attend the festival and to be enlightened on Nyerere and Nkrumah’s theories by bringing back to life the “Pan-Africanism” in Africa, specifically East Africa. I had a chance to engage with very powerful intellectuals and some of the students at the university.

At the festival, I saw that patriarchy and other forms of oppression such as classism and heterosexism still exist within Pan-Africanism. Academia and the use of the English language are being used as a way to dominate the Tanzanian people, and women and lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people are still marginalized.

Academia

The theories and ideologies of Pan-Africanism can be found in the papers and discussions of intellectuals. The theories work perfectly, but the non-intellectual, illiterate youths and grassroots people are still glued to traditional practices and using religion in decision making. Those from the deep rural areas in Tanzania do not have time to learn theories, and if they did, who would teach them?

The people receiving the theories are educated but the majority that needs them are mostly uneducated, living in rural places. Academics have lost touch with human kind, living in their own cocoons of theories while the common African dreams of better days where our leaders will be human again. No commoner should have to die for lack basic needs, discrimination or injustices done under another human’s orders. Just because you don’t have an education, doesn’t mean that someone else should treat you like less of a human. For Pan-Africanism to succeed, it has to start from the home, not just in learning institutions.

Language Barriers

Language was the dominant key at the festival, which was held in Nkrumah Hall at the biggest historical University in East Africa. The hall was never full, not a single day. The Dar es Salaam students had classes to attend during this big event; but surely they would have squeezed in time to attend. During one of the Health breaks, I came to understand reasons behind Nkrumah Hall’s unfilled gaps in attendance of the students.

Despite the historical occasion, a lot of students had difficulty in grasping the language used at the sessions (English), with Swahili being the National language. English was used by the dignitaries, intellectuals and academicians attending the event, thus forgetting that the youth was their target for the implementation of the theories created by the intellectuals.

The language barrier left most of the Dar res Salaam students in a confused state. The intellectuals kept emphasizing “you”, the youth, to bring back the Pan-Africanism fire to life, like when Nairobi town in Kenya comes alive at night. The intellectuals need to come out of their safe spaces with the theories, and work together in solidarity with the youth in a practical way. They should not leave students in rural areas to disseminate the Pan-Africanist theories and spirit of unity in Africa without the necessary mentorship.

Tanzania needs to begin teaching English at an earlier age, or Africa should emphasize the use of Swahili as an “African” National language for the purpose of integrating socially and business wise. This would make it easier for Pan-Africanism to be accepted across the Africa continent smoothly in 100 years to come.

Marginalization of Women and LGBTI

As the Nyerere festival gained momentum, I anxiously awaited the interactive dialogue on “Silence on Women freedom fighters” in the case of the East African Women. I thought that women had a space to air out their non-existence in such historical moments but the books displayed at book stands seemed to be mostly patriarchy related. In my belief, the women’s voices will air the secrets and strategies behind Nyerere’s success and “powerful” men and, this will bruise the men’s ego and dominance. Family is very essential to everyone, and the East African traditional society is led by patriarchal rule, when the man speaks the woman listens, supports and gives opinion which is rarely listened to.

In the session, women were the majority and in front spaces, while you would spot two or three male intellectuals at the far back seats. I spotted a few of these “intellectuals” napping. My theory was proved: it’s not the number of PhDs or doctrines one holds will change the patriarchal traditional man – they still practice patriarchal dominating habits. It’s an injustice to pretend to be sensitive to women airing the issues that hinder the growth of Pan-Africanism, while napping during the session. Will solidarity occur without women? What role do the intellectuals and academics expect the women to play when they are not recognized at such historic, events even the women PhD holders? It seems it will always be his-story rather than her-story…!

I was ignited by another silence and ignorance played out at the festival that is within our African continent: the marginalization of the LGBTI communities. If the intellectuals do not recognize nor understand same-sex relations, how will the grassroots community do so? The university is a place where you meet diverse people, understand different cultures and broaden your mind. How do you educate a person holding a PhD or Masters degree on why the same-sex relations exist! That is partly ignorance and disgrace to the degree holders showing the face of patriarchy and traditional beliefs.

For the seeds of Pan-Africanism theory to flower, sexual minorities have their role to play in the uprising. But discrimination, extortion, raping and killings of the LGBTI community continues all over Africa. Who wants to participate in an Africa that excels in eliminating and discriminating against its own children? The LGBTI are also people, and they belong in the movement building Pan-Africanism throughout Africa.

Reflections on Pan-Africanism

Fifty years down the line, I have not witnessed the fruits of Pan-Africanism. Though intellectuals the likes of Prof. Issa Shirji and Bereket Selassie reflected on Mwalimu Nyerere’s selflessness, still there are loopholes in Nyerere’s struggle to solidarity. Despite the presentation on Nyerere’s selflessness, in the bus on my way home to Kenya from the festival, some passengers were discussing Tanzania and Nyerere’s effects on Pan-Africanism.

The most acknowledged, appreciated and proud accomplishments that still remain in the minds of the Tanzanians is that Mwalimu Nyerere cut his salary by 10%. On the other hand, President Kikwete has increased his own by 10% and sold half of the Tanzanian land to foreign investors. These investors mostly employ foreigners from neighbouring English speaking countries, not Tanzanians.

Who is fooling who in the implementing of the Pan-Africanism? For Nyerere and Nkurumah’s vision to shine, the very young generation – primary and high school youths -- need to be consciously challenged on building a united Africa one brick at a time. The schools need to add curricular subjects on the history of Africa’s struggle and unity before colonization, and cease the material focussing on the West in our education system. In the Kenyan curriculum, we learn more about Westerners than our own leaders and heroes.

We need to embrace change, not by eliminating what we do not desire or what we’re used to. Without change the world will be still. Africa would still be where it was a billion years ago in stagnant waters moving with the ancestors’ wishes, coined in our elders’ selfish desires. We want Pan-Africanism instead of Nationalism. This will be a major change in the African context, yet we have not applied strong strategies to attain our desired goals, which will only be achieved with removal of discrimination and marginalization.

This includes NO focus on race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, education background or gender. Pan-Africanism is about togetherness, solidarity of the people for one common greater goal. At the festival in a morning session, a student from Yield University in United States studing Pan-Africanism was denied an opportunity to participate in a debate called “Bunge la vijana”. This was a younger generation debate on “Nationalism vs. Pan-Africanism”. The main purpose of his invitation to the festival was to participate in this debate, but then he was denied the opportunity.

He was to share views on how the United States views Pan-Africanism, but the organizers declined his presentation because he is white. Though I think the topic of his presentation is not relevant, the fact is that he took his time to come to Tanzania, and he is studying Pan-Africanism. This was a clear case of discrimination. Not to place the entire fault on the organizers; the fellows who were participating in the debate are to blame too, considering they did not object when he was excluded from the panel of debaters.

Is Pan-Africanism for black people alone? Who and what qualifies one to be a Pan-Africanist? Is it the skin pigment, your country of birth, or sexual orientation? We crave Pan-Africanism yet we are choosing who fits the plate to be a Pan-Africanist. Like a saying in Swahili says, “maskini jeuri”, which means “poor arrogant person.” We are all poor and arrogant, yet we are all after one goal: united Africa. We cannot afford to be choosy about who we want to support our cause. It shows a billion miles we have to trek to attain solidarity.

Excluding women from history books and historical moments and second guessing the youth not to be part of the revolution, we are creating setbacks. By sidelining and criminalizing the LGBTI community for their sexual orientation, marginalizing the minority communities and disabled because of a lack of understanding their histories and abilities, Pan-Africanists guarantee that their goals will never become reality. Intellectuals exchange ideas with academics on their theories and ideologies that never reach practicality.

How and what will Pan-Africanism give the youth if solidarity is accomplished in 100 years to come? We learn to crawl before we walk. We can’t run away from ourselves any longer, the struggle is real and here. Martin Luther King said he had a dream…so do I. In 100 years to come, if we educate our youth to understand true Pan-Africanism, with guidance, monitoring and good mentorship, then Pan-Africanism will be seen.

Cesar Chavez said, “Once social change begins, it cannot be reversed. You cannot uneducate the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the person who feels pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore.” And I say, “Salute to the spirit of the struggle.”