Chair, hon Deputy Minister, it is really Africa Day today. It is Africa my continent, our continent, our home, our land and home for the ANC and everybody.
May I start by quoting what other leaders and writers have said. I will start by quoting David J Francis in a book titled Uniting Africa:
The wave of decolonisation started with the independence of Sudan in 1956, and was rapidly followed by the freedom from colonial rule of more than 30 states.
All these liberties were moved by Pan-Africanism.
Marcus Garvey, with his Back to Africa Movement, also played an influential role in raising the consciousness of African nationalism.
Another African leader, Kwame Nkrumah, in the book Neo-Colonialism, The Last Stage of Imperialism, said:
We are Africans first and last, and as Africans our best interests can only be served by uniting within an African community.
Chairperson, this day is also made profoundly significant by the fact that after centuries of slavery, political, racial, economic and ethnics subjudication, the people of Africa could still remain adamant in their quest for carving a destiny of unity and solidarity. It is a day that rallied leaders of the continent to establish a shared vision for the people of Africa. It is a day that demonstrated the resilience of the African people and their determined yearning for a prosperous Africa.
Indeed many people would ask a relevant question on how far the African continent is in implementing the visions and aspirations as articulated in 1963 when the OAU was formed. This is a pertinent question that, if taken lightly, can lead one to misguided presuppositions that do not understand the profound impact of colonialism and apartheid on African people.
The founding fathers of the African Union saw peace and security as essential preconditions for translating the determination to achieve unity and progress on our continent. To them peaceful settlements of disputes by negotiations, mediation, conciliation and arbitration and adherence to the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provided a solid foundation for peaceful and positive co-operation among states.
Underlying all these objectives was a realisation of the need to ensure sustainable economic development through co-ordination and co-operation in various sectors. These essential components constitute the vision that inspired the founding of the OAU, which, I may add, was later changed to the African Union. It is a vision which, though couched in the perspective of the realities of the early 60s, contains a fundamental framework which has remained valid and relevant even today.
Indeed, as the ANC, we are concerned about the wars engulfing our continent and the continued mutilation and abuse of women and children in some parts of Africa. As you will note, the ANC government has made it a priority to mediate peaceful settlements in countries such as Sudan. We will remain committed to ensuring that the people of Africa live in peace and that they are able to resolve their political differences with no acts of violence or civil war.
We acknowledge that peaceful settlements of political and civil disputes provide an inspiration and dynamism for unity and economic prosperity on a continent. As the ANC, we have made it clear that the end of the liberation struggle compels us to direct all our efforts to tackling the task of socioeconomic development and building credible institutions and systems for democracy.
We are also concerned that many African states are still battling with addressing their political differences through democratic processes. Political violence continues to escalate the problem of refugees and undermines any efforts to promote basic human and people's rights and foster democratic governance on our continent.
We are indeed concerned about the levels of literacy and the state of education in many states in Africa. For a prosperous Africa, we need to work tirelessly to transform our education system and expand access for poor communities. We need to ensure that our education system produces learners with the knowledge and technical skills that will enable us to fill the skills gap facing our prospects of building a prosperous Africa.
However, we can say without any fear of contradiction that our continent has overcome many constraints since the establishment of the OAU. As the ANC, we take comfort in the fact that our continent has made noticeable successes in redressing the legacy of colonialism and apartheid on our continent. For example, the signing of the Abuja Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community a year after the promulgation of the 1990 declaration was a further manifestation of the determination of African countries to advance our collective destiny and the reaffirmation of a strong faith in each other. It marked a resolute effort aimed at consolidating our political unity by fostering closer economic co-operation and integration amongst the people of Africa.
The creation of a mechanism for conflict prevention, management and resolution by another solemn declaration of the assembly of heads of state and government in Cairo in 1993 was, thus, an important achievement in our quest to ensure the wellbeing of our people.
It is encouraging to observe that all initiatives that are currently being undertaken to resolve conflicts in Africa are being led by Africans themselves. Indeed, despite various hurdles to be overcome, there are positive developments in many of these conflict areas which signal prospects for democracy, unity, peace and prosperity in Africa. As the ANC, we remain firm in our conviction to work tirelessly with the people of Africa to advance our continent. We are truly convinced that the prospects of attaining the vision espoused by the founding fathers of Africa are increasingly becoming brighter and nearer.
My last quotation is from a book by Alfred Nhema and Paul Tiyambe Zeleza, The Resolution of African Conflicts: The Management of Conflict Resolution and Post-Conflict Reconstruction:
Any attempt to resolve conflicts in Africa has to take into account the root causes of some of the current problems in Africa. The role of the external power has been cited as one of the main causes of African conflict.
One may add here and say that the West is always at war. However, this is never in the West but in Africa. When music is played in London and New York, people in Accra, Bulawayo, Tanzania, Blantyre and Pretoria should not dance. I thank you, Chair. [Applause.]