Bewaa dance by the Dagara People of Ghana    P. Courtesy

We commemorate and celebrate the founding, 52 years ago, of the Organisation of African Unity, now the African Union. 32 Independent African states gathered to sign the Organisation’s founding Charter in Addis Ababa and accelerated actions to secure and safeguard the hard won independence and integrity of African States with a view of ridding our continent of all forms of racism, colonialism and discrimination. From the onset Africa’s leaders identified the need to coordinate and harmonize policies in several fields, including in education and cultural cooperation.

A great deal has been accomplished by Africa since then, often in the face of considerable challenges. The arts have immensely contributed to these accomplishments, who can forget the seminal speech of Mama Africa, Miriam Makeba when she addressed the United Nations 52 years ago,

I quote: “I ask you and all the leaders of the world, would you act differently, would you keep silent and do nothing if you were in our place? Would you not resist if you were allowed no rights in your own country because the color of your skin is different from that of the rulers, and if you were punished for even asking for equality? I appeal to you, and to all the countries of the world, to do everything you can to stop the coming tragedy. I appeal to you to save the lives of our leaders, to empty the prisons of all those who should never have been there.”

Indeed the capacities and talents of artists and cultural workers to create help give expression to our experiences and to our aspirations, in good and bad times.

It is our hope that this generation of artists and cultural workers will continue to inspire towards the realization of the goals and objectives of Agenda 2063. Through Agenda 2063, the Africa we Want, we aspire to address urgent priorities in education, skills development, especially in science technology, engineering and mathematics. Africa must have a skills revolution, since we intend to modernize agriculture, add value to our natural resources and minerals; and develop our infrastructure mainly in the energy, transport, and ICT sectors.

For these priorities to find expression they will require contributions from the arts, since the arts embody what our great African writer, Ben Okri meant when he said: The most authentic thing about us is our capacity to create, to overcome, to endure, to transform, to love and be greater than our suffering.

The arts are very important for our development, but equally important is our mindset, believing in ourselves and in our capacity to achieve the goals we set for ourselves. This is where culture and arts play such an important role. In readjusting our mindsets we must bear in mind the words of Ben Okri in his book Ways of Being Free where he says:

They tell me that nature is the survival of the fittest. And yet look at how wondrous gold and yellow fishes prosper amongst silent stones of the ocean beds, while sharks continuously prowl the waters in their impossible dreams of oceanic domination and while whales become extinct…how many butterflies and iguanas thrive, while elephants turn into endangered species, and while even lions growl in their dwindling solitude. There is no such thing as a powerless people. There are only those who have not seen and have not used their power and will. It would seem a miraculous feat, but it is possible for the under-valued to help create a beautiful new era in human history. New vision should come from those who suffer most and who love life the most.

We therefore greatly appreciate the initiative taken by the cultural sector, as we were consulting on Agenda 2063, to insist that we help them to convene a meeting of the cultural and creative sector from across the continent.

The inputs from the African Re-imagined Creative Hub held at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa on 25 May 2014 helped to inform Aspiration 5, which is about An Africa with a strong cultural identity, common heritage, shared values 
and ethics. Amongst many of its objectives the aspiration seeks to promote: Pan-African ideals [so that they are] fully embedded in all school curricula and Pan-African cultural assets (heritage, folklore, languages, film, music, theatre, literature, festivals, religions and spirituality) will all be enhanced.

In re-crafting our Pan African ideals we must recall the words of Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba who in 1960 said:“We all know, and the whole world knows it, that Algeria is not French, that Angola is not Portuguese, that Kenya is not English, that Ruanda-Urundi is not Belgian. We know that Africa is neither French, nor British, nor American, nor Russian, ... that it is African.”

Through the fulfillment of Aspiration 5 we aim that the African creative arts and industries be celebrated throughout the continent, as well as, in the diaspora so as to contribute significantly to self-awareness, well-being, peace and prosperity, and to world culture and heritage.

It is also our desire that African languages be the basis for administration and integration with special attention being paid to African shared values such as family, community, hard work, merit, mutual respect and social cohesion.

Since this is the Year of Women, the arts and cultural sector should also pay attention to the issues of women’s empowerment and building a non-sexist continent. The issues here range from how we break the cycle of gender-based violence to ensuring effective economic participation of women.

The idea of unity in diversity is so critical to the tasks and mission that we set for ourselves in Agenda 2063. Africa is a diverse continent, in religion, cultures, languages, heritage and arts. This diversity has co-existed and combined in a melting pot over the centuries. It forms the bedrock of our common destiny, expressed through Pan Africanism.  It is a unity in diversity that we must nurture. We must manage this diversity in an inclusive manner, so that no one feels left out.

It is no coincidence that the oldest political movement on the continent, the African National Congress, is named the AFRICAN and not just South African. The founding fathers of the ANC had a Pan African outlook because they understood that the destinies of all Africans are intertwined and that the liberation and development of South Africa required the contributions of Africa and vice-versa.

It is also no coincidence that the Anthem for the liberation movement and South Africa is NkosiSikelelaiAfrica, God Bless Africa!!! The song is not only sung and celebrated in South Africa it is also the national anthem for a number of African countries including Zambia and Tanzania.

It is also no coincidence that the Freedom Charter says, “South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white” and it envisages that “the doors of learning and culture shall be opened.”

Allow me to conclude, with more wise words from Ben Okri: When you can imagine, you begin to create, and when you begin to create you realize that you can create a world that you prefer to live in, rather than a world that you are suffering in. We must therefore imagine and create the Africa we want.

One People!!! One Destiny!!!

Asante Sana!!!

By HE Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma

African Union Commission  Chairperson