In the build-up to the All-Africans Movement Assembly, AAMA 2024 to take place in Ghana in August, Africans Rising continues with its series of regional consultations to get the pulse of issues affecting their members in the different regions of Africa. After Central Africa, East, West and South Africa, it was the turn of North Africa on the 18th of July 2024 to identify issues affecting the region.
According to Salma Hosseiny, Africans Rising representative for North Africa, “the regional consultation is a mobilisation platform for movements and members to be engaged, network, share ideas, promote collaboration, seek ideas on how to enhance movement building, re-establish connections and relationships with organisations and movements and build a sustainable plan moving forward”.
Elucidating on AAMA, Africans Rising Engagement and Collaboration Lead, Ancel Langwa, said “AAMA would be an avenue to reimagine the future of Africa. AAMA 2024 will bring together pan-Africanists and like minded Africans to imagine what the Africa we want should look like. So, we will put our ideas together to work towards achieving this”.
Ancel then went further to talk about the Kilimanjaro Declaration (KD) and the pillars of Africans Rising. She said when AR was founded many years ago, the KD was instituted but when AR and members met in Arusha, Tanzania in 2022, an updated version of the KD was drafted known as the KD 2.0. This revised version of the KD includes issues affecting the daily life of Africans including:
- Expanding space for civic and political expansion
- Fighting for gender equality
- Fighting for climate and environmental justice as well as ecological justice in general.
- Fighting for a borderless Africa (Africa unity campaign)
- Fighting against all forms of slavery and human trafficking
- Economic justice
“All Africans Rising members prior to joining the movement need to sign the KD”, noted Ancel
This was followed by a question and answer session facilitated by Salma Hosseiny to get ideas from members on possible issues of discussion as follows:
1)What issues do you think can be discussed during the AAMA ?
- Debt forgiveness
- Accessing the manipulation of the international “aid” sector
2) What should the new strategy of AR look like?
- Ethical governance
- Limitations to the rule of law
- Borderless Africa
- Single African Currency
3) AR has a vision to be fully funded by Africans to enhance ownership. What strategies can AR explore to achieve this?
- Self funding
- Look for donors
- Contribution from members
4) Which organisation will like to join the Borderless Africa campaign?
- YILT AFRICA which focuses on youth empowerment through industry and innovation.
5) What is your movement/org focused on?
- Africa In Motion is advocating for the adoption of the Equal Trade Certification into national trade policies of all African governments
6) What is the Civic space like in your region/country?
- No specific answer was provided to this question but we all know that reports have noted the recurrent issue of racism in North Africa where we have seen African youths from other countries struggling to move to Europe via Northern African countries but have been subjected to punitive inhuman treatments.
7) What are the burning issues in your region/country that need collective action? And how can movements work together to collectively address it?
- Poverty
- Youth unemployment
- Misinformation/disinformation, migration in Africa is often country to country and not the racist and misperceived notions of “people on boats” invading Europe etc.
- Unequal international trade system
8) How do members feel about the activities of the movement with regards to the region. What would they like to see in terms of engagement?
- The engagement deserves more focus instead of addressing too many issues at the same time
- Focus on the root cause of all other challenges faced by African population
9) What are the major setbacks to the work of movements and in what ways can AR intervene?
- Lack of awareness, distraction by religion, entertainment, etc.
10) What Opportunities exist for collaboration amongst AR members?
- Almost all countries in Africa are facing the same challenges. So collaboration could be eased by targeting one issue at a time and put it at continental level.
The representative of AR in North Africa Salma Hosseiny concluded the conversations by appreciating all present and said all contributions made will be drafted and shared ahead of AAMA.
Members were then asked to share their contacts for the creation of a WhatsApp group where they can continue sharing ideas and network.
