This photo taken on February 17, 2024 shows an exterior view of the headquarters of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. (Xinhua/Li Yahui)
The African continent marked Africa Day on Saturday with a call to realize the founding continental aspirations of the African Union (AU).
ADDIS ABABA, May 26 (Xinhua) — The African continent marked Africa Day on Saturday with a call to realize the founding continental aspirations of the African Union (AU).
Africa Day is celebrated every year on 25 May to celebrate the achievements of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the predecessor of the AU, since its creation on 25 May 1963.
The day is celebrated to recognize the continental bloc’s role in fighting colonialism and the progress Africa has made, while reflecting on the common challenges the continent faces in a global environment, according to the AU.
People from Rwanda dance during an event celebrating Africa Day in Kampala, Uganda, May 25, 2024. (Photo by Nicholas Kajoba/Xinhua)
Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairman of the AU Commission, in his message on the occasion of this year’s Africa Day celebration, said that since the establishment of the OAU, the African continent has βbeen freed from the yoke of colonialism and the awful system of apartheid. Its intellectual, scientific and cultural resources have been greatly developed, diversified and enriched.”
Noting that the continent’s economy has grown at a pace that is the envy of many parts of the world, the AU Commission chief said Africa’s resilience during the global COVID-19 crisis has impressed many.
“Africa’s demographic explosion, its social constraints resistant to the demands of the new world, the continued deterioration of our climatic conditions, the various forms of foreign interference in our internal affairs, the permeability of certain categories of its elites to foreign discourse, and the obvious shortcomings at the governance level have not helped to transform the aforementioned positives into factors of social justice, equality and inclusive prosperity,β he said.
Faki said the celebration of Africa Day is “an opportune time for reflection to assess how far we have come and consider the road ahead”.
“The OAU, born out of the pain of our struggles, is now at a real crossroads. We must reform decisively and courageously to become what our founders intended, which is a powerful driver for unity, liberation, integration and defense of of African dignity in relation to ourselves and others,β he said.
People in African dress dance during a China-Zimbabwe cultural exchange event in Goromonzi, a rural community in East Mashonaland province, Zimbabwe, on May 23, 2024. (Xinhua/Tafara Mugwara)
Noting that youth make up more than 60 percent of Africa’s population, the 55-member continental organization called for the realization of legitimate aspirations for inclusiveness and shared prosperity in a peaceful, integrated Africa as outlined in the AU’s 50-year continental development plan. Agenda 2063.
Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry said the continental event marks the celebration of “our common heritage, unity and strength as Africans”.
“It is a time to reflect on our shared experiences and recommit ourselves to building a more just, prosperous and united Africa,” the ministry said in a statement issued on Saturday. β