AFRICAN activists have expressed concern over what they see as a shrinking civil space on the continent ‘with increasing reports of crackdowns on dissent, harassment, abductions and the killings of activists’.
Delegates at the recent All-African Movement Assembly in Accra stressed ‘the urgency of collective dialogue and unified action to protect human rights and ensure the rule of law’.
The Assembly launched the Pan-African Solidarity Network to strengthen support for human rights defenders.
Delegates want the Network to deal with ‘the multiple issues that activists encounter, which may be addressed more efficiently through a collaborative platform’.
The Assembly, the largest annual gathering of African movements, activists and human rights defenders also called for Pan-African solidarity, free movement across the continent and ‘more robust human rights advocacy’.
Hardi Yakubu, Movement Coordinator of Africans Rising, called on the continent’s leaders to demonstrate the political will to champion the cause of a borderless Africa whereby citizens can travel freely between countries without the need for visas.
‘We must move beyond rhetoric and take concrete steps towards making this vision a reality,’ he said.
Delegates agreed that this would not only enhance the movement of people and goods ‘but also strengthen intra-African trade, foster economic prosperity and build fraternity among Africans’.
Samia Nkrumah, President of the Kwame Nkrumah Pan-African Centre and daughter of Pan-African icon Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, said in her opening address: ‘We can achieve this with the necessary political will and determination. The time for action is now.’
Emma Nyerere, the daughter of another Pan-Africanist leader, President Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, also stressed the need for solidarity, which she said was crucial in tackling poverty, inequality and neocolonialism.
‘The time has come for us to unite and face our challenges together,’ she said.
Assembly participants visited the historic Cape Coast and Elmina Castles, where they were reminded of Africa’s painful past, including the exploitation of natural resources and the horrors of slavery.
Participants agreed that the tour, which included visits to the infamous ‘Condemnation Room’ and the ‘Door of No Return’, served as a poignant reminder of the need to learn from history and work towards a united and free Africa.
