TANZANIA: THE Union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar did not only give birth to the United Republic of Tanzania, but it also gave birth to the living example of the Pan African aspirations of political social and cultural Unity!
This 60 years legacy of ‘walking the walk’ of unity is of historical political significance for Tanzania and Tanzanians.
It is also a historical vibrant and living testament of successful 20th century struggle of a colonised people for self-determination that is a legacy for communities of African people and states globally to relish and commemorate.
The Union should rightfully be narrated and contextualised as a part of global Pan African history of the struggles and successes of diverse communities, and ethnicities subsuming their micro-nationalities and nuanced cultural differences for the purpose of uniting in defeating colonialism, imperialism and racial supremacist institutional ideology.
Recognising the Union as such, at this juncture of the history of African efforts at continental unification will contribute tremendously towards fulfillment of the Pan African objectives and purpose of all the protocols, treaties and agreements relative to unity, regional integration and economic liberation.
The occasion of the 60 years anniversary provides a context to revitalise the popular passion and movement for African Unity by collectively celebrating its living example in the United Republic of Tanzania as such.
The uniting of Zanzibar and Tanganyika creating the United Republic of Tanzania is a Pan African hallmark to be recognised as part of the global struggle of oppressed and colonised people for equal rights and justice that characterised the 20th century.
To keep the celebration and commemoration within a parochial national or regional trajectory and context would be to depreciate the strategic significance and shared heritage of the Union itself to all of African people.
The accomplishments of the founders, leadership together with the rank-and-file cadre, that brought United Republic of Tanzania into existence and maintained it for the past 60 years is an example of the shared histories and identities of Pan African people in our struggles for independence, unity dignity and equal rights throughout the past 400 years.
The defeat of colonialism in Tanganyika and Zanzibar, the creation of the United Republic of Tanzania, the building of the nation, the support for liberation of southern Africa and the legacy of third world solidarity were inspired by belief in an ideology imbued with the “cause” of freedom, justice, equality and collective social responsibility. It was the leadership of Tanzania in organising and unifying the African world and other progressive forces in supporting and pursuing that “cause” that fuelled the candle of hope, love and dignity that shone brightly throughout Africa and beyond.
The candle placed atop Mt Kilimanjaro is flickering. It no longer shines bright enough to be a beacon of inspiration for hope, freedom and dignity for Africa and communities of African peoples around the world as it once did. The African world, and African youth especially, need a vision, and purpose that will revitalise popular social consciousness and enthusiastic commitment to work for the freedom, justice, equality and unity of African people and fuel the light a movement for self-determination that goes beyond lighting the way for tourists, corporate investor-profiteers, entrepreneurial imaginings of conspicuous consumption and cyclical multi-party electoral competitions.
The synchronous convergence in 2024 of three historical phenomena related to African Self- determination namely: The 60 years anniversary of the Union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar; the 50 years anniversary of the convening of the 6th Pan African Congress in Dar es Salaam, the first of the Pan African Congresses to be held in Africa; and lastly the final year for the UN Decade for People of African Descent, in a manner of speaking, presents a ‘perfect storm’ providing a critical mass of opportunity to seize the moment to rekindle and restore the intensity of light a top Mt Kilimanjaro and illuminate the way towards full spectrum African self-determination economic freedom, unity, peace, shared prosperity and transformation of the global power wealth status quo and inspire the youth of 21st century Africa today like the cause of African liberation, anti-racism and equal rights inspired the previous independence and nation building generations.
ALSO READ: Union progress thrills CCM in Zanzibar
This ‘perfect storm’ provides the opportunity to build upon the historical legacy of solidarity and leadership of Tanzania with progressive forces of the Pan African World Africa and the global south. The opportunity presented by the ‘perfect storm’ should not be missed, as East Africa takes strides toward greater integration and federation amidst the growing momentum and activism amongst the youth of the Pan African world demanding changes that can only be achieved if Africans are united. A programme of activities informing a progressive foreign policy and public policy rooted in the living example of an African political, social and cultural success embodied in history of the creation of the United Republic of Tanzania and its leadership role in the Pan African Revolution. This can avail visionary insights and lessons able to recognise both the short and long-term benefits of riding the high tide of these historical convergences with a dedicated purpose and strategically designed programme of activities for Pan African Unity, Peace collective responsibility and shared prosperity.
If appreciated in its totality the convergence of these three elements of African liberation history and cultural heritage is an opportunity for accumulating a windfall of social and political capital regionally, locally and globally for realisation of the African agenda for Peace, Unity and Shared Prosperity.
Tanzania, can, and should be forthright and courageous and boldly build upon its legacy as a beacon of light for social and economic justice, freedom and equality can use this perfect storm to create a framework for a foreign policy of popular participation to establish a Pan African Unity Committee (e.g. OAU Liberation Committee) and movement for unity, peace and economic liberation for Africa and people African descent globally. It can also include Africa – South-South cooperation elements that reinvigorate the non-aligned movement and African leadership in the transformation of multilateral organisations (a seat for AU on UNSC) and the current global political, economic, cultural and military power status quo.
In June 1974 TANU together with the Secretariat of Pan African Movement convened the Sixth Global Pan African Congress in Dar Es Salaam. This 6th PAC was the first of the Pan African Congresses, to be held on African soil and hosted by an independent African state dating back to 1900.
The previous five Congresses were all held outside the continent. The Fifth Pan African Congress was held in Manchester England in 1945 attended by the likes of Kwame Nkrumah, Jomo Kenyatta, Obafemi Awolowo, Peter Abrams, W.E.B. Dubois and George Padmore was significant as it set the agenda of independence of Africa from colonial rule and occupation. This included an end to colonial rule, racial discrimination against Africans, the end of imperialism, realisation human and people’s rights, and equitable access to economic opportunity and social services.
The 1974 Dar es Salaam Sixth PAC in addition to setting the historical precedent of being the first Pan African Congress to be held in Africa, was a land mark event that was important in galvanising and uniting global support across the continent and the world for support of the liberation movements of Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa in Southern Africa. It also was successful in creating people-to-people linkages aligning activists and statesmen and women from independent African nations, progressive governments around the world and the historical Africa diaspora in the Americas, the Caribbean and Europe to come together in the cause of freedom, justice and equality.
The Dar es Salaam congress, advocated new imperatives: an end to neo-colonialism and imperialism; the revolutionary social transformation of African societies and communities; the Congress ratified the validity of African People meeting to chart a political course of action for our common problems.
Lastly to bring this perfect storm of opportunity full focus we note that 2024 is the last year of the UN Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024). The theme for the International Decade is: “People of African Descent: Recognition, Justice and Development.
The UN General Assembly Resolution 68/237 called for all member states to participate and engage activities in line with the purpose and objectives of the Resolution. The stated objectives and purpose of the UN General Assembly Resolution 68/237 proclaiming 2015-2024 as the International Decade for People of African Descent cites the need to strengthen national, regional and international cooperation in relation to the full enjoyment of economic, social, cultural civil and political rights by people of African descent and their full and equal participation in all aspects of society faced by people of African descent taking into account the particular situation of women, girls and young males.’
By way of organising an activity commemoration of the 60 years of a ‘Pan African Unity Success Story’ (URT) in the spirit of the UN Decade for people of African Descent and the AU action plan for the same and incorporating it within the framework Pan African Unity in celebration of 60 years the Union presents the opportunity to fulfil the responsibility as a UN member state in respect to the UN General Assembly Resolution 68/237 call for all UN member states to support the resolution with concrete steps and definitive action that strengthens global cooperation for the full enjoyment of economic, social, cultural civil and political rights by people of African descent and to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerances.
The government and people of the URT have been placed in a position whereby incorporating this ‘perfect storm’ of opportunity, into the commemoration and celebration of the 60 years anniversary of the Unity, Cooperation and Peace embodied in the United republic of Tanzania and a Union government has the potential to be the spark to rekindle the candle with the light of leadership atop Mt Kilimanjaro and inspire a reawakening civic consciousness and collective social responsibility in our youths in the cause of African Unity, Peace, Prosperity and Global Solidarity.
It also presents Tanzania the opportunity to take advantage of the ground swell of African Diaspora enthusiasm and interest on travel, investment and institutional engagement in Africa by linking the commemoration activities with the Pan African world and implementing the AU resolutions regarding the African Diaspora and bringing the global African family closer to the AU and African governments in the areas of culture, education, business and investments and political support for African interests in the international arena.
We as African people have an obligation to articulate our own narrative and to build upon our most important contribution to human advancement – the deconstruction of the colonial world order and building the foundation of a strong, just Africa and the forging of a United African People as exemplified by the Union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar to form the United republic of Tanzania.
Prof. Ikaweba Bunting (PhD)
Secretary General
Global Pan African Movement
Email: kwabongogmail.com
Cell: +255 0765-867536
