Gaddafi: Africa should unite or die

[ColdSoul]

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has declared
himself a "soldier for Africa" [Reuters]


Libya's president, Muammar Gaddafi, has told Africa it must "unite or die" and should become a federation with a single government, along the lines of the United States.

Speaking on the eve of the African Union Summit in the Ghanaian capital Accra, the Libyan leader said the continent should unite so it could compete in a globalised world.




President Gaddafi outlined his plans in a speech at the University of Ghana, but while it was met with applause and cheers, the views of his fellow African leaders range from enthusiasm to outright rejection.

"My mission is to wake up the African leaders to unify our continent," he said.






Accra is the final stage of President Gaddafi's week-long tour of western Africa, which has also included Mali, Guinea, Sierra Leone and the Ivory Coast.

Single government

At each stop he has held rallies calling for the establishment of United States of Africa and a single government.

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"Gaddafi's idea is good in theory but it won't work for a very long time"

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"How can an African country face a Europe that is united, negotiate with the USA, Japan or China," he asked, saying that with a single government, Africa would be on an equal footing with them.

"If the African masses are enlightened and aware ... then Africa will come into being," he said. "Those at the summit should hear the voice of the masses."

He also believes the move would staunch the flow of migrants to Europe, by exploiting its own resources and creating jobs in Africa.

Although the African Union was only formed in 2001, the idea was first suggested more than 50 years ago.

African leaders including Kwame Nkrumah, the late Ghanaian president, and Julius Nyerere, the first president of Tanzania, were both advocates of a single government.

African unity

The idea is said to have first been mooted at the fifth pan-African Congress held in England in 1945, and led to the formation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1963.

"How can an African country face a Europe that is united, negotiate with the USA, Japan or China"

Muammar Gaddafi, Libyan president
The Libyan president's enthusiasm for a single federal government fits with the possible future development of the African Union (AU).

The body was formed from the amalgamation of the African Economic Community (AEC) and the OAU.

Its remit is to promote unity and solidarity, democracy, economic development and international co-operation, especially by trying to end conflict within the continent.

Longer term, the AU plans include a single currency and integrated defence force, as well as proposals for a single cabinet and head of state.

But President Gaddafi faces difficulties in promoting his plan.

While some governments, including those of Senegal and Zimbabwe, are said to be in favour of such a move, others such as South Africa and Uganda reject it.

Gradual steps

Others say there must be gradual steps towards unity, starting with the consolidation of existing economic blocs.

Critics of the African Union say it has proved unable to tackle some of its existing aims.

They point to a range of conflicts, ethnic and religious diversity and the unequal distribution of wealth across the continent as evidence that it would be almost impossible to bring together Africa's 900 million inhabitants.

Some question how a federal government would be able to enforce policies when the countries that make up Africa find it difficult to solve them individually.

Even within the cheering audience in Accra there were sceptics. "It is a premature movement," John Awesi Amponsah, a 27-year-old student, said. "We have lots of ethnic, financial and economic hassles which need to be addressed before we think of a united African continent."


*Is it ever going to happen?
*why would the Gaddafi suggest it? does he have an hidden agenda?
*why is it that anything concerning African is always talked about but never no action taken?
* Who would be the main 'countries' in control?

My personal opinion is its a dream but i think any unity & stability needs to start from the ground, each state/country needs unity within its own bounders first.

[Baba Ahmed]

Greetings! Years ago, during the 1970s & '80s, many of Qaddafi's "Green Book was circulated among us in NYC, Bklyn, D.C. etc he spoke of then that Black Afrika would be one of the world's leaders. Yet Lybia has invaded Chad and even now is quietly along with China taking over the Oil Industry in Chad.

This involves more than is evident in the article. I don't even trust the so called Africa Union. Its beginnings was out of the sight and knowledge of the nation's people whose leaders make up the AU.

Its not what Nkrumah envisioned. Follow the money; i.e., the Euros behind the so called AU leaders. One seeming minor example alerted me, when one delegate at a AU mtg delivered his words in Swahili, not one other delegate understood what was being said. They have as official languages, English, German & French!

Which reminds me I have a young Ghanaian Sub Chief who is also a member of a U.S. Collegiate Africa Union. Imma ask his opinion of the article.

[MadameX]

Originally Posted by Baba Ahmed

Greetings! Years ago, during the 1970s & '80s, many of Qaddafi's "Green Book was circulated among us in NYC, Bklyn, D.C. etc he spoke of then that Black Afrika would be one of the world's leaders. Yet Lybia has invaded Chad and even now is quietly along with China taking over the Oil Industry in Chad.

This involves more than is evident in the article. I don't even trust the so called Africa Union. Its beginnings was out of the site of the nation's people whose leaders make up the AU.

Its not what Nkrumah envisioned. Follow the money; i.e., the Euros behind the so called AU leaders. One seeming minor example alerted me, when one delegate at a AU mtg delivered his words in Swahili, not one other delegate understood what was being said. They have as official languages, English, German & French!

Which reminds me I have a young Ghanaian Sub Chief who is also a member of a U.S. Collegiate Africa Union. Imma ask his opinion of the article.

Once again, your point were dead on it Kwame. I'm interested in hearing what you Ghanaian friend's prospective on things.

[afrocentric]

I want africa to unite not die. Somebody needs to come up with solutions to change and heal Africa.

[Istlota]

The AU is like the UN. It has great potential on paper. But, its current alignment with the sons of Japheth block the lofty goals it claims to seek.

One need only look at the failures of the AU peacekeepers on the ground in Darfur to understand that the AU is far from being ready to command a unified military force. Which, of course, is exactly what the sons of Japheth want.

The AU peacekeepers are so bad at keeping the peace that the Darfuris the AU troops are supposed to be protecting are rising up and fighting against the AU peacekeepers:

AU Expresses Regret for Killing 2 Civilians

[jimihaze]

I have bad feeling about this. I am all for africa uniting, I just want to know how the so called powers that will get this done.

[Baba Ahmed]

For those whose hopes are for Afrika's well being then just increase do n whatever it is you're doing now! We some of us keep waiting for grand solutions, when imo, our Afrikan world is waiting for us to utilize the resources we have to tightened up our own existence here in the U.S. of Anglos as a power seeking unified force.

Then, maybe, we can help such as the euro backed AU & the so called peace keeping army of the UN. During the same times Col. Qaddafy was beating our drums, China was calling us a "SLEEPING GIANT!"

By us I mean us here in the belly of this beast. We've yet to realize and manifest our potential, as one ethnic group.

[jacqui]

How are you Baba, you are so right. We here in the belly of the beast will be the ones to unite our Mother Country. We here know how to take a country from scratch and build it to become the greatest in the world now. It is in our genetic makeup. We are the ones who built the great pyramids, mounds, and other structures across the world. We know what europeans can only guess about. Therefore, we have it within us to go home and rebuild home.

[Baba Ahmed]

Thanks for asking jacqui, still here "hang'n & bang'n" as Jalal ud-Deen (aka: a Last Poet) used to respond. Settling ina new spot as u did AND hoping to see your presence sometime. BTW u still wanna get copies of the last classes we had; I got DVDs. We're into breaking down, the book negroes and other essays.

Yeah we, Black folk, have the pieces; but the visions? Don't kno... this nation's stylee keeps many of us swirling in a maze.

Stay tuned!
kwame

[Baba Ahmed]

ColdSoul - the man's name is spelled with a "Q" not "G." To misspell an Arab name, or any word, changes the entire meaning...sometimes even an incorrect letter will do that. Afrikan and Arab languages are like that.

But English? Anything can be done to a bastard.