Celebrating Africa Day, 2020.

Sixty-two years ago, the Ghanaian nationalist, Kwame Nkrumah convened a congress of liberated African states. It was the first of its kind. This was 1958; most African states were still colonies and protectorates except for Ethiopia, Liberia, Sudan, and few others. The topics of discussion at the congress were focused on the fight for freedom and independence from foreign domination.

Five years later, the Organization of African Unity was founded by 32 sovereign African states. That was on May 25, 1963. The goals of the organization were similar to those of the congress held in 1958: eradicating all forms of colonialism and consolidation of Africa’s independence and sovereignty.

Every year, we celebrate May 25, 1963, the day the Organization of African Unity was founded. Africa Day has both cultural and historical relevance. The historical relevance of Africa Day points us to the struggle against foreign domination and the fight for freedom, a fight far from finished. One way we can keep this fight going is by promoting African culture and preserving African history so that days like May 25 will not lose its historical importance.

This year’s theme – Silencing The Guns: Creating Conducive Conditions for Africa’s Development and Intensifying the Fight against the COVID-19 Pandemic; is inspired by our current mutual enemy, the COVID-19 virus.