Why the 9th Pan-African Congress is Not Pan-Africanism
One of the great strenghts of the Pan-African movement is that the movement has never attached itself to any particular ideology or dogma. This has allowed the Pan-African movement to remain flexible and adapt to changing times. In the past Pan-African leaders have preached a number of ideologies such as nationalism, Marxism, Nkruhamism, etc. Pan-African leaders have also practiced a variety of religions.
The setback with having a movement which is not rooted in a particular ideology is that it can open itself up to being exploited by opportunists who use the promise of unity to disguise their own intentions. This is precisely what the dictatorial regime in Togo is trying to do now by hosting the 9th Pan-African Congress.
Faure Gnassingbé is not nor has he ever been a Pan-Africanist. As I noted earlier, Pan-Africanism has never adhered to a singular ideology, but in a broad sense the movement has always been a movement to unify Africans around the world for the common objective of obtaining our advancement. This vision was clearly articulated in one of the declarations made at the Fifth Pan-African Congress: “The Fifth Pan-African Congress calls on intellectuals and professional classes of the Colonies to awaken to their responsibilities. The long, long night is over. By fighting for trade union rights, the right to form co-operatives, freedom of the press, assembly, demonstration and strike, freedom to print and read the literature which is necessary for the education of the masses, you will be using the only means by which your liberties will be won and maintained. Today there is only one road to effective action — the organization of the masses.”
Today Faure suppresses the very thing which Pan-Africanists of the past fought for. Whereas the Fifth Pan-African Congress advocated for union rights, Faure’s government has fought against unions. Freedom of press, assembly, demonstration, and strike are all routinely violated. We saw this just a few weeks ago when protests were banned in Togo. Whereas the Fifth Pan-African Congress advocated for the organization of the masses, Faure has consistently worked against the interests of the masses in Togo.
Nothing about this upcoming Pan-African Congress resembles the original intention behind the Pan-African movement of the past. What it reflects is the opportunism of a dictator who is desperately clinging to power and is now using Pan-Africanism to rebrand.
