Unification should always be gradual
Jul 09, 2007
It is unlikely that Muammar Gaddafi’s ‘big bang’ theory can create a cohesively united Africa. Unification is complex and therefore must be gradual. The European Union (EU) grew from the European Economic Community (EEC) in the 1970s, which comprised only a handful of core Western Europe count
Eva Mwine
It is unlikely that Muammar Gaddafi’s ‘big bang’ theory can create a cohesively united Africa. Unification is complex and therefore must be gradual. The European Union (EU) grew from the European Economic Community (EEC) in the 1970s, which comprised only a handful of core Western Europe countries. Three decades later it is a veritable EU with many member nations, an indomitable army, a single currency, one passport and excellent communication infrastructure.
It is not surprising that Gaddafi is spearheading the campaign for instant unification because his political will is backed by economic muscle. If continental unification happened as quickly as Gaddafi wants it, poorer African states would transfer sovereignty without the commensurate transfer of financial resources. The Union’s financial burden would fall on the richer members, mainly North African states, South Africa and others like Nigeria. It is unlikely that these states would be willing to transfer resources from their national needs to carry the debt burden of the continent. Yet these states would control the Union by virtue of their being the financiers. African countries that have waltzed to donor economic tunes for so long would begin to belly dance to the economic jingles of Libya, Egypt, etc. The West would not be enthusiastic in rendering financial support to a Union that goes against their global dominance agenda. The prospect of losing political patronage over us is not an attractive one for the West, so we must be aware that their foreign policy is likely to obstruct and subvert the current efforts towards integration. Mwalimu Julius Nyerere cautioned the Africans when he once said: “I believe that left to ourselves, we can achieve unity on the African continent. But I don’t believe that we are going to be left to ourselves!â€
Thankfully, the outcome of the Accra summit gives us time to gradually wean ourselves off donor reliance and cement the regional blocks that will give us greater muscle in the continental Union.
Let us refocus our gaze onto the regional federations, for they will be the building blocks for a more harmonious AU. As the new East African Federation initiatives break down the arbitrary physical barriers of our region, nothing short of a revolution in attitude will bring down the barriers of the post-colonial African mind-set. From the vantage point of hindsight, we owe it to ourselves to study the failures of our predecessors as we walk the regional integration road once more.
The writer is a fashion designer
It is unlikely that Muammar Gaddafi’s ‘big bang’ theory can create a cohesively united Africa. Unification is complex and therefore must be gradual. The European Union (EU) grew from the European Economic Community (EEC) in the 1970s, which comprised only a handful of core Western Europe countries. Three decades later it is a veritable EU with many member nations, an indomitable army, a single currency, one passport and excellent communication infrastructure.
It is not surprising that Gaddafi is spearheading the campaign for instant unification because his political will is backed by economic muscle. If continental unification happened as quickly as Gaddafi wants it, poorer African states would transfer sovereignty without the commensurate transfer of financial resources. The Union’s financial burden would fall on the richer members, mainly North African states, South Africa and others like Nigeria. It is unlikely that these states would be willing to transfer resources from their national needs to carry the debt burden of the continent. Yet these states would control the Union by virtue of their being the financiers. African countries that have waltzed to donor economic tunes for so long would begin to belly dance to the economic jingles of Libya, Egypt, etc. The West would not be enthusiastic in rendering financial support to a Union that goes against their global dominance agenda. The prospect of losing political patronage over us is not an attractive one for the West, so we must be aware that their foreign policy is likely to obstruct and subvert the current efforts towards integration. Mwalimu Julius Nyerere cautioned the Africans when he once said: “I believe that left to ourselves, we can achieve unity on the African continent. But I don’t believe that we are going to be left to ourselves!â€
Thankfully, the outcome of the Accra summit gives us time to gradually wean ourselves off donor reliance and cement the regional blocks that will give us greater muscle in the continental Union.
Let us refocus our gaze onto the regional federations, for they will be the building blocks for a more harmonious AU. As the new East African Federation initiatives break down the arbitrary physical barriers of our region, nothing short of a revolution in attitude will bring down the barriers of the post-colonial African mind-set. From the vantage point of hindsight, we owe it to ourselves to study the failures of our predecessors as we walk the regional integration road once more.
The writer is a fashion designer