Table Of ContentWho is an African?
Identity, Citizenship and the Making of
Africa-Nation
Edited by
Jideofor Adibe
Published by
Adonis & Abbey Publishers Ltd
P.O. Box 43418
London
SE11 4XZ
http://www.adonis-abbey.com
Email: [email protected]
First Edition, XXX 2009
Copyright 2009 © XXXX
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN: XXXX (HB)/ XXXXX(PB)
The moral right of the author has been asserted
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system or transmitted at any time or by any means without the prior permission
of the publisher
ii
Who is an African?
Identity, Citizenship and the Making of
Africa-Nation
Edited by
Jideofor Adibe
iii
Dedication
For my Mother, Madam Patricia Nwanyingbo Adibe who rested in the
Lord in 2002. Mama, we miss you every day but we take solace in the
knowledge that you are now with our Lord.
For my children: Adaobi, Udoka and Didi. With all my love
v
Table of Contents
Foreword
Yakubu Gowon....................................................................................................ix
Preface
Ali A. Mazrui......................................................................................................xi
Introduction
Africa without Africans?
Jideofor Adibe.....................................................................................................16
PART 1
CONCEPTUAL ISSUES: IDENTIFYING THE AFRICAN
Chapter 1
Who are the Africans?
Ali A. Mazrui.....................................................................................................29
Chapter 2
On The Concept Of “We Are All Africans”
Ali A. Mazrui.....................................................................................................35
Chapter 3
Who Is an African?
Kwesi Kwaa Prah...............................................................................................57
Chapter 4
Surveying through the Narratives of African Identity
Mohamed A. Eno & Omar A. Eno.....................................................................61
Chapter 5
Belonging Of Another Type: Whiteness and African Identity
Steven Friedman................................................................................................79
PART 2
AFRICAN IDENTITIES AND CO-EXISTENCE: EXAMPLES
Chapter 6
Arab Slavery of Africans in the Afro-Arab Borderlands – The Sudan
Case
Bankie Forster Bankie.........................................................................................87
vi
Chapter 7
The Politics of Apologetics: Genocide Denial in Darfur
Kwesi Kwaa Prah.............................................................................................101
Chapter 8
Slavery and Apartheid in Mauritania
Garba Diallo.....................................................................................................119
Chapter 9
States without Nations: Sudan and Nigeria
Franco Henwood..............................................................................................135
Chapter 10
South Africa and the New Africa: Chasing African Rainbows
Monique Theron and Gerrie Swart..................................................................153
Chapter 11
Identity Politics: Togo From 1963-1993
Marcel Kitissou................................................................................................163
PART 3
CAN AFRICA-NATION BE CONSTRUCTED?
Chapter 12
The Golden Age of Arab-African relations
Gamal Nkrumah...............................................................................................181
Chapter 13
Pan Africa or African Union?
Bankie Forster Bankie.......................................................................................193
Chapter 14
Regional Economic Communities and Pan-Africanism
Issaka K. Souaré & Dossou David Zounmenou...............................................199
Chapter 15
Arab-African Relations: From Liberation to Globalisation
Helmi Sharawy.................................................................................................215
Chapter 16
General Conclusions: One Africa, Many Destinies?
Jideofor Adibe...................................................................................................225
vii
Afterword
Mammo Muchie...............................................................................................229
Notes on the Authors....................................................................................233
Index................................................................................................................237
viii
FOREWORD
I am delighted to be invited to, and have great pleasure in writing the
foreword to this important subject matter and topic, viz, the ongoing
discussions on “African identity and citizenship” and the current efforts
by Africa’s leadership to create a “United States of Africa”, that will
facilitate the construction of unity among the various states and peoples
that are designated as Africa and Africans respectively. The question of
who is an African is therefore a legitimate one. It is a question that, on
face value, appears simple and straightforward. Is it any one born and
bred within the geographical area of Africa, of any racial origin – African,
Arab, Asian or European? Or should it be purely by a particular racial
group? However, as can be seen from the various contributions in this
work, answers to that simple question may not after all be that simple as
some people designated as Africans may not see themselves as such,
while some believe there is a taxonomy of elements that make up an
African such that there is a hierarchy of Africans, with some being more
African than others.
It can be argued that the problem of identifying who is an African or
who the African is, as presented by contributors to this volume, is not
significantly different from the problem of identifying who is a Nigerian
in Nigeria, the Sierra Leonean in Sierra Leone, the Somalian in Somalia,
the Sudanese in Sudan or any other group of people or country in Africa.
It is a fact that most of the countries in Africa, as we know them today,
are made up of previously independent group of people or ethnic
nationalities, which were brought together as nation-states, by the 1885
Berlin Conference and subsequently colonialism. Despite the challenges
and difficulties in the nation-building project in Africa, few people will
doubt that many of the citizens of these African countries are increasingly
coming to see themselves as having a common bond. If we take for an
example a case of hypothetical African immigrant shot dead or
maltreated in a foreign country, is it uncommon to see citizens of that
country come together solidarity protest? This informs us that while it
can be said that the nation-building project in various African countries
still has a long way to go, it cannot be said to be a complete failure. For
instance, is it uncommon to see Cameroonians, Nigerians or South
Africans of various ethnic and linguistic groups come together to
celebrate the success (or mourn the defeat) of their national football team?
This again seems to tell us that the nation-building project in these
ix
countries cannot be said to be a complete failure but progressing, even if
slowly. It would in fact seem that in almost all African countries, there are
increasingly more things that unify the citizens than those that divide
them, and it could also be convincingly argued that most of the
fissiparous tendencies in many of these countries are in fact becoming
weaker, giving way to a more united people and nations.
Can the relative success of the nation building project in various
African countries be applied to the various peoples that are called
Africans? Yes, I believe it can. Admittedly, almost all countries in Africa
today are of colonial creations. Africa was at various times colonised by
Arab/Middle East and European powers that introduced new ideas,
ideals and systems of government which the African countries adopted
and adapted it in their efforts at constructing modern nation states. In
Africa, it will appear that the efforts at forging intra-unity within and
among the constituent countries did create a conscious Africa and
Africans. This does not mean creating an Africa and Africans with a
homogeneous worldview. Rather it means that but that despite their
differences, Africans of different Africanity, seem to agree for instance on
the basic principles of democracy and good governance. I believe Africa
is taking a giant stride in the project of making the new African. To me
the African unity I envisage is that in which we utilise and use our
diversity as strength, and unite to defeat the common challenges of
poverty, ignorance, diseases and marginalisation from an increasingly
fast-paced corporate world.
Let me end this foreword by associating myself with the views of the
editor of this book Dr. Jideofor Adibe that Africa is favoured in the
current world conjuncture. In particular I share the sentiments expressed
about Barack Obama, the incumbent American President, that Africans
require a change of attitude that is post chauvinism for “it is only by
being post-racial and reconciler that a Blackman, with an African Muslim
father, who was not born into privilege, could emerge President of the
most powerful country in the world.” I also agree that the emergence of
Obama is an additional fillip to the continent’s unity project.
I recommend this work to all of us Africans, students of Africa and
friends of Africa that truly believe in Africa and African unity. Happy
reading!
Rtd Gen (Dr) Yakubu Gowon
Former Nigeria’s Head of State, 1966-1975.
x
