The last time I saw the frail old catechist, he was seated in a lazy-chair under a mango tree at the village square. Uncle Tom was clad in his old-fashioned jacket; the sleeves of which had worn out due to constant friction with his khaki pair of trousers. The dialing knob of his archaic radio was as usual, locked on B. B. C. World Service.
As soon as I took my seat beside him, he reached into his breast pocket and brought out a piece of paper.
“What do you see, my son?” he asked with a smile, as he handed me the piece of paper.
“The sins of the African Union” I answered, psyching myself up for some real lectures from the old folk.
“The African Union is a case of a form without a substance. It is a pale shadow of the European Union. I weep for the continent and the bleak future beckoning to you the young ones,” the old man remarked.
“Why, sir?”
“Why? Because the African Union has failed woefully to live up to its own mission and vision statements. It has failed to integrate its 54 states economically, let alone integrate them politically.
“Listen. The European Union started after the devastation of World War II, with determination among European politicians to prevent any such violent conflicts in Europe. Originally, the European Union’s aim was to bring member countries together to forge stronger industrial and economic ties. Since then, the Union’s responsibilities have grown directly in response to new emerging challenges, making new countries eager to join it.
“But the same cannot be said of the African Union- which is still in the cradle in which it was born by the founding fathers. Just like the European Union, the African Union has many organs. But whereas the organs of the EU work seriously and follow up on every resolution taken, those of the AU exist only in name. Or, do not work with such seriousness as to make their impacts felt by the ordinary people in the member states.
“Listen, my son. The 12 member-nation European Monetary Union (EMU) which gave birth to the Euro currency, has as its main objective, the formation of a United States of Europe (U.S.E.) to give European countries a stronger voice than the United States of America. But they did not emphasize the political motives first. They worked (and are still working) for the economic, industrial and social integration of the member countries, among other things. This, however, is not the case with our own AU, whose organs have fantastically crafted objectives but which only exist as theoretical documents and unavailable to the average African.
“As at 1998, when the EU countries were supposed to sign up for the EMU, each one of them had debts of over 60% of their gross domestic products (GDP). This meant that they could not meet one of their crucial three bench marks for joining the EMU. Nevertheless, they went ahead because the formation of the European Monetary Union was politically-motivated.
“The AU is not alive to the reality of the times we are living in. The various organs with their elaborate names and their big leaders have failed to achieve anything tangible for the African people. These leaders with their big titles and impressive curriculum vitae, have failed to drive the lame horse.
“The last time the late Muamah Qathafi was AU chairman, he too put the cart before the horse by pushing for political integration. The late Qathafi may be pardoned for various reasons. But not these fine, western-trained intellectuals and other professionals who are supposedly working in the various organs of the Union for the realization of its noble objectives!
“Interestingly, the AU was loudly silent during the NATO-led bombing of Libya. Who says the late Libyan leader was a saint? No. He wasn’t! But I wonder why the leadership of the AU went into hibernation till 24 clear hours after the death of the Libyan leader before issuing a carefully-crafted statement, recognizing the new authority in the war-ravaged country and calling for cease-fire?!
“We fail very often to assert ourselves when it matters most. One such occasion was the war in Libya, when our leaders on the continent failed to make a definitive statement on the sad turn of events in that country. Some are even suggesting that the AU was goaded into coming out with that bland statement only after the worst had happened.
“Try travelling from Ghana to neighbouring Togo and you would see the extent of the problem of ‘disintegration’ of the African people. Beyond the rhetoric and the diplomatic niceties at conferences and summits, the need to integrate the African people culturally, socially, economically etc. still stare us in the face. It is much easier to travel from France to Germany than to travel from Ghana to Namibia. Why? Ask these ivory tower intellectuals why this is so and you are likely to receive complex, winding grammatical constructions which leave you confused or dazed but without the simple answer you are looking for.
“They hold conferences, summits, workshops etc. They sleep in expensive five star hotels and take fat per diem but nothing significant comes out of all the meetings. They only congregate to propound new theories about Africa’s problems and redefine theoretical answers to the issues confronting us. You do not have an idea how much classroom blocks would be built, if the AU or any of its organs chose not to hold its lavish conferences and summits in 2012!
“My son, leadership is cause and all other things are effects. I will tell you more about the ‘sins’ of the leaders we have later. As an old catechist, I can only pray for them. But you must act, talk, shout and make your voice heard. Form youth groups and network with other youth groups in neighbouring countries and begin to demand concrete actions from the AU and its leadership,” Uncle Tom concluded his lecture on what he calls the ‘sins’ of the AU.
Do you share the views of Uncle Tom? What do you make of the African Union? Any hopes of a continental unity?
By: Ike W. Bikor
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