25 04 14 PAMBAZUKA SPECIAL ISSUE: Africa in 50 years time – inventing a new Africa

On 25 May 2014 the African Union (AU) will be 12 years old, having
been set up in Addis Ababa on 9 July 2002 to replace the Organisation of
African Unity (OAU). The OAU waged a struggle for the decolonisation of
the African continent from 1963 until it was supplanted by the AU.

In May 2014 Pambazuka News seeks to have a special issue on projecting
into the future what Africa will look like in 50 years time. What kind
of Africa do women, youth, trade union activists, environmentalists,
human rights, LBGTI and sex worker activists envision? What are the
dreams of African writers, poets, scientists, engineers, agronomists,
musicians for the continent in 50 years time?

The revolutionary Thomas Sankara heeded that: “we must dare to invent
the future.” What future will Africans create in 50 years time? Will we
continue to ape the intellectual paradigms of the West, in terms of
economic models, fashion and style? Is this imitation an inevitable
aspect of “globalisation”?

Edward Blyden and Kwame Nkrumah spoke of an “African Personality” in the
nineteenth and twentieth century. In the 21st century how should this
reconfigured “African Personality” be defined and project itself on the
world stage? The AU uses the language of Pan-Africanism and the “African
Renaissance” and it is necessary to ask if they are one and the same
thing? More importantly, what are the goals of Pan-Africanism in 50
years time? What does a Pan-Africanist Africa look and feel like?

What institutional challenges face the AU in the next 50 years?

These are the issues and questions we hope the special issue will
grapple with and address in articles. Poems, short stories and personal
opinion pieces are welcome.

Please send us your contribution.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF ARTICLES: Friday 16th May 2014

LENGTH OF ARTICLES: Articles are to be written in Microsoft Word, Font: Times, size 12, and between 1000-3000 words

Please submit a two-line biography at the end of your article and send to: editor@pambazuka.org