2008-06-27Staff Report 2 "The publication: A brochure by the FFFA (Forum for the Future of Africa) by the FFFA: IF this brochure reflects the future of my continent: Thanks, but no thanks! It is nothing but a badly produced, badly written, badly translated, badly expressed, badly printed, badly proof-read and badly cut brochure in A5 format. If the concept behind this tattered attempt at conveying such an important idea had not been the eventual unification of the African continent, I would not even have given the review more than 5 words. But Africa is important. The unification of Africa is important. To me. To you. To all of us. So, despite obvious and glaring mistakes and inconsequentialities, this series of printed papers stapled together (it is not more than) receives more than 5 words. The United States of Africa is a name sometimes given to one version of the possible future unification of Africa as a national and sovereign federation of states similar in formation to the United States of America, mirroring the idea of the United States of Europe. The phrase ""United States of Africa"", was mentioned first by Marcus Garvey in his poem 'Hail, United States of Africa' in 1924. Garvey's ideas deeply influenced the birth of the Pan-Africanist movement, which culminated in 1945 with the Fifth Pan African Congress in Manchester, United Kingdom, attended by W.E.B. Du Bois, Patrice Lumumba, George Padmore, Jomo Kenyatta and Kwame Nkrumah. Later, Nkrumah and Haile Selassie (among many others) took the idea forward to form the Organisation of African Unity, the forerunner of today's African Union. Even today, the United States of Africa remains a constant theme - the great dream cherished from the earliest days of pan-Africanism. But the purveyors of this gloomy analysis rarely raise the possibility of a new state model based on African traditions. Yet that is the absolute prerequisite if Africa is to emerge from the crisis, and it is the only chance of meeting the challenges of globalisation. Unless new life is injected into it, the concept of a United States of Africa will remain an empty shell. Africa will not have genuine constitutional states or sustainable development - never mind the intellectual revival and resolve it so desperately needs. This is what the booklet/brochure is trying to tell readers - only not quite so truthfully and without bias. If the above is more concise and grammatically correct, kindly blame the original authors of the booklet. The absolute Utopia of all Africans: a United States of Africa! A continent free of extraneous influence where everything is done by Africans, with Africans, through Africans, for Africans and for the benefit of the whole of Africa. But, please, dear people, get yourselves some good public relations practitioners. Nobody will give this booklet a second glance after they have struggled through the mangled English. I repeat: The ultimate goal is perfect; most of the role-players have made sense and others are starting to make sense - a lot of sense, too. Just remember one thing: Appearances count. First impressions are crucial. Get that right and more and more people will be following. If not, the West will say with its usual negative, pejorative, patronising and parochial attitude: ""Just look at this brochure and THEY want to run a continent!"" " 2008-06-27Staff Report 2
