WHERE TO HOST A PAN AFRICAN CONGRESS? THE WAY FORWARD — @

WHERE TO HOST A PAN AFRICAN CONGRESS? THE WAY FORWARD

WHERE TO HOST A PAN AFRICAN CONGRESS?

On Tuesday, March 18, 2025 I conducted a poll in six (6) WhatsApp groups on the following question:

Where is the best location to hold a Pan African Congress?/ Quel est le meilleur endroit pour organiser un Congrès panafricain ?/ ¿Cuál es el mejor lugar para celebrar un Congreso Panafricano?

Here are the results:

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso: 25

Accra, Ghana: 11

Other: 7

Kampala, Uganda: 4

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: 3

Bamako, Mali: 3

Kinshasa, DRC: 3

Harare, Zimbabwe: 2

Lomé, Togo: 1

Dakar, Senegal: 1

The poll was conducted in response to the message “Convening the UBUNTU Pan African Congress to Re-anchor and Recenter the Pan African Movement Worldwide” posted in the Pan African Federalist Movement’s Google group. The author of that message, Joomaay Faye, stated,  

"The geopolitical context of today does not allow those of us Africans who can understand what is today at stake for our people, to continue to Sit Down and watch opportunists Take the Pan African Movement in HOSTAGE!  For this Reason Let's ALL call for the Convening of the UBUNTU PAN AFRICAN CONGRESS (U-PAC) which will do everything humanly possible to Regroup All the Organizations of BLACK PEOPLE around the World to rekindle our Movement." [emphasis added]

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso is the overwhelmingly most popular place desired to host a Pan African Congress that would make it possible to regroup all the Organizations of Black People around the world to rekindle our movement. This sentiment has already been express in many ways by the massive support expressed for President Ibrahim Traoré that is documented on Youtube and epitomized by this petition:

The petition, launched by Tseke Nchabeleng stated, 

 “The existing divided leadership in Africa has led to disparities in growth, development, and equality across the continent. This petition aims to dissolve the colonial borders and bring together the diverse nations of Africa under collective leadership for a more united, robust Africa. We propose Ibrahim Traoré, the current president of Burkina Faso, to be the unified President of Africa. With a solid track record, his leadership would ensure equitable development, a single currency, and a unified national flag representing all African nations. Out of 1733 individuals who signed the preceding petition, a significant majority supports a borderless Africa led by one leader. Now is the time to heighten our efforts. Unity is strength; together, we can build a stronger Africa. Let's unite Africa under one leader, one currency, and one flag. Please sign this petition to show your support for a united Africa under the leadership of Ibrahim Traoré.” [emphasis added]

This is a legitimate expression of the will of some people. It is similar to the discussion I introduced in my concept note that I submitted on May 3, 2024 as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Provisional Government of the Republic of New Afrika to KARAMOKO JEAN MARIE Traoré, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, REGIONAL COOPERATION AND BURKINA FASO CITIZENS ABROAD through Mr. Hermann Toé, Special Advisor of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Section 1 of that concept note concerned POSITIONING BURKINA FASO TO BE CHAMPIONS OF THE GLOBAL AFRIKAN REPARATORY JUSTICE MOVEMENT and specifically asked Burkina Faso to follow Ethiopia, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Guinea Bissau in launching a Decade of Return Initiative and granting citizenship to the African Diaspora under a “Right of Return”. This has been achieved with the recent announcement that citizenship to Burkina Faso is now available to Afro Descendants. Section 2 of the concept concerned POSITIONING BURKINA FASO TO BE CHAMPIONS OF THE PAN AFRIKAN MOVEMENT and specifically raised the prospect of “Support for the 9th Pan African Congress”. 

It is still my opinion that if the government of Burkina Faso, in addition to its Diaspora citizenship policy, submits the request for the ICJ Advisory opinion, it will catapult Burkina Faso into the forefront of the Reparations movement from the side of African states. Burkina Faso will attract the same respect and popularity that South Africa did when it went to the ICJ on behalf of the Palestinians. This will garner Burkina Faso even more global African admiration, especially in the Diaspora and will provide them the narrative that anything the west does to them is in retaliation for standing up for justice for African people, solidifying even more Burkina Faso’s Pan African legitimacy. In turn, the Diaspora and Pan Africanists will commit to promoting tourism and investment in Burkina Faso as a priority. and make Ougadougu the location of conferences, conventions and Pan African Congresses for the next two Decades. The idea is to make Burkina Faso the Ghana of the 1960’s minus the CIA infiltration.

Now, let us consider the following:

  1. Out of the Pan African Movement and its Congresses was established the Organization of African Unity (OAU) which is now the African Union (AU).

  2. The OAU transformed into the AU in 2003 to have a bottom-up "people-centered Africa". It then invited the African Diaspora to become a full part of the AU as its 6th Region.

  3. A Memorandum of Understanding Between the African Union Commission and the Pan African Movement was signed  in Kampala, on May 22nd, 2015 by H.E. Dr. Aisha L. Abdullahi of the AU Commission for Political Affairs and Gen Kahinda Otafiire, Chairman of the International Committee of the Global Pan African Movement (GPAM) - of which President Yoweri Museveni is the Patron. That memorandum states that they must work together in organizing any Pan African Congresses but has since expired.

  4. In July of 2022, the African Diaspora Development Institute (ADDI) under H.E. Ambassador Arikana Chihombori-Quao, former AU Ambassador to the United States, solicited for delegates to attend what was originally announced as the African Diaspora Pan African Congress and later as the “9th Pan African Congress” to be held in Harare, Zimbabwe from 14-19, 2022 hosted by the Government of Zimbabwe. Its announced  purpose was to “primarily focus on the formalization of the 6th Region” and Siphiwe Baleka was appointed its Coordinator. Subsequently, Siphiwe Baleka drafted the DECLARATION FOR THE HARMONIZING OF THE PAN AFRICAN CONGRESSES AND THE EFFORTS TO ESTABLISH THE AFRICAN DIASPORA AS THE 6TH REGION OF THE AFRICAN UNION

  5. On July 25, 2023 H.E. Ambassador Quao traveled to Kampala and presented the plan/declaration to President Yoweri Musevni (host of Kampala PAC8.1) who agreed  to call both President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe (host of Harare PAC8.2) and President Faure Ayedemen of Togo (host of Lomé PAC9) as well as to host and sponsor a pre-summit meeting of 150-200 leaders of African Diaspora from around the world to come to Uganda to discuss the way forward under the umbrella of the Pan African Secretariat which was housed in Uganda at the time. All three PACs were canceled in 2024 which prompted the  Conference on the State of the Pan Africanist Movement Today  held on October 5, 2024

  6. Finally, according to Joomaay Faye, “After taking knowledge of a meeting I had with President Yoweri Museveni in September (2024), the Benefactor of the Uganda Based Faction of the Pan African Movement and in which President Museveni was ready to Pass this baton to President Diomaye Faye of Senegal, the Head of the Uganda Faction RUSHED to nominate New People in their so called Secretariat and decided to Select Kinshasa as the Site of the Next Congress (a French Speaking country to Counter Dakar Senegal). First they Said it will be in June and now they pushed it to November knowing full well that with the War the RDC is engaged in, NO SERIOUS Pan African Congress can be held there . . . .”

Towards this end, there is a propitious moment right now to make considerable advances towards Ubuntu unity. There is already a movement underway to unify the legacy diaspora organizations prompted by the African Union 6th Region concept and inclusion in the AU Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) resulting in a growing coalition that will soon be governed by a treaty. There is also a movement underway to unite the divided Pan African movement. Again, the  Conference on the State of the Pan Africanist Movement Today was held on October 5, 2024 and bolstered now by Joomaay Faye’s call for a U-PAC. 

So here is a way forward to make an UBUNTU Pan African Congress a reality by the end of 2026. 

THE WAY FORWARD TO AN UBUNTU PAN AFRICAN CONGRESS

  1. Poll the PEOPLE first to find out where THEY want to have the UPAC held. That’s the purpose of the form below that we ask everyone to complete. If thousands of people participate and submit the form below and Burkina Faso continue to be the overwhelming favorite, then:

  2. We submit the PEOPLE’s request to H.E. Ambassador Arikana Chihombori Quao to bring to the attention of President Traoré to solicit if he is willing to host such a U-PAC. If he is willing to discuss it, then:

  3. We ask H.E. Ambassador Arikana Chihombori Quao to ask President Yoweri Museveni, the Patron of the Global Pan African Movement (GPAM)  to “pass the baton” to President Traoré. This is especially urgent since it was announced this morning on Ugandant TV that President Museveni is plannin a visit to President Traore. [See 11:26 mark of this video] If President Traore is willing, then:

  4. We form a U-PAC Committee to merge with the GPAM’s PAC Organizing Committee that  will solicit President Traoré to become the Patron of the U-PAC. If he accepts, then

  5. The 8th PAC now scheduled for November 2025 in Kinshasa transforms and becomes the consensus U-PAC  to be held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso at the end of 2026.

TO MAKE THIS A REALITY, TAKE THE TIME TO COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING FORM:

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