Inspiring the Next Generation of Pan-Africanists

This book features essays, speeches, and reflections from the 60th anniversary commemoration of the All-African People’s Conference (AAPC), an epochal event in the history of Africa’s fight for liberation. The four-day conference was a collaboration between the Institute of African Studies, Trades Union Congress of Ghana, Socialist Forum of Ghana, Lincoln University, and the Third World Network Africa.

Overview

The book is divided into three sections:

1. Essays:

• • Ten essays explore key themes such as decolonizing knowledge production, new political frameworks for democracy and security, economic liberalization and labor crises, and the evolution of Pan-Africanism.
  2. Speeches:
  • This section includes the welcome and closing addresses, solidarity messages from prominent Pan-Africanists, and an interview with the last living delegate of the 1958 AAPC.
  3. Documentation:
  • The final section provides conference background documentation and the Statement of Issues and Recommendations adopted by the Conference.

  The book is bookended by poems from Pan-Africanist scholar-poets, offering valuable perspectives on Africa’s current challenges and potential future.

Forum of Ghana, Lincoln University, and the Third World Network Africa.

The book consists of three sections. The first contains ten essays on some of the conference’s key themes – decolonising knowledge production, a new politics for substantive democracy and security, economic liberalisation and the crises of work, and Pan-Africanism yesterday, today, and tomorrow. The second section features speeches delivered at the Conference – the welcome and closing addresses, solidarity messages from prominent pan-Africanists as well as an interview with the last living delegate of the 1958 All-African People’s Conference. The last section contains the conference background documentation and the Statement of Issues and Recommendations adopted by the Conference. The bookends are two poems by pan-Africanist scholar-poets. The book offers valuable perspectives on Africa’s current predicaments and what a truly liberated Africa can offer to the world.

Why Read This Book?

This book provides an invaluable collection of perspectives on Africa’s ongoing quest for true liberation. Whether you are a Pan-Africanist, a scholar, or a history enthusiast, you’ll find inspiration and insight in these pages. Join us in celebrating the legacy of the All-African People’s Conference and envisioning what a truly liberated Africa can offer to the world. Let this book be a catalyst for your own journey towards Pan-Africanism and the future of Africa. So, continue reading, and let the voices of these Pan-Africanists guide and inspire you on your own path towards creating a better world for all.

Conclusion

The stories, essays, speeches, and poems featured in this book are not simply a reflection of the past – they are a call to action for the present and future generations of Pan-Africanists. May this book serve as a reminder that our liberation is intertwined with the liberation of others and that we must work together toward building a more just and equitable world. Let us continue to inspire the next generation of Pan-Africanists and keep the spirit of the All-African People’s Conference alive. As Kwame Nkrumah once said, “Our independence is meaningless unless it is linked up with the total liberation of Africa.” Let this book be a step towards that ultimate goal – the liberation of Africa and its people.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Invocation

• Ancestral Roll-Call – Kofi Anyidoho

Introduction- Back to the Future: The 1958 AAPC and the Power of Optimism

Section 1

1. Revisiting The 1958 All-African People’s Conference –The Unfinished Business of Liberation and Transformation – Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja
2. Revisiting The 1958 All-African People’s Conference –The Unfinished Business of Liberation and Transformation – Horace Campbell
3. Pan-Africanism in Mwalimu Nyerere’s Thought – Issa Shivji
4. Ghana (1957 – 1966): Reflections and Lessons From a 20th Century Pan-African Liberated Nation-State – D. Zizwe Poe
5. Transnational Citizenship on the Borderlands: Towards Making (Non)Sense of National Borders in Africa – Edem Adotey
6. Looking Backwards to Run Forward: A Critical Examination of the 60th Anniversary of the 1958 All-African People’s Conference – Mjiba Frehiwot
7. Generating Inclusive and Sustainable Growth: Challenging Neoliberal Approaches to Gender Mainstreaming in Regional Economic Integration in Africa – Adryan Wallace
8. A Brief History of Development Initiatives in Africa – Anthony Yaw Baah
9. Pan-African Epistemologies of Knowledge Production: A Deconstruction-Based Critical Reflection – James Dzisah & Michael Kpessa Whyte
10. Hip-Hop Studies as a Model for Anti-imperialist Research in Africa – Msia Kibona Clark

Section 2

1. Speech by the chair of the Secretariat 60^th Anniversary of the All-African People’s Conference – Dzodzi Tsikata
2. Speech by H.E Thabo Mbeki former president of South Africa
3. Speech by the Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Kwesi Quartey
4. Speech by the Chair of the 60^th Anniversary of the All-African People’s Conference – Akilagpa Sawyerr
5. In-conversation: Speaking with History (participant at the 1958 AAPC) – G. A. Balogun interview – Edem Adotey

Section 3

1. AAPC @ 60 Conference Background Documentation
2. On culture at the AAPC @ 60 – Eric Tei-Kumado and Edem Adotey
3. AAPC @ 60 Conference Recommendations and Issues for the Future

Exhortation

• De Geas of Rickydoc: an Exhortation – Arthur Flowers