On the 24th of February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine and subsequently threw the whole world into a conundrum of unending debates, alliances and press conferences. Ultimately, it has cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, far and near, Europeans and non-Europeans alike. Western media since the beginning of the conflict has continually portrayed the United States of America as the vanguard and defender of human rights and democracy in the world. This, even when the United States’ geopolitical attitudes prove otherwise, the western press, under the proprietorship of its political elites have still laundered the image of the west. However, in the midst of the haziness of this political miseducation and media propaganda, it is of utmost importance that the people of the global south, specifically Africa, comprehensively understand and thus make the right geopolitical decisions in respect to the evolving world order.

Africans are not unaware of the spurious campaigns for democracy and human rights by western politicians. In fact, Africans have been victims of imperialism and international terrorism masquerading as political altruism- they are not unaware that western politicians’ obsession with democracy and human rights is, and has always been a smokescreen- a facade targeted towards regime change, exploitation, balkanization and ultimately conscription of African governments into blocs and camps- fighting battles that have no positive significance on the lives of their people.  Africans are acutely and poignantly conscious of the fact that the west cares less about democracy and human rights and more about their economic survival and political relevance with a unipolar ‘rules-based world order’. The geopolitical attitudes, actions and inactions of the west, rooted in their quest for imperial expansion since the 50s up until now, mythicize the very core of their political philosophy: human rights and democracy. 

The European quest for mineral resources has been the driving force of its foreign policy in Africa. Since the Berlin conference in 1884, Africa has been divided into ‘ethnic states ‘by colonial powers for a singular purpose: colonial exploitation of mineral wealth. This ‘divide and conquer’ tactic was also very instrumental in the hands of the colonizing powers at the height of the cold war in the 60s. Numerous ‘financial aid’ loans flowed into Africa during the height of the cold war for a single purpose: to create and maintain ‘client’ or ‘satellite’ regimes for the purpose of conscripting them into the warring factions of the cold war. During the height of the cold war, we know that Africa was divided on ideological grounds each in service to the war. 

Pan Africanism in this current world of neocolonialism seeks to neutralize this – it tackles the issue of imperialism at its very core. It seeks to drive the whole of Africa towards one purpose: the ideological integration of the continent in the arena of global politics. This means that the African personality as an integrated continental force must be achieved, for, it is in unity that Africa can have a significant influence and an impregnable bargaining power in its relationship with the western world. It has now become very instructive and fundamentally sacrosanct that for the protection of our continental territorial integrity and political sovereignty, Africa has got to solve her own domestic issues by herself without foreign ‘intervention’ and loans masquerading as charity or aid. 

As Julius Nyerere brilliantly put it, “a clan mentality will not beat imperialism”. It has now become very apparent that Pan-African unity remains the only panacea towards solving the myriads of problems Africa is confronted with today. We must be conscious of the continual geopolitical events and how they are capable of having real life consequences on the lives of our people and the continent.

It is now a notorious fact that there is an inveterate conflict for global supremacy between Western Europe and the United States of America as a bloc and Russia as another bloc. It now clear that these two warring blocs have always avoided direct confrontation and are exporting their conflicts (Cold War) abroad- on other people’s territory, costing the lives of other people and undermining their governments.

As Africans, we must never let our continent become a battlefield- we must avoid being caught in the crossfire of other peoples’ wars. Our governments must refuse to be conscripted into wars that have only detrimental effects on the lives of our people. Considering the fact that Africa is dealing with an empire, she must in the same vein also present herself not as a collective of disintegrated tribes or clans of heterogeneous people but as one people from the same continent with collective interests.

On the international scene Africa must have one single foreign policy – a policy that reflects the collective hopes, dreams and aspirations of her people. We shall present ourselves in the name of Africa as one people. We are not pro west or pro east; we are Africans bound with the same destiny unhesitant to do whatever it takes for our own survival. The era of Mobutu Sese Seko and Mengistu Haile Mariam is over – we can no longer be, the soldiers of other peoples’ fortunes.