Part Two: The African Union Commission
Unity in Africa
The headquarters of the African Union is Addis Ababa; the same location where its predecessor was situated. People from all over Africa work here in the compound filled with four large buildings, which shelter everything from offices to conference rooms as well as a number of services, including a bank, a post office, a clinic, a cafeteria, an airline office and resource centres. Mr. Solomon Engedu, a Communications Assistant at the AU, informed me that Buildings A, B and C as well as the Rotunda have been in existence from the OAU days. “The newest addition to our compound is the AU Conference Centre, which was opened 2003,” he said, adding that in the very near future, the AU will extend its compound. “We are currently building one more building facing the Conference Centre,” he said. When I entered the conference centre, I was welcomed by a high wall filled with the pictures of all the Secretaries-General, some of which include Peter Onu from Nigeria (1983-85), Ide Oumarou from Niger (1985-1989) and Dr. Salim Ahmed Salim from Tanzania (1989-2001). It is in this building that the main conference Hall is located as well as some Committee Rooms. The office of the Secretary General, which used to be located in the Rotunda building, has been moved to this building since its inception in 2003.
I was fortunate enough to enter the main conference centre where a meeting about to take place. At the front of this large room stand all the member states’ flags, 53 in total. Delegates from all countries were taking their seats for this Permanent Representatives Meeting that was about to take place. I casually asked Mr. Engedu if the current Secretary-General is usually to be seen on the ground. “It is hard to find him out walking in the compound,” he said. He briefly reminisced about the days when Dr. Salim Ahmed Salim was the Secretary General; “He used to walk everywhere, a very friendly and outgoing man,” he said as he smiled.
As I made my way from building to building, not only did I see many people dressed in colourful attire signifying the different nations of Africa, but I also heard numerous languages echoing in the hallways, mainly English and French. I was soon told that the main languages used at the AU are English, French, Arabic and Portuguese; all African countries have adopted at least one of these main languages as their official languages, hence their usage in this Union. Interestingly, the AU promotes the use of African languages in its official work. In fact, the language of Swahili has also been added as an official language of the AU. On my way out of the compound, I came across the symbolic emblem of the African Union. The emblem comprises of a gold ribbon which has interlocking red rings. From these rings, palm leaves shoot up around an outer gold circle and an inner green circle; within this circle lays a gold representation of the continent of Africa. I learned that the red interlinked rings represent the African solidarity and the blood that was shed for the liberation of Africa. While the shooting palm leaves represent peace and the gold represents the wealth and bright future of Africa, the green represents the African hopes and aspirations. What is interesting about this emblem is the way in which African unity is symbolized, through the silhouette of Africa that is drawn with no internal borders.
The AU symbolizes unity in Africa; political and economical integration which is necessary for the future of Africa and the development of this vast continent. But one thing needs to be kept in mind. With the AU in its developmental stage, Africans should not expect the AU to solve all the problems of African states. I think that individual states should still be accountable to their own domestic problems to a great extent. As time goes on, the AU needs to not only tackle the major challenges that face Africa, such as diseases and the HIV/AIDS endemic, as well as address issues that will facilitate unity in the continent. For example, currently, many Africans need visas to travel to other African countries. If Africans move freely within the continent, this can be a contributing factor in developing the continent economically and socially.
To many Africans, the AU not only symbolizes unity but political stability. Not only does the AU interfere in the affairs of African countries, especially when wars and genocide is concerned, but it also provides an arena which allows for all kinds of initiatives to take place; initiatives to develop Africa, politically, socially, economically and culturally. Many Africans are hopeful that through the AU and with far sighted leadership, Africa can confidently exploit its resources to address development challenges such as eradicating illiteracy and diseases, HIV/AIDS being first in line, to ensure the healthy lives of its citizens.