From Nkrumah to Marley, Gaddafi to Malema: The Vision Lives On. It Is Time for Africans to Reclaim Their Unity, Dignity, and Destiny.
Julius Malema is a polarizing figure in African politics, but behind the controversies lies an indisputable truth: he is one of the loudest contemporary voices championing Pan-Africanism and the liberation of Black people globally. Whether one agrees with all his methods or not, his dedication to the cause of African unity, justice, and self-determination places him in a lineage of freedom fighters and visionary leaders who have long dreamed of a United States of Africa.
Malema’s prophetic warnings about xenophobia, that hatred toward non-South Africans would eventually mutate into internal tribal conflict are tragically coming to pass. What began as hostility toward immigrants has started to fragment South African society itself, with ethnic groups turning on each other. Today, the fractures between Zulu, Tswana, Xhosa, Tsonga, and others are deepening, revealing a crisis not just of identity, but of vision.
This is not a South African issue alone, it is the echo of a continent grappling with the aftershocks of colonialism.
Kwame Nkrumah: The Prophet of African Unity
Long before the term “African Union” entered the modern political vocabulary, Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah, envisioned a united Africa, politically, economically, and militarily. He believed that without unity, Africa would forever remain a pawn in global geopolitics, a continent rich in resources but poor in control.
“The forces that unite us are intrinsic and greater than the superimposed influences that keep us apart,” Nkrumah once declared.
He saw through the designs of neocolonialism, where foreign powers retain control through economic manipulation and puppet regimes and warned that without unity, African nations would continue to fall one by one to external interests. Nkrumah’s vision was clear: only through continental solidarity could Africa break the chains of dependency.
Gaddafi: The Radical for Continental Sovereignty
Decades later, Muammar Gaddafi of Libya would resurrect this vision, pouring his resources and influence into advocating for a single African government. He envisioned a continent with one passport, one currency, and one military force. His dream was ridiculed by many in the West, but his intentions were unmistakably Pan-African.
Gaddafi supported liberation movements across Africa, from Southern Africa to West Africa. He proposed the African Monetary Fund and African Central Bank as alternatives to the IMF and World Bank, these institutions widely criticized for indebting African countries under the guise of development. While his political style was controversial, his Pan-African legacy is undeniable.
Bob Marley: The Musical Messenger of Unity
Beyond politics, the quest for African unity has echoed in the arts. Bob Marley, the reggae icon, used music to awaken a generation to their roots and responsibilities. In songs like Africa Unite, Zimbabwe, and War, Marley channeled the spirit of liberation, echoing the words of Haile Selassie and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with African revolutionaries.
“Africa unite, ’cause we’re moving right out of Babylon,” Marley sang, a poetic call to break free from mental and political colonization.
His dream was not limited to the continent; it was global. Marley saw the African diaspora in the Caribbean, the Americas, Europe as an integral part of the struggle for dignity and freedom.
The Present Crisis: Voluntary Slavery in the Global South
Today, millions of Africans continue to flee the continent, not from war alone, but from poverty, hopelessness, and failed governance. From Libya’s perilous coasts to detention centres in Europe, to menial labour in the Middle East, a new form of voluntary slavery is taking root.
This tragic Africans’ exodus is not a reflection of Africa’s inability, it is a result of its disunity and misgovernance. A continent that feeds the world and fuels its technology with rare minerals should not have its children drowning in the Mediterranean or being auctioned in modern-day slave markets.
In Unity We Rise
If Africa is to rise, it must rediscover the dream of unity. Not as a theoretical or ceremonial goal, but as a living, breathing project. Unity means shared security, integrated economies, and collective negotiation with global powers. It means standing together against the exploitation of African labour and land.
Malema’s call is like those of Nkrumah, Gaddafi, and Marley before him which is rooted in this belief. He sees tribalism, xenophobia, and self-hate as tools of division wielded by those who benefit from a divided Africa.
Yes, there are problems among us, corruption, criminality, and cultural misunderstandings but no people are without flaws. Condemning entire nations or ethnicities because of the actions of a few only feeds the cycle of division. As with the Igbo people in Nigeria or Somalis in the Horn, every group has both challenges and tremendous potential. We must learn to build, not burn.
I will conclusion by A Call to Conscience
Africa’s future is not written in stone. It is a choice. A united Africa can become a superpower of peace, innovation, and dignity. A divided Africa will remain a resource colony for others and a prison for its people.
Let us honour those who came before us by carrying their dreams forward. Let us listen and not just to the voices we agree with but also to the visionaries like Malema who challenge our comfort zones. Africa will be free, but only when she is one.
“Until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned… there will be war.” By Haile Selassie, echoed by Bob Marley
By Bola Babarinde, South Africa.
