"...nationalism is narrow in its application. It works within the geopolitical framework produced by the colonial powers which culminated in the carve-up agreed upon in 1884 at the Berlin Conference, where today's political maps of Africa were drawn."
"The various peoples of Africa cannot be, and historically never have been, confined within rigid frontiers sealing off territories labelled "Nigeria", "Togo", "Senegal", and so on. The natural movements of the African peoples and of their societies have from time immemorial swept along extensive axes as for example from the Nile to the Congo, from Senegal to the Niger, and from the Congo to the Zambesi" "The African "nations" of today, created artificially by foreigners for their own purposes, neither originated from ancient African civilisation, nor do they fit in with our African way of life or habits of exchange. They are not even, for the most part, economically viable. Yet they continue to struggle on, each one separately, in a pathetic and hopeless attempt to make progress, while the real obstacle to their development, imperialism, mainly in the neo-colonialist stage is operating on a Pan-African scale. Already, huge zones of Africa have been integrated economically in the exclusive interest of international finance capital. A study of the organisation and workings of most of the large trading firms, mining trusts and industrial cartels operating in Africa shows that they all function directly or indirectly on a continental scale. Many of them form part of a general network spreading over several continents." "This monopolistic system of exploitation is the direct outcome of prolonged capitalist practice, the experience being that extended and unified industrial, commercial or mining units are less costly to maintain, are more efficient, and produce higher profits." "It is time that we also planned our economic and political development on a continental scale. The concept of African unity embraces the fundamental needs and characteristics of African civilisation and ideology, and at the same time satisfies all the conditions necessary for an accelerated economic and technological advance. Such maximum development would ensure a rational utilisation of the material resources and human potential of our continent along the lines of an integrated economy, and within complementary sectors of production, eliminating all unnecessary forms of competition, economic alienation and duplication. The idea is not to destroy or dismantle the network of foreign mining complexes and industrial companies throughout Africa, but to take them over and operate them in the SOLE interest of the African peoples." Kwame Nkrumah, "Handbook of Revolutionary Warfare", pages 25-6 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ``However, when any Zimbabwean, any African, says to me land is a key issue. . . the early colonizers were all about taking land... " Jack Straw, UK Foreign Secretary "Britain Official Angers Critics", Sue Leeman "Europe is a bag of tricks about this at the moment. "It's a conspiracy from France and the EU to lock Africa into poverty, and at the same time Europe preaches free trade..." Clare Short, UK International Develompent Secretary "France hits back at Short's blast", Daily Telegraph AFRICA MUST UNITE!
