Press Release: African Peoples’ Forum Inspires A New Future
Last updated on Dec 18, 2022
Posted on Dec 18, 2022
On the 11th of December 2022, the No More Movement joined hands with Pan-African organizations and civil-society groups in sponsoring the first gathering of the African Peoples’ Forum to discuss “A Vision for New Africa-U.S. Relations”.
The educational event brought together a smorgasbord of Black and African panelists of diverse backgrounds who spoke to a packed house at the Eritrean Cultural and Civic Center in Washington, DC about US policy failures not only in Africa but also in Black and poor communities in the United States. The panelists also presented imaginative people-centered ways of moving forward in terms of US-Africa relations.
Pan-Africanism was born in the 19th century when African intellectuals, organizers and activists around the world began to organize and advocate for the liberation and self-determination of the African people following enslavement, colonialism and imperialism–a half-millennium of humiliation. The fruits of their labor much later inspired movements that saw Western imperialism retreat from the continent, only to reinvent itself and return in more insidious and menacing forms. Similarly, panelists argued, Pan-Africanism too must now also reinvent itself.
The juxtaposition between the 2022 iterations of US-led Western imperialism and Pan-Africanism is perhaps well-demonstrated by the so-called US-Africa Leaders Summit, which came on the heels of the Forum. While the former excluded the voice of the African commoner and paraded around Africa’s leaders with great pomp and circumstance, the latter was a free event promoting inclusiveness and a diversity of voices from the grassroots advocating for Africa.
Both panelists and attendees, many of which were organizers of the No More Movement, expressed that the Forum was historic and unlike any other they had seen in recent times as it was able to successfully bring together diasporic Africans, Blacks and progressive antiwar activists for a common Pan-African agenda that could advocate for Africans worldwide and help shake the yoke of human exploitation.
There was a collective feeling of inspiration and a desire to hold similar forums in cities around the world in order to create spaces where local Pan-African organizers can find each other, educate each other, share resources and build together. The hope is that these forums, collectively, would comprise a novel Pan-Africanist network that can plug into the broader Global South struggle against Western imperialism.
The organizers of the Forum issued a declaration that was read aloud. They committed to work towards building a Pan-African network; building solidarity with Latin American and Asian movements in the Global South; ending all unilateral coercive measures and killer sanctions; ending politicization and weaponization of human rights and advocating for Africa and Africans.
The declaration was met with great applause. Organizers, including those from No More, could be heard during the dinner reception brainstorming about future local forums in their respective locales. Participants exchanged contact information and organizational information.
The declaration can be read in full on the African Peoples’ Forum website located at https://www.africanpeoplesforum.org. Those interested in getting involved in this budding Pan-African movement are advised to refer to the Forum website for additional information and updates.