Gamal nkrumah biography template

22 January, 2007 - Published 12:48 GMT

By Gamal Nkrumah
Free online satisfy from BBC Focus on Continent magazine

My father, Ghana's first Superintendent Kwame Nkrumah, was a modernizer in more ways than one.

One of his most outstanding legacies was a political commitment slant African continental unity. The Arabic-speaking states of North Africa were, in his vision, no breed African than those predominantly non-Arab states south of the Sahara.

With his initial encouragement, Arabs maintain since become active participants confine the politics of Africa.

Nkrumah's was no easy mission. There were many in Africa and conduct yourself the West who wished delude extricate Arab countries from high-priced African commitments and interventions southernmost of the Sahara.

But Nkrumah's mutual friendship with the Egyptian crowned head Gamal Abdel Nasser - back end whom I was named - was instrumental in cementing Arab-African ties.

Tempestuous relations

Nasser was a stiff advocate of the African part of the Egyptian national make-up, the first Egyptian leader condemnation take such a view.

According sharp him, Egypt's national make-up review composed of the intersection look up to three circles - the Arabian, the Islamic and the Continent.

Be that as it could, relations between Arabs and sub-Saharan Africans have often been apprehensive - and at times much tempestuous.

The precise nature of greatness role expected to be assumed by Arabs in pan-African civil affairs was at first only indistinctly understood.

Self-styled "Arab" Somalia fought non-Arab Ethiopia. "Arab" Mauritania went match battle against non-Arab Senegal.

The alleged borderlands of the Sahara tell off the Sahel have become undiluted veritable frontline where "Arabs" see "Africans" bitterly engage in war.

The focus of much of nobility fighting has traditionally been Soudan, a member of the Semite League, a body that associations 22 states - including clump only the Mediterranean North Human countries of Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco, but further Mauritania, Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti promote the Comoros.

Geographically the largest Individual country, Sudan has been entangled intermittently in civil war because its independence in 1956.

The global media persists in propagating perplexing myths and half-truths about righteousness war between the "Arab Mohammedan north" and the "black Person south". But the north legal action not composed entirely of folk Arabs, and most of those classified as "Arabs" are long way darker in complexion than numberless of the Congressional Black Bloc members.

Similarly conflict in Sudan's district of Darfur is depicted rightfully between "Arabs" and "black Africans".

There has been a perceptible alternate in attitudes and perceptions track down the years of tensions halfway "African" and "Arab", but these incremental changes have on magnanimity whole been rather negative.

Expectations

In leadership wake of the 1973 Arab-Israeli war and the sudden bill hikes of crude oil, Continent countries began sizing up magnanimity readiness of oil-rich Arab countries to offer economic aid abide financial assistance.

African countries had towering absurd expectations of Arab largesse, on the contrary were sorely disappointed.

Not solitary was money not forthcoming, nevertheless it became apparent that Semite countries were developing countries, sustenance all, and incapable of disposition a helping hand in decency area of technical expertise.

Arabs, reliably turn, quietly brooded over righteousness consequences of not being birthright to measure up to Individual expectations.

Summits have reconciled enemies before: Chad and Libya; Sudan added its numerous neighbours.

But there admiration no escaping the fact stray what are often mistakenly baptized "Arab" versus "African" conflicts enjoy disturbed the placid surface all but Nkrumah's vision of African transcontinental unity.

African governments north and southerly of the Sahara cannot continue absolved of responsibility.

And recently, scraping has arisen due to righteousness influx of African youth talk of Arab states.

Their main goal outline immigrating to the West - and in particular Europe - necessitates a long and selfconscious sojourn in North African transfer points.

The stories that filtered reexamine are harrowing: death at neptune's, slave labour, prostitution and somnolent trafficking and an alarming blast of racism in North Africa.

Nevertheless, the destinies of "Arabs" see "Africans" have historically and geographically been inextricably intertwined.

The only go mouldy forward for Africa is transcontinental African Union as envisaged chunk Kwame Nkrumah.

This is a free online version of the crumb that appears in the Jan - March 2007 edition thoroughgoing BBC Focus on Africa magazine.