NELSON MANDELA AND PAN AFRICANISM

President Obama recently remarked  ... "And what Nelson Mandela also stood for is that the well-being of the country is more important than the interests of any one person," Obama continued. "George Washington is admired because after two terms he said enough, I'm going back to being a citizen. There were no term limits, but he said I'm a citizen. I served my time. And it's time for the next person, because that's what democracy is about. And Mandela similarly was able to recognize that, despite how revered he was, that part of this transition process was greater than one person."

While we mostly get what Obama was saying, the analogy by using George Washington was akin to putting your "foot in your mouth" because George Washington, the first President of the United States, was a slave owner for practically all of his life.

It's always tricky business when Americans praise Nelson Mandela, the most famous of all nationalist African leaders.  You have to be careful not to put your "foot in your mouth" or show ignorance about what Nelson Mandela really stood for, and his embrace of Pan Africanism.  Most folks don't even know what  Pan Africanism is or its history.

 

Pan Africanism: 

"Initially an anti-slavery and anti-colonial movement amongst black people of Africa and the Diaspora in the late nineteenth century, the aims of Pan-Africanism have evolved through the ensuing decades.

Pan-Africanism has covered calls for African unity (both as a continent and as a people), nationalism, independence, political and economic cooperation, and historical and cultural awareness (especially for Afrocentric versus Eurocentric interpretations)."

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Of Interest - Welcome Home:

Steve Harvey, in comical fashion, talked about his visit to Africa, and how he was greeted.  African Americans are often welcomed home (when they visit Africa) ... Africa is the ancestral home to many.

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Related:


Keep up with current news on Mandela HERE

Don't Miss the Pan African Film Festival (July 18 - July 20, 2013)



Nelson Mandela (biography)



Who is Nelson Mandela? Video



Pan Africanism (Wikipedia) 



African Union 



 Pan-Africanism for a New Generation.-Professor Horace Campbell Part 1 (VIDEO)

VIDEO 2 

VIDEO 3  

VIDEO 4



What is Pan-Africanism? by Alistair Boddy-Evans



Pan Africanism Today



The African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean World



 
(1962) Nelson Mandela, "Address at the Conference of the Pan-African Freedom Movement of East and Central Africa”




Nelson Mandela: Obama praises his vision of equality and opportunity  July 1, 2013



Up to Mandela’s Legacy: ‘The World Will Be Watching What You Do’ by Mary Bruce, June 30, 2013


Obama Compares Nelson Mandela to George Washington by Jonathan Karl, June 29, 2013



George Washington and Slavery



Pan Africanist Congress (PAC)



African American & African Studies at UC Davis