Organically, before the criminal Berlin Conference 1884, Kenya, Somalia, and other regional countries were united entities. People in Wajir and other areas felt they were in one big country known as Africa but not two countries of Kenya and Somalia that the said conference concocted to avert criminal colonisers to fight among themselves over Africa. The mistrust and looming conflict over land and sea did not exist and no infringement on their natural freedom of movement and cooperation existed them. They did not know that they were the citizens of two different countries. They were just Africans in their big country known as Africa. However, they had their organic nationalities which the West branded tribes. That is why Somalis on both sides of the border still regard themselves as one Somali people. Similarly, the Swahili on Lunga lunga-Horohoro border felt the same.
Recent ruling on maritime conflict between Kenya and Somalia speaks loudly to this coloniality and its immensity on Africa’s peace and wellbeing. A court in Europe sat down and decided the issue that is far away from it as if Africa is still a colony. If Africa wants to solve its own local problems with local solution, why can’t it form its own organ to look into its affairs such as this? Africa needs to do away with fake internationalism that protects colonial interests of the West. The decision the International Court of Justice (ICJ) handed down is totally colonial and out of jurisdiction. It must be historical for Africa negatively in that it sent the two countries to the drawing board as far as independence and the unification of Africa are concerned–––as the only vehicles that can rescue Africa from colonial division and partition.
Back to the Berlin Conference as the good source of Africa’s conflicts, none the less, soon after Africa was brutally and destructively chopped, divided, and partitioned into feeble and fickle countries, there’s born the modern weak and ever-dependent states as colonial tools intended to divide, exploit, and weaken Africans perpetually. These artificial nation states were tied to the Peace Treaty of Westphalia (1648) as if they were European who conceived and promulgated and internationalized this colonial and obnoxious idea. By extension, they were, and they still are.
Fortunately, in the 60s, African countries became independent, however covertly controlled, and divided up until now. Ever since, these states have done nothing but furthering, internalising and reinforcing colonialism by maintaining colonial divisions under the Peace of Westphalia which ushered in modern-time colonial sovereignty. However, some efforts were made to reunite Africa as championed by the likes of Julius Nyerere (Tanzania) Jomo Kenyatta (Kenya) Kwame Nkrumah and many more whose dream was felled due to myopia and negativity individuality, not to mention narrow interests that resulted in pointless wrangles for the peril of Africa.
To make matters worse, those who took over from the founders became even more myopic and sedentary ducks the West exploited even more than the founders. In a simple parlance, African leaders failed to reunify Africa for the fears of losing their morsels they exploit by being in the statehouses behaving exactly like those they booted out. The results of that are that sister colonial African countries are fighting over borders as if they are from different continent or planets while they are one.
Despite the malice and malady vis-à-vis reunifying Africa, the East Africa’s not left out of the efforts to reunite Africa as a whole or regionally. It embarked on the unification of the region giving birth to the East African Community (EAC I 1967-1977). Thanks to colonial carryovers, the intended unity of Africa remained ceremonial under the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and later the African Unity (AU).
Therefore, the move that EAC took was an antithesis and a challenge to the rest of Africa that refused to be reunited. However, there were other unions of federations such as Senegal-Gambia or Senegambia (1982-1989) and the Economic Commission of West African States (1975 to present) among notable ones. The long story short, I’ll address a few reasons why the EAC and Africa must shake off their colonial hangover; and thereby embark on true expiatory measures as they revolve around reunification of the region as follows:
First, reunifying the region means returning to its organic formula, which gave it and Africa the edge and clout of living without necessarily depending on handouts from rich country as it currently is after being colonised in the 18th Century; thereby ushering in dependency, exploitation and imperialism that saw Africa become the backwater of the world to exploit as pleased.
Secondly, practical reunification of region will create many economic, political, and social harmony and opportunities such as interdependence, interconnectedness peaceability, power, prosperity and above all, unity as a tool for strength. We–––inevitably and out of necessity–––need each other even if we don't like each other. Kenya and Somalia need not to fight over fish, oil, or waters but, instead, needs to come to roundtable and sort out colonially ingested and injected toxin.
Thirdly, the reunification of the region will enable it and Africa in general to assert its power globally not to mention increasing security and good use of resources instead of fighting over them. Reunited EAC and Africa won’t have wrangling countries, which their former colonial masters use as devices of exploiting them. For example, going before the ICJ was a miscalculated move under the theory of decolonization of Africa. Africa had its customary laws governing land and borders. That’s why it was peaceful up until it was colonized.
Fourth, oft-border misunderstandings and squabbles will never bother neighbours. Instead, the united Africa will easily and swiftly allow and thereby allow people and African countries in the one mega-country known as Africa or the EAC to do business among themselves compared to how they do it with non-African countries not to mention cooperatively and harmoniously share and use their resources. Thanks to neocoloniality, many African countries are at home with doing business with foreigners as they shy away from their sister countries aka neighbours. Again, Swahili sage has it that you can choose a friend[s] but not a neighbour[s]. This means that our interconnectedness is organic and inevitable, whether we like it or not.
Fifth, the reunification of the region, and later, Africa will increase production as a motivation by which Africa will grow economically due to the fact that, instead of importing goods or solutions from afar, Africa will have an internal supply of some goods and solutions it imports from abroad. So, too, it’ll cut the cost of running business and production not to mention environmental degradation from the machinery used to transport goods so as to enhance good prices for the products produced and traded within Africa.
Similarly, by having one united country, there won’t be any many presidents, armies, immigration offices and the likes. A united Africa or the EAC will produce what it needs first and thereby satisfactorily feed its people.
In sum, the major question Africa needs to ask and rightly answer is: why has African become more dependent that before it was colonised? Is this the sort of freedom our ancestors died fight for really? Why, for instance, border issues in Africa are sent to Europe to be adjudicated as if Africa did not have its own natural mechanisms or addressing and arresting such matters. Africa needs to reunite and stop crying like a baby while it’s what it takes as it used to be. Africa reunite or perish.
Source: Daily Monitor today.
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