At the opening ceremony of the highly anticipated Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC) 2024, Kenya’s Former Prime minister Rt Hon, Raila Odinga and an aspirant for the African Union Commission Chairmanship took the stage to deliver a rousing speech emphasizing on African unity and cultural renaissance.
“It is a great pleasure to join so many Africans from across the continent and the world to celebrate Africa and its culture,” Odinga began, has he warmly welcomed attendees from around the globe to Kisumu, which he described as the “cradle of humankind” and a beacon of cultural heritage.
He extended his heartfelt congratulations to Kisumu City for hosting the festival, and expressed gratitude to the organizers for curating an event that celebrates African culture. “We are here to celebrate African culture as expressed in food, music, stories, dances, business, fashion, and sports, among others,” he said.
The former Prime Minister talked of the alignment of FESTAC with Aspiration 5 of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, which envisions an Africa with a strong cultural identity and Pan-Africanism. However, he said the continent’s lack of investment in the creative industries and its failure to harness culture as a tool for unity. “We have not used the industry as we should, to unite our people and integrate the continent,” he stated
He said “At events like this, we reaffirm what we often take for granted that Africans are one people,” Despite Africa’s near-uniformity in culture and beliefs, he expressed concern that the continent remains deeply divided.
He decried the lingering colonial-era divisions of Anglophone, Francophone, and Lusophone Africa, which continue to shape modern-day politics and economics. “It is a pity that over 60 years since most of our countries attained independence, we are still divided by the languages our colonial masters imposed on us,” he said.
For the AU Chairmanship aspirations, he outlined his vision for Africa’s future. He committed to working toward a continental federation or union to overcome national divisions and realize Africa’s full potential. “Escalated unity is the way to go. The cultural ties that bind us is a great starting point on the path to unity,” he stated.
He called for the liberation of Africa from its own fears that have hampered intra-African trade, travel, and development for decades. He cited the Continent’s founding fathers, including Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere and Nelson Mandela, as proponents of pan-African unity and integration. He particularly highlighted Nkrumah’s vision of a union government for Africa and Nyerere’s dream of a federated East African state.
He reiterated the notion that the outside world sees Africans first and foremost by their Africanness. In urging the audience to focus on strengthening Africa’s global identity he said “If we are Africans and are recognized as such, why not build on the brand?”.
He also emphasized on the role of African integration, calling for greater investments in continental trade, open skies, open visa policies, quality education and infrastructure development.
He concluded by reaffirming the importance of the creative industries as a means of binding the continent together. Quoting Julius Nyerere he said “Unity will not make us rich, but it can make it difficult for Africa and the African peoples to be disregarded and humiliated,” reinforcing his call for a renewed focus on African unity. He expressed his hope that the festival will inspire attendees to return home with a renewed determination to pursue the objective of African unity with the vigour and commitment it deserves.