Seminar on the theme "pan-africanism and african renaissance": statement by Carlos Lopes UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ECA

The twenty-fifth of May 1963 was a truly momentous day in Africa. It certainly marked the establishment of the Organization of African Unity but there is much more than symbolism to this date. It was the culmination of over a century of Pan-Africanist struggle to assert the dignity of the African peoples. It showcased the desire of unity by the African people and their desire to overcome the balkanization of the continent. It was a repudiation of negative stereotypes and racialist interpretations of African history. Indeed, it underscored the common commitment of Africans to achieve freedom and end decolonization and apartheid on the African continent. The establishment of the OAU was about Africans taking pride in the continent.