The amiable senior private secretary to the president cum sworn life time Pan-Africanist David Mafabi faced rough times at the Africa day celebrations last Friday at Fairway Hotel for trying to describe his master Museveni as one of the greatest Pan-Africanist the continent was endowed with!
Lukyamuzi, who refused to seat at the high table with Mafabi and team, sat in the audience with the university students with whom he shared bites and drinks. As soon as Mr.Mafabi finished presenting his 19 paged paper about Pan-Africanism,in which he also hailed his president Museveni’s efforts to foster Pan-Africanism principles, Likyamuzi picked the mic.and told Mafabi and the audience that President Museveni had already un-done all the good deeds that had qualified him as a new ‘breed’ of African leaders. “I’m sending you, go and tell him (M7) that he no longer has any morrow authority to be called a Pan-Africanist when he has committed grave human rights violations against his own fellow Africans. He has also systematically handed over our economy to IMF/world bank, the very colonial masters our fore fathers shed blood to expel from Africa, what are you talking about?” The former Rubaga South Mp and current CP president argued that Pan-Africanism in Uganda was on the decline due to many factors but mainly political Governance.
25th of every May since 1963 is celebrated across Africa and the world to mark the day when Africa broke the chains of colonialism to foster selfrule. In Uganda it was celebrated last Friday on 26th at Fairway Hotel.The event was organized by The Pan-African Pyramid and Levyn Africa.
Other notable Pan-African speakers included George Alenyo the Author- ‘Tonny Blood-Deal in the Desert’ who also though not entirely, agreed with mr.Mafabi on Museveni’s Pan-African credentials and his contribution. (https://www.fi-di.com/)
Miss Uganda 2016/2017, Leah Kagasa who graced the event lead the candle lighting session to celebrate African Beauty and used the occasion to drum up support for girl child and women empowerment. “Africa is home to Beauty,Africa is home to civilization, we gave birth to the rest of the continents, we are the genesis of life and civilization, if you don’t agree with me,then re-read the history” Kagasa lectured amid ululation from the young University audience from Kyambogo, Nkumba,Makerere and the Mengo based Crane media Institute.
South African based Ugandan Levyn Africa CEO Evelyn Bright called on all African women to come out and claim ‘their’ deserved positions of leadership in society. “Throw anything to a woman,she will multiply it is seconds, put a woman anywhere in leadership places, she will work for the good of family and society. Women have magic hands that can turn around things in record time,we are blessed, because we’re the ones who give birth to new lives” Bright said
Representing the Pan-African movement Uganda chapter Chairman and NRM Vice C/M Eastern region, Capt Mike Mukula, Mafabi saluted the Heroes, Heroines, and Martyrs of the African peoples’ liberation struggle, saying African liberation struggles are very much alive, and very much continually victorious.
“We, the African people are here. We are Egypt. We are Sudan. We are Nubia. We are Kush. We are Ethiopia. There is no book of antiquity in which we are not mentioned. We are the pre-history, history and future of humankind. We are humankind. We are Africa.”
He said Africa gave life to the planet Earth because millions of years ago human life started in Africa-the Nile Valley-hence Africa gave civilization to the planet Earth.
“It gave humanity the use of fire a million and half to two million years ago. It is the home of the first tools, astronomy, jewelry, fishing, mathematics, crops, art, use of pigments, cutting and other pointed instruments and animal domestication,” he said, citing ancient Egyptian civilization.
Mafabi castigated imperialism, neo-colonialism and contemporary globalisation, mercantilist capital to imperialism, discussed globalisation and the crisis of the post-colonial African state:
In 2000, International Monetary Fund [IMF] identified four basic aspects of globalization: trade and transactions, capital and investment movements, migration and movement of people, dissemination of knowledge and technology.
Mafabi also tackled regional integration saying it serves mainly three purposes; promoting the development of the integrating states.
“The idea is that the pooling of the human and material resources- with the attendant economies of scale – of integrating states, would accelerate their development.”
Secondly, he cited the building (and related to the immediately foregoing) the competitiveness of the integrating states in the global economy.
He furthered cited building strategic research capabilities, as well as consolidating collective defence and security with formidable militaries, advanced weaponry and delivery systems.
“Imposing good internal democratic behavior on member states. The Constitutive Act of the African Union, in this connection, imposes certain extra-national and Pan Africanist standards of behavior, with attendant sanctions,” he said.
The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of 6 Partner States: the Republics of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, the United Republic of Tanzania, and the Republic of Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania. Somalia should join next.
Mafabi says EAC is home to some 150 million citizens, of which 22% is urban population.
“With a land area of 1.82 million square kilometers and a combined Gross Domestic Product of US$ 150 billion (EAC Statistics for 2015), its realisation bears great strategic and geopolitical significance and prospects for the renewed and reinvigorated EAC.”
