By Spy Uganda
The Pan African Pyramid (PAP) 26th August 2022 held its fifth edition of the Pan- African Pyramid Global Awards also commonly as PAP Global Awards at Fairway Hotel, attracting hundreds of Pan-Africanists to celebrate their forefathers.
Delivering his speech, PAP founding speaker Andrew Irumba Katusabe heaped praise on the late; Kajabago Karusoke, former Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanya and Gen.Elly Tumwine for initiating him into Pan Africanism.
”Whenever I was with Prof.Kajabago Karusoke, he would tell me that if I carry his aspirations, he would never die, he would only take a nap and rest,” said Irumba.
He noted that after Tumwine, Oulanyah and Kajabago instilled Pan Africanism in him, Dr.Kihura Nkuba played a fundamental role of teaching him how he can contribute to Pan Africanism that was started by his forefathers.
Below Is PAP Speaker Irumba’s Full Speech
”Our Chief Guest, the Rt.Hon. Anita Annet Among, the Speaker of the 11th Parliament of the Republic of
Uganda, ably being represented by………
The Honourable Alex Ruhunda MP Fort Portal City, who is also our Patron and Chairman Board of trustees, Mr Vinay Dawda–Managing Director Charms (U) Ltd and Kikuubo online, a conglomerate of House of Dawda (U) and House of Dawda (Kenya). Distinguished leaders in various capacities, fellow Pan–Africanists, ladies and gentlemen. All protocols were observed.
Our forefathers in Pan–Africanism knew we would have issues with protocols, so they made it very simple; they told us to say….comrades. That would mean all the above categories and those I have not even mentioned. I welcome you to the 5th PAP GLOBAL AWARDS 2022 & 9th Anniversary Dinner.
BRIEF INTRODUCTION: WHO WE ARE:
THE PAN–AFRICAN PYRAMID is an intellectual non–partisan discussion forum built on the Pillars of PAN–AFRICANISM, PATRIOTISM and NATIONALISM whose Ideal/pre–occupation is to REVIVE intellectual discourse among the youths with a bias of re–constructing our lost Pan–Africanism, patriotism and Nationalism Values and spirit. We are a non–profit, non–racist organization fully registered under the laws of Uganda on 14th July 2016.
In one of his popular quotes, the late Chinua Achebe once said: “A man who calls his kinsmen to a feast, does not do so to save them from starving. They all have food in their own homes. When we gather together in the moonlight village ground, it is not because of the moon. Every man can see it in his own compound. We come together because it is good for kinsmen to do so”.
We’re gathered here tonight, not because you couldn’t gather somewhere else, but because we have a cause that necessitated us to gather in this place, at this time. That’s Pan–Africanism.
We’re gathered here to remember the selfless sacrifices of our forefathers, who left their comfort zones for your sake. But as we remember them, we also use the same opportunity to remind ourselves that it’s not yet time to relax, because you we also have our own journey to walk and pass on the button like our ancestors did to us. Maybe we wouldn’t have been here, if great people like Martin Luther King Jr, Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, Joseph Robert Love, Anténor Firmin, George Padmore, C.L.R. James, Léopold Senghor, Aimé Césaire, William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, Cheikh Anta Diop, Toussaint Louverture, Jean–Jacques Dessalines, Haile Selassie, Julius Nyerere, Robert Sobukwe, Ahmed Sékou Touré, Kwame Nkrumah, King Sobhuza II, Robert Mugabe, Thomas Sankara, Kwame Ture, Kwame Nkrumah, Muammar Gaddafi, Jomo Kenyatta, Omukama Kabalega, Kabaka Sir Edward Mutesa among others had the leisure to rest. So we gather here every last week of August to remind ourselves of the task that we have to pass on to the next generation after us. Should we rest, then we shall have nothing to pass on.
Dear comrades, the person speaking before you here was also initiated into Pan–Africanism by the great Pan– Africanists, some of whom have since passed on. On 14/6/2021 during COVID–19, Prof.Kajabago Karusoke passed away, March 20, 2022, Former speaker of Parliament Jackob Oulanya died, Yesterday Thursday 25/August/ 2022, Gen.Elly Tumwine also died. Now Prof.Kajabago, Gen.Tumwine and Dr.Kihura Nkuba are my initiators into Pan–Africanism. They’re my teachers. But we also lost one among the young generation that I had also initiated into Pan–Africanism, Christine Karungi who died on 18/December/ 2021. A moment of silence., So my role as a movement leader who is still living is to keep their aspirations alive. If I do that, then they’re not dead, they’ve simply rested by transitioning into another life. Because their dreams and aspirations are still alive through us. Whenever I was with Prof.Kajabago Karusoke, he would tell me that if I carry his aspirations, he would never die, he would only take a nap and rest.
WHAT IS PAN–AFRICANISM?
Pan–Africanism is an ideology and movement that encourages the solidarity of Africans worldwide. It’s based on the belief that unity is vital to economic, social, and political progress and aims to “unify and uplift” people of African descent. The ideology asserts that the fate of all African peoples and countries are intertwined. At its core Pan–Africanism is “a belief that African peoples, both on the continent and in the diaspora, share not merely a common history, but a common destiny”
The pan–African pyramid is propagating a new Pan–Africanism concept. The new Pan–Africanism need not be based on race, skin and colour, but on IDEOLOGY. It advocates for the unification of Africa by economic development and Trans–African trade, and not by political actors only, but by corporate business entities.
And it’s against this background that this year’s PAP Awards, having coincided with the 50th commemoration anniversary of the expulsion of Asians from Uganda by the late Idi Amin, we’ve dedicated the awards to key leading
Africans–of Asian origin, Industrialists and entrepreneurs who have contributed to the economic development of Uganda and Africa 50yrs later. The Pan–African Pyramid fraternity thinks that Pan–Africanism should have no Correlation with racism. Because racism is an extreme sign of backwardness.
OUR SOCIAL IMPACT & HUMANITARIAN PROGRAMS INCLUDE:
1) Organizing PAP debates at Fairway Hotel every Friday
2) Pan–African Pyramid Global Awards every last week of August
3) Collection and delivery of relief aide to refugees every December (X–Mas with the Refugees)
4) Agriculture and livestock farming
5) Pan–African Marathon
6) Establishment of Pan–African Pyramid School clubs and debates.
7) Small savings and investments
8) Tree planting and natural resource maintenance (environmental protection)
PAP ACHIEVEMENTS:
• In 2016, 2017 and 2018, we mobilized relief aid like clothes, food, scholastic materials etc and delivered them to refugees living in Kiryandongo, Bidi Bidi and Rwamwanja settlement camps respectively (X–Mas With Refugees).
• We are the proud organizers of the now most prestigious annual Pan–African Pyramid Global Awards (PAP GLOBAL AWARDS) that seeks to recognize and appreciate Africans who practice Pan–Africanism in various ways worldwide.
Rt. Hon. Speaker, tonight we take another step. In our next phase which we launch tonight is a journey in that we now want to identify ourselves globally. We’re launching a membership card that enables our members to easily be identified and embraced by all other Pan–African groups and communities globally, for easy networking and social collaborations among others. We want Uganda to be the headquarters for Pan–Africanism with chapters across the globe. Catholics and Muslims identify themselves worldwide; Pan–Africanists can take a leaf. With our membership card, you should be able to feel at home away from your home whether on the African soils or in the diaspora, because we have comrades across the globe.
I want to end by thanking our proud partner sponsors; Fairway Hotel, NBS TV who have since taken on our show that runs every Saturday 4–5pm, TheSpy Uganda for online support, Millenium supermarket and Blue wave. I thank our tireless young staff who’ve made this possible. I can only say thank you. We’re very grateful to each one of who you contributed financially and otherwise to ensure we succeed in organizing the event. Thank you for believing in us always. I thank you.
Africa, Don’t Agonize, Organize!
Andrew Irumba Katusabe
FOUNDING SPEAKER & CHAIRMAN
0782–342317/ 0757–342317
Email: irumba2006@gmail.com”
