The Final Call

The Birth of the African Union

By the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan | Last updated: Jul 24, 2001 - 9:56:00 AM

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In The Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful.

The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan

I, my son and Supreme Captain, Mustapha Farrakhan, Akbar Muhammad, Sultan Muhammad, and my daughter and nurse, Fatima Farrakhan Muhammad were among those who were blessed to be present at the end of the 38 years of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), and, to witness the beginning or the birth of the African Union toward the ultimate United States of Africa. Many great things have come to birth from very humble beginnings. The most notable was Jesus, the Christ, who came to birth in a lowly ox stall or manger. Likewise, the African Union came to birth in a very humble place in Africa, the beautiful country of Zambia, under the leadership of President Frederick Chiluba. Zambia is a country suffering from immense poverty, unemployment, health issues, economic, political and social turbulence, yet, in this humble and beautiful country the African Union was born.

If these tribal, ethnic, religious and racial realities in the Nations of Africa become unstable and these divisions are exploited by outside forces, it can have the affect of an earthquake, which topples powerful buildings. Likewise, these frail political realities can come tumbling down. There is an answer and solution to these problems of ethnic, tribal, religious and racial differences that are found in the scriptures, in both Bible and Qur'an.

I, personally, felt blessed to witness both a sunset and a sunrise. The setting sun gives us pause to reflect on the activity of the day; the mistakes, errors and accomplishments that we might make the next day better. Sunrise offers us the hope that the new day will be better than the past day if we learned the lesson of yesterday. The sunset of the OAU, after 38 years, gives Africa much to reflect on its successes and failures; and, the sunrise of the African Union gives us much hope if we are able to learn from the mistakes of the past in order that we might make a bright future for Africa.

Human beings have been coming to birth on this earth for untold billions and even trillions of years, yet, of the many billions of human beings who have occupied this earth, history has recorded only a few. In the history of the last 6,000 years only those who have done the very best and the very worst have had their names etched in history that we might study their lives, successes and failures. Very few human beings have embraced immortality. We come to birth; we live; we die, and, we lie forgotten in the sands of time, but, I saw 41 Heads of State who were present and other Heads of State who were absent who had a chance to touch immortality by becoming the Founding Fathers of a New Africa where the whole Continent can become one Great Nation, a Super Power in the 21st Century.

Much had to be overcome for these Heads of State and Government to reach this level of maturity to be able to see the bigger picture, which is that Africa cannot survive in the present era of globalization if she remains as she was, a loosely united group of nations in a loosely united organization of African Unity. Africa can only survive if the present leaders recognize that it is better to be the tail of something than the head of nothing. A United Africa would ensure that all of the sons and daughters of Africa on the African Continent could be educated, cultivated and developed to bring about not only a renaissance in Africa, but, throughout the world. This forming of an African Union, spearheaded by Libyan Leader Muammar Gadhafi was a great and marvelous step in the right direction. A step applauded by all of the sons and daughters of Africa in the Western Hemisphere who have been made aware of this new and wonderful, potentially powerful and magnificent development.

The western media, so upset at the thought of an African Union, has not seen fit to make it news worthy to the nearly 200 million sons and daughters of Africa living in the Western Hemisphere. This teaches us that the owners of the western media, and, the powerful governments they represent, do not desire to see the success of the African Union. This is a time of great danger for the idea of African Unity. Although it is an idea whose time has come, it can be no stronger than the will and determination of the African Leaders to make it a reality. The best time to destroy any idea, plan or organization is in its infancy. So, the African Union is now in the time of its greatest danger. The Western Powers are sifting the African Leaders to find those who still have selfish and vain ideas in their hearts and minds that they might be pulled away from the idea of the African Union.

Jesus said to Peter, “The devil desires you that he may sift you as wheat.” The Western Powers are sifting the African Leaders for character flaws and weaknesses that might be exploited to weaken the idea, the effectiveness, and, even break the will of those whose desire is to make the African Union a success. Muammar Gadhafi, the Great Leader of the Al-Fatah Revolution, and, the man who is responsible for pioneering the efforts of the African Union, invited me, and, members of the Nation of Islam to witness this historic event.

In my Friendship Tour of Africa, several years ago, in every African State that I visited, I spoke of and encouraged Africans to think of a United States of Africa. In a private meeting with Muammar Gadhafi in Zambia, he said to me, “The idea of African unity did not start in Africa. It started in America from the Blacks of the Western Hemisphere, mainly the Caribbean and the United States.” He said that “since the idea started from the Blacks, the sons and daughters of Africa in the Western Hemisphere, this African Union must be fostered by Blacks in the Diaspora, and the Leaders of Africa must be encouraged and even morally pressured that they may understand that they are on a right course and that they must stay this course until it is successfully established.”

To this end, Libyan Leader Muammar Gadhafi encouraged the Host President, Frederick Chiluba and others to allow Louis Farrakhan to speak and represent the Blacks of the Western Hemisphere. Unfortunately, that request was not honored.

Some 36 years ago, Malcolm X had prepared a speech to address the OAU. There were some African Leaders who desired him to speak, but, there were others who feared that he might say something that would anger the Western Powers and damage their credibility, particularly with England, France and America. Unfortunately, that same fear exists today.

The African Leaders have a great responsibility. Though many of these Leaders are former military men who fought in the liberation struggle for their people, now each of these Leaders must become a teacher of profound magnitude in order for the African Union to become a reality. Each leader and teacher must recognize that their frail political reality is based upon a tribal, ethnic, religious and racial reality that can become very unstable.

If these tribal, ethnic, religious and racial realities in the Nations of Africa become unstable and these divisions are exploited by outside forces, it can have the affect of an earthquake, which topples powerful buildings. Likewise, these frail political realities can come tumbling down. There is an answer and solution to these problems of ethnic, tribal, religious and racial differences that are found in the scriptures, in both Bible and Qur’an. If the Leaders are unaware of these solutions, and/or, ignorant of how to utilize these solutions that have already been given to these problems, then, the African Union and its success is as far away from us as we are far away from understanding the solutions to these problems that are already given in the Wise Revelations of Allah (God) through the mouths of His Prophets.

We hope to inform all of those in the West, who love Africa, of the need for us in the West to form a united front to encourage the bold step that these Leaders have taken, and, to discourage the political intervention of enemies and their deceitful ideas that are designed to destroy the birth of the infant African Union. No matter what we as Black people accomplish in the many countries of the Western Hemisphere in which we live, if Africa is weak, divided, under-developed, and unhealthy, then, our accomplishments are minimized; but, if Africa becomes strong, healthy, united, developed and powerful, no matter where the sons and daughters of Africa are anywhere on this earth we too will bask in the light of Africa’s successful development.

There are many Chinese in the Western Hemisphere who are not communist, but, the revolution that brought Mao Tse Tung into power made China a World Power. Every Chinese person on this earth, whether communist or not, wears their Chinese heritage with pride. This same pride and joy will come to every son and daughter of Africa when our beloved Africa is united, free and fully developed.

May Allah (God) bless the Leaders of the African Continent. May He bless Brother Muammar Gadhafi that he will not be discouraged in pursuing the idea of the United States of Africa to its ultimate conclusion, and, may Allah (God) bless the sons and daughters of Africa to form a united front wherever we are found to encourage the African Union to ultimately become the United States of Africa.

Thank you for reading these few words.

Related link:

The African Union (Official Site)

Birth of African Union (FCN Coverage, 07-14-2002)