The Sunday Mail
Online Reporter
TODAY, the continent is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and its successor, the African Union (AU).
In a statement on its website, the AU said the celebration is an opportunity to recognise the role and contribution of the founders of the continental organisation.
“It is an opportunity to share the information, knowledge and best practices of the past and to encourage each other to take on the vision of the AU, as well as to drive the realisation of the “Africa We Want”, under Agenda 2063.
“It is also an opportune moment for the African Union to reflect on the spirit of pan-Africanism, which connects the past to the present and to the continent’s aspirations for the future,” reads part of the statement.
May 25 1963 was the day that 32 Heads of independent African States – including Zimbabwe – met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia along with leaders from African liberation movements to craft a way forward for Africa’s complete independence from imperialism, colonialism and apartheid.
The outcome of the meeting was the creation of Africa’s first post-independence continental institution, the Organisation of African Unity (OAU).
The chairperson of the AU Commission (AUC), Moussa Faki Mahamat is expected to give a statement today.
There will also be a session to honour the OAU founders, a group photograph, planting of trees to mark the 60th anniversary, exhibitions, and lunch featuring dishes from the five regions of Africa.
The commemorative event will bring together, among others, representatives from the AU member states, the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC), the African Union Commission, AU Organs and AU specialised agencies, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), women and youth representatives, and civil society organisations.
Other participants include: development partners, United Nations (UN) agencies, diaspora representatives, media representatives, and staff members of the AU and their families.
