Africa must come together as a continent and stop relying on foreign countries for its development, insists writer Madaraka Nyerere – the son of independent Tanzania’s first president, Julius Nyerere.
Speaking to RT ahead of the Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg, Nyerere said he believed it was unfortunate that some African countries were “distracted by the supposed assistance” that was meant to come from other nations, as well as the IMF and World Bank.
“I have the opinion that if a country has a leading position economically, it will rarely give up that position willingly,” Nyerere said, adding that it is “unrealistic” to expect others to voluntarily yield their hold on the global economy.
The only “realistic” way for the African continent to develop, according to Nyerere, is for it to unite and use its resources for the benefit of the African people, without becoming an agent for foreign powers that only wish to exploit the continent for its resources.
He also said that, aside from working with each other, African states must also cooperate with countries such as India, Brazil, China, and Russia.
“The barriers that are placed by the Northern countries on development cannot be surmounted without having a strong base of countries that begin to create some economic muscle,” Nyerere explained, insisting “that is the only way to go.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Nyerere also claimed Africa had become the victim of demands by Western agencies to change its policies to fit with those of the IMF and the World bank and suggested that there were alternative ways in which societies could function aside from the market-driven model, which “doesn’t always make sure that everybody is take care of.”
The writer suggested African leaders must engage in dialogue with the continent’s youth, which has become “overwhelmed by values and information from other societies, from outside of Africa.”
“We risk losing our own humanitarian values and values of justice that we had in the past if we don’t make a big effort to show that there is an alternative way to how we organize our societies,” he said.
Nyerere believes part of that legacy is the result of the work of his father, Julius Nyerere, who was a renowned anti-colonial activist and political theorist who paved the way for Tanzania’s independence from Britain and served as the country’s first president from 1964 to 1985. He was also a major force behind the Organization of African Unity, which later went on to become the modern-day African Union.
The second Russia-Africa Summit will take place on July 27-28 and is set to feature a total of 49 delegations from Africa. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he places “great importance” on the event and announced that a comprehensive declaration, several joint statements, and a Russia-Africa Partnership Forum Action Plan to 2026 will be adopted at the summit.
LINK: EXCLUSIVE | Son of first Tanzanian president speaks to RT ahead of summit
MANDELA, LUMUMBA AND ABDEL NASSER: RT BRINGS TOGETHER DESCENDANTS OF AFRICAN LIBERATORS AT THE RUSSIA-AFRICA 2023 FORUM
On July 27-28, descendants of Africa’s most prominent freedom fighters will participate in a series of sessions organized by RT at the Russia-Africa Forum in St. Petersburg. In addition, RT invited more than 140 editors-in-chief and journalists to represent African media at the event. RT’s own presenters and correspondents will be moderating the sessions.
Descendants of Nelson Mandela, Patrice Lumumba, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Samora Machel, Julius Nyerere, Kenneth Kaunda, Oliver Tambo and Ahmed Ben Bella will participate in a session titled Pan-Africanism: Origins, Relevance and Future. The discussion will focus on the role of Pan-Africanism in the forming of Africa’s future and in the context of the continent’s long-standing friendship with Russia. This session will be the first to bring together political and media figures such as Ndileka Mandela, Roland Lumumba, Nomatemba Tambo, Josina Machel and others. The discussion will be moderated by Moussa Ibrahim, head of RT’s Africa bureau.
RT Arabic host Salam Musafir will moderate a discussion titled Multipolar Media World: The Role of Africa’s Arab Countries Amid the New Reality of International Relations. The panel will include speakers from Egypt, Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Sudan and Mauritania.
RT will also host two more sessions – Media of the Global South: New Formats, Technologies and Narratives in Africa and The Role of Video Content in Improving Coverage Quality And its Applications for Media Businesses: Harnessing Digital Technologies to Benefit Russia and Africa.
RT has arranged for more than 140 journalists, editors-in-chief and directors of major African state media companies to attend the Russia-Africa forum. These include the CEO of the African Union of Broadcasting, Secretary General of the Union of OIC News Agencies, Chairman of Egypt’s Supreme Council for Media Regulation; representatives of Morocco and Somalia media regulators; directors and editors-in-chief of state media in Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Libya, Mauritania, Nigeria, Mali, Central African Republic, Burkina Faso, Uganda, and the Comoros; pan-African TV networks such as Afrique Media and Africa 24; major private TV stations from a number of countries including Ethiopia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, and Tunisia; and prominent private TV networks in South Africa (TV BRICS) and Ghana (Pan African Television). Sessions will also be attended by board members of public and private TV channels representing a number of other countries.
The full program of the Russia-Africa Forum is available at: https://summitafrica.ru/en/programme/business-programme/.
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