Okay. Let me land the plane. I know obviously that there will never be such a thing as to destroy Africa, lest to ‘rebuild it entirely’. I just thought I would borrow a leaf from Jesus, when he boldly proposed to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days. Can you imagine the disbelief on people’s faces? They probably thought, “Who does this guy think he is, threatening our establishment that took ages to build?” Turns out, Jesus was talking about his own body as the temple. And guess what? It came to pass when he died and resurrected after 3 days. Only, then did it make sense and everyone was happy in the end. I guess what I’m trying to say is hear me out and we could all be happy in the end

Speaking of bold propositions! Let’s talk about Africa and its nation states. Just to get this out of the way, a nation-state is a political entity that encompasses both a distinct nation—a group of people who share common identity—and a defined territorial state. In simpler terms, it is a country as we know it today with citizens identifying themselves as belonging to that particular country. Well, I assert that an Africa organized in the way that it is today, as nation states, is bound to get trapped in the cycle of problems that plague it recurrently. That’s right! As long as Africa is organised as a continent of countries, we will continue to grapple with the same issues that stem from this organisation.

Okay, let’s land the plane together. As we start our descent, we kindly ask that you return to your seats and fasten your seat belts securely. Please ensure that your tray tables are stowed, your seatbacks are in the upright position, and all electronic devices are turned off or switched to airplane mode.

“Approach: The first step is the approach phase, during which the pilot guides the aircraft toward the runway. This involves descending from the cruising altitude, configuring the aircraft for landing by extending flaps and landing gear, and establishing the correct approach speed.”

Origins of Nationalism and the Nation State: A brief history

To build this argument effectively, we have to explore the roots of nationalism. Simply put, nationalism is the belief by a group of people in their common identity, a perceived unity, a claim to sovereignty, and equality of all members. Such an organization of power wasn’t always the case in the world. Empires and feudalist societies once dominated the lands. 

However, one of the earliest forms of nationalism emerged in late 15th Century England, specifically during The Wars of the Roses (1455-1487). The two branches of the royal family, Lancaster, and York, fought over the crown until their order was effectively exterminated. The new Tudor dynasty, therefore, had to assume the crown and recruit their aristocracy from below. The common people thus had to rise into positions of power usually only held by royal blood. However, just as chickens are not horses, it wasn’t natural for these common people to hold power. The new dynasty thus had to defend this situation by professing that ‘the English people were a nation’. This was a pivotal train of thought because it meant that everyone had equal membership in England a.k.a the concept of equality of all within a state a.k.a nationalism (Source: Greenfeld, Liah). The ideas of nationalism consequently spread across Europe, especially during the Enlightenment Period when the famous ideas of individual rights, equality, freedom of thought, and pursuit of progress and knowledge through reason, laid the foundation for the reorganisation of many European societies into the modern liberal democratic nation states. See the French Revolution (1789-1799). 

“Final Approach: Once the aircraft is aligned with the runway, it enters the final approach phase. The pilot maintains a stabilized descent path, typically guided by instruments or visual cues, such as runway lights or the precision approach path indicator (PAPI). The goal is to maintain a steady descent rate and align the aircraft with the centerline of the runway.”

Export to Africa

One of the most important aspects instilled by nationalism was a new sense of pride in one’s nation (Source: Greenfeld, Liah). It soon became a worldwide game of “Who’s Got the Biggest Everything!”, with each nation competing to bolster their economic, intellectual and military strength. This competition to elevate the dignity of the nation eventually drove the European states to Africa in pursuit of colonies. And so the European scramble and partition of Africa ensued.

Because of colonialism, nationalism in Africa developed in a way different from how it did in Europe. Here in Africa, nationalism was reactionary: as a necessary antithesis to the unjust rule of the colonialists. Because they were a group of people within the same artificially-carved borders, living the same unfavorable experience, they found a common identity and united in a fight for liberty. The natives in these colonies rallied together internally to make claims to autonomy and the right to self-rule. (Source: Clemens, Elizabeth S.) Sounds familiar? Yes this is the birth of nationalism in Africa. Tribes and kingdoms that never found common identity now found a common identity in the cause for liberty and sovereignity. We can clearly see that something drastically switched in the process: borders were created between similar people, new common identities were formed and thus nation-states were synthesised. This drastic switch and the new organisation that resulted presents a number of problems for Africa, three of which are outlined below.

“Flare and Touchdown: As the aircraft approaches the runway, the pilot initiates the flare maneuver. This involves gradually increasing the pitch angle of the aircraft to reduce the descent rate and slow down the vertical speed. The objective is to level the aircraft just above the runway and transition from descent to a near-level attitude. The main landing gear touches down first, followed by the nose gear (in the case of tricycle landing gear).”

Ubuntu versus Nationalism: A Clash of Ideals

From a pan-Africanist point of view, the philosophy of Ubuntu and the core values of nationalism present themselves as direct opposites, just as day is to night. Nationalism places a heavy emphasis on the individual nation’s interests and its prosperity as it is at the core growth-oriented and competitive in nature. Ubuntu philosophy, on the other hand, glorifies community and collective prosperity. It emphasizes that individuals derive their dignity from the prosperity of the society rather than the other way around. 

Furthermore, nationalism is territorially confined and will only be portrayed in reference to a particular nation state. For this reason, you don’t hear people saying they would die for Africa. However, a number of  people will confidently state that they would give their life for their country. 

For the above reasons, the concept of Ubuntu on a pan-African scale is almost non-existent and this makes it difficult to form a powerful sense of identity to the continent. Case in point: Casbalanca vs Monrovia in the battle of ideologies for African cooperation. The Casablancans wanted political unification or federation to form a United States of Africa while the Monrovians also believed in Pan-Africanism but not at the expense of nationalism. In other words, they wanted cooperation while still maintaining the independence of each African state. In the end, a compromise was made in the 1963 formation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) whose aim was to promote political and economic integration and eradicate neo-colonialism. 60 years down the road and it is clear that nationalism triumphed over pan-African unity as there is no strong evidence of political and economic integration today. 

Therefore, with the strength and prevalence of nationalism, is it then realistically possible to have ideological synchronization and collective pan-african integration across the continent?

Capitalism versus African socialism

Though the idea of socialism may seem as natural to Africa as left and right, the reality is a bit more complex. You see, Africa’s diverse societies weren’t exactly homogeneous, but their communal way of life did suggest a certain affinity for socialism. Therefore, the advent of nationalism, which is characterised by its liberal, competitive and growth-oriented nature, naturally paved way for large scale capitalism. Capitalism in Africa, despite being the reason for the high rates of economic growth, still serves to exacerbate the gap between the rich and the poor. 

Now, for Africa to take a path of inclusive development, there would have to be a hybrid system that brings the best of both models to promote economic growth that also benefits the bottom half. Sounds great, right? Well hold on to your safari hat, because previous efforts at such in the past have failed miserably.

Between 1964 and 1985, Julius Nyerere, then President of Tanzania, attempted to revert  Tanzania to the pre-colonial socialist model through the Ujamaa policy. By rearranging the Tanzanian societies into small nucleated rural settlements based on agriculture, he believed  that it would be possible to recreate the old economy while making it easy to disburse essential services to the people. Predictably, the people rejected this idea and soon returned to the cities to engage in wage labour and generate income, thereby failing Ujamaa. Tanzania shows us that as Africa continues to dance to the tune of nation-states, capitalism is likely to stay the dance partner of choice (Source: Boddy-Evans, Alistair). 

Furthermore, many nation states in Africa have already carried out large scale privatization (transfer of state-owned enterprises or assets to the private sector) often under the guidance of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Because of this, governments may not be adequately resourced to implement soocialist policies: one of the reasons why Ujamaa failed. Therefore, it seems that Africa’s organisation as nation states will continue to preserve capitalism, and thus the economic disparities.

Function versus functionality

I very much love the analogy from Meyer, John W. of the discovery of a new island in the world. They analyze: if a new island were to be discovered today, with a society living on it and sizeable enough to form a state, how would the society evolve to organize itself. Their assertion was that we would expect this island to immediately form leadership structures typical of a nation, The government would  follow a process of expensive structuration: instilling a heavy institutional apparatus with branches and organs to do all sorts of national tasks. They would very quickly seek membership to the United Nations. If the nation failed to meet some standards, ‘external help’ would be provided. Cries of equity and equality would immediately suffice. Without much attention to the specific needs of the state the island would quickly morph into a typical nation state (Source: Meyer et al.). 

And so this wholesale import of global systems that do not necessarily benefit the nation is a problem and leads to decoupling (as Meyer calls it): a disconnect between the structures and the purpose they serve. As Africans, it is imperative to examine of what benefit are the expensive and complex structures that we so religiously maintain? A lot of state resources go into maintaining the large state apparatus and funding planning committees, yet rarely do any beneficial projects happen successfully on the ground. Committees, ministries, boards, agencies, and the like will be formed and yet the issues on the ground will continue to surface. It is no secret that much of the national budget of a country like Uganda goes into administrative work, and most of the large projects rely largely on external funding. Another problem created by this decoupling is the debt crisis in which Africa is currently entangled. Why then do we continue to religiously maintain these structures that only seem to do more harm than good?

“Rollout: After touchdown, the pilot deploys spoilers and applies reverse thrust (if available) to help decelerate the aircraft. The pilot then maintains directional control using the rudder pedals and, if necessary, applies brakes to slow down the aircraft. The rollout phase continues until the plane reaches a safe taxi speed, at which point it can exit the runway.”

So, can Africa be rebuilt?

Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We have now landed at our destination. On behalf of the entire crew, I would like to thank you for flying Air Let’s Talk Africa. If you look to the right and to the left, we find ourselves in a world that is ever-evolving, where the status quo often hinders our progress. It is a world where Africa, the fastest growing continent, seeks to forge its own destiny and rise above the limitations that have held us back for far too long. In this pursuit, the notion of reimagining the structure of African states on a pan-African scale may initially seem audacious, perhaps even laughable. But let us pause for a moment and consider the transformative power of embracing unconventional paths. It is in defying the norms and challenging the cognitive cultural blueprints that we may find the keys to our collective prosperity.

Look to the remarkable journey of China, a nation that defied cliché diplomacy and the conventions dictated by global bodies. They charted their own course and forged their own destiny. And so should we. 

Please remain seated with your seatbelts securely fastened until the seatbelt sign is turned off. We kindly ask you to refrain from using your electronic devices until we have reached the gate and the aircraft has come to a complete stop. Once again, thank you for flying with us