Pan-Africanism

While the fate of Africa is much discussed in the West, Westerners rarely hear the voices of Africans themselves in the debate over the future of this imperiled continent. Pan-Africanism aims to unite the many different peoples of Africa and the Diaspora (in the West indies, Latin America, the U.S., and the U.K.). As a political movement, Pan-Africanism first found expression 100 years ago and has since then waxed and waned, according to wars, economic and political tides and the often fickle vicissitudes of Western influence. Bringing together over a dozen influential writers, political leaders, and activists, Pan-Africanism defines what constitutes the movement as we approach the millennium. By addressing such subjects as the role of science and technology in Africa's future and the potential for a Pan-African women's movement, the writers offer a valuable overview of the political economy of uniting across the continent and beyond, at a time when the threat of recolonization looms large.