Recently, the capital city of Ghana, Accra, was host to the ninth summit of the African Union. For those who are not familiar with this entity, I would like to give readers some background information.

The African Union (AU) is an organisation which consists of 53 African states (all the states of Africa except Morocco). It was established in 2001, as a successor to the amalgamated Organisation of African Unity (OAU – founded in 1963) and the African Economic Community AEC - founded in 1981). The idea of creating the AU was revived in the mid-1990s under the leadership of Libyan Leader Moammar Ghaddafi who is the prime driver behind the advancement of the Union. Ghaddafi believes that in order to be strong and play on a level playground with Europe and the US, African states must also do away with their conflicts and unite.

Eventually, the AU aims to have a single currency and a single integrated defence force, as well as other institutions of state, including a cabinet for the AU Head of State. The purpose of the union is to help secure Africa’s democracy, human rights, and a sustainable economy.

Moammar Ghaddafi is a revolutionary with a vision. Through the years, he has shown that he has practical solutions for many of the world’s problems, like the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and his “One-State” solution, and, of course, Africa, which, understandably, is closest to his heart.

Back home in Libya, in his “Green Book”, Ghaddafi has redefined democracy into a ‘Jamahiriyyah’, meaning, a Republic of the People, run by the People. Libya’s “Peoples’ Committees” run the country through a pyramid-style kind of leadership, instead of the Government/Opposition style that we know in the West, because, according to Ghaddafi, through the People’s Committees, everyone has a say in the running of the country, not just those who elect the government. The Green Book also revolutionises the relationship between employer and employee: “Partners, not wage workers”, it says, thus eliminating the “master and servant” relationship between the two.

Moammar Ghaddafi has become one of the greatest politicians, revolutionaries, thinkers and statesmen of our time. But he is also a proud Muslim, and this leads him to fashion his thoughts and policies according to the teachings of the Holy Quran.

Ghaddafi has long campaigned for a United States of Africa as the only way to address the continent’s extreme poverty and variety of other problems including the challenges of globalisation.

Moammar Ghaddafi travelled to Ghana for the summit by car and made several speeches in countries through which he travelled and also during the summit itself. His speeches explain the vision he has for Africa, and also the love he has for the continent of which he is proud to be a native.

In an impassioned speech on the eve of the summit he told cheering activists and students: “Our continent is backward, poor, suffering from illnesses, divided and exploited... shall we allow such a situation to continue?”

At the University of Ghana, Moammar Ghaddafi told students, activists and local Muslim leaders “For Africa, the matter is to be or not to be. My vision is to wake up the African leaders to unify our continent.”

In the Ivory Coast, Ghaddafi explained what kind of African Union he would like to see: “One sole African government, one sole African army to defend Africa with a force of two million soldiers. One currency, one passport. Accra must hear this message,” he told the gathering which included Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo.

Moammar Ghaddafi also touched on illegal immigration, an issue which, rightly so, has become so sensitive to us in Malta. The Libyan revolutionary made it clear how unhappy he is with a situation where Africans leave their continent and travel to Europe in search of a better life and effectively become beggars in the “rich” continent. He said:

“Uniting the continent would also staunch the flow of migrants to Europe. Thousands of Africans risk their lives in rickety wooden boats to journey to Europe in search of jobs and a better life. A united Africa would better exploit its own resources and create jobs to keep young Africans at home. Either we live in Africa or we die in Africa, no more emigration. Africa is our mother, how can we leave our mother?”

However, Moammar Ghaddafi is very conscious of the internal problems in Africa, and also understands the difficulties of those Africans who live in the middle of conflicts, like Darfur: “Africa must forbid all war, civil, tribal or over borders. The youth of Africa is drowning in the Mediterranean to cross the channel to Europe, leaving behind the paradise that is Africa. No more emigration, no more emigration,” he said.

Moammar Ghaddafi’s challenging idea of a united Africa does not only have the backing of most African states, but also of other states outside Africa, including EU states. French President Nicolas Sarkozy telephoned Ghaddafi in the Ghanaian capital Accra where the Libyan leader was preparing for the three-day AU summit that opened on Monday, 02 July. The French President said he wished Ghaddafi well in his efforts to achieve African unity and develop the continent, saying they were also goals of French foreign policy. Sarkozy also voiced backing for the Libyan leader’s ambitions to turn the African Union into an EU-style bloc.

Now some sceptics do ask: “How can Africa ever become a Union, considering all the conflicts that exist between African states? How can this be achieved with so many civil wars going on? But look at the European Union today. In 1952, when the European Coal and Steel Community was founded by six countries, Europe had just come out of World War II. The ECSC quickly developed, eventually into the European Economic Community and now the EU, and states which during World War II were arch-enemies like Great Britain and Germany, are now equal members and partners in the EU. Why can’t this happen for Africa as well?

Africa must understand that the only way out to its one-thousand-and-one problems is the solution offered by Moammar Ghaddafi. For the good of their people, African leaders must heed Ghaddafi’s advice, do away with their conflicts and disagreements, and strive relentlessly towards achieving this goal. May his dream of a United States of Africa come true.

Mario Farrugia-Borg

Qormi