By Prince Acquah
Cape Coast, Aug 30, GNA – More than 300 members of the Africans Rising for Unity, Justice, Peace and Dignity Pan-African movement have made a sombre and solemn trip to the Cape Coast Castle to connect with the struggles of their ancestors in the darks days of chattel slavery.
The tour of the famed castle was a nostalgic journey which brought them closer than ever, to the unsavoury reality of the sufferings of their ancestors, humbling and bringing many of them to overflowing tears.
The visit was the entry point to the second edition of the three-day All-African Movements Assembly (AAMA) in Accra, to them dig deeper into their past to understand the present and build a greater future.
The AAMA is the largest gathering of African movements, activists, and human rights defenders from all 54 countries of Africa to assess their collective mandate as Africans in the quest for unity, justice, peace and dignity.
More than 400 members of the movement have converged in Accra for the conference with more than 1000 members participating virtually.
This year’s assembly will build on the successes of the first edition held in 2022 in Arusha, Tanzania, and address emerging challenges that face the continent.
Chiefly, the conference seeks to advance the cause for a borderless Africa, reparations and climate justice on the continent.
Madam Coumba Touré, an ambassador of Africans Rising from Senegal and Mali, said the visit to the Castle was important to help them understand the past and forge ahead for the future since the state of Africa today was linked to it history.
She said: “It is slavery that broke us down, shattered our people and scattered them all over the world.
“It also destroyed a lot on the continent, including our mindset and belief in ourselves. So, it is important that we understand what happened and for how long,” she said.
Madam Touré intimated that Africa was still bleeding with European and American countries still leeching the continent off.
She called for strengthened collaboration and solidarity among Africans to advance the cause of liberating and uniting Africa.
“When our people are oppressed in Tunisia, the Congo, South Africa, the Gambia, we want all Africans to stand in solidarity with them and demand for peace and unity,” she said.
Madam Anne Rose Osmate, Regional Organiser for East African Engagement, Africans Rising, described her experience as “painful” and an “awakening” for Africans to think about their real identity.
“Regardless of where we come from, our struggles are very interconnected and one similar thing is that the colonialists did not come to do any good to us,” she said.
She entreated the youth of Africa to educate themselves on their history and speak boldly with a common voice against all forms injustice.
“We may not have lived some of the realities, but our ancestors lived them and if we cannot go back to them and understand what that really meant to us, we cannot connect any struggles and if we cannot connect any struggles, we cannot liberate Africa,” Madam Osambe stressed.
GNA