Panafricanism and Black Experiences: A Re-interpretation

<p><span>The concept of Pan-Africanism sprung from the strong drive led by Black intellectuals and activists mostly based in the US and related Western corridors to end all forms of oppression, racial injustices, and colonialism against members of the African race. Pan-Africanism is closely tied to the concept of the ‘African Personality’ or negritude where Africans attempted to create a separate identity for themselves away from European perceptions and rejection of the notion of black inferiority (Legum, 1965). Legum (1965) postulated that Pan-Africanism encompasses the “confident assertion that African interests are paramount” (Legum, 1965). On this note, I take off from the foremost Pan-African theme, “Africa for the Africans”. It is incontrovertible to note that this Pan-African theme is very palpable and one cannot bother whether it is construed in a Dubois or a Garveyist perspective. For there can be a proper appreciation of the ramifications of the all-African ideology wherever they may be found even as we continuously engage ourselves on the challenging themes of black experiences across the nations of the world and in Africa. Indeed, the broader framing of the Pan-Africanist construct has been shaped by Africans in the diaspora, Africans in the homeland and even outsiders too.</span></p>