The African nations celebrated the 44th anniversary of the Organization of African Union, currently known as the African Union on May 25. The 50th anniversary of the African Society in Cairo will also be celebrated this year. The society had served as the headquarters for the leaders of various African freedom movements against the European imperialists in the past century.

The role of Egypt in Africa’s march to freedom is widely acknowledged. The country encouraged and supported all the freedom movements in the continent. Historians have acknowledged Cairo’s pivotal role in the transformation of the continent.

But sadly there is an attempt by the media to deny or minimize Cairo’s role in Africa’s progress. There is also an attempt to downplay or altogether deny the Egyptian contribution to the success of African states struggle for independence. The attempt to belittle the Egyptian role in the development of African countries, particularly where Muslims are in a majority and Christians in a minority, comes largely from Israeli or European quarters. It is part of a Western plan to create divisions in Muslim countries..

Egypt’s interest in the progress of the continent was evident when it set up the African League in Cairo in 1957 to support the emerging freedom movements in the continent. This took place years before the United Nations began to take serious steps for the decolonization of Africa and other regions.

The league changed its name to the African Society in 1972 with the aim of embracing cultural and educational activities as well and later when the whole continent became independent, the society focused its attention on the education and enlightenment of the people.

The major pan-African movement, the Organization of African Union, had been working in collaboration with the United Nations in its decolonization efforts until the South African people finally won their independence in 1994.

It was not easy for the Western colonial powers to give up their African colonies that guaranteed cheap natural resources and manpower for the rapid economic growth back home. Though the imperial powers withdrew from their colonies it was only after sowing the seeds of dissension and unrest in the newly formed independent countries. The major colonial powers also wanted to retain their influence on their former colonies. It was obviously with this objective that Britain and France established the Commonwealth and the Organization Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) respectively.

The Cold War between the erstwhile Soviet Union and the United States had a devastating impact on the African continent; it kept their economy, health and education in an abysmally backward state.

The African Union and the relative unity of the African leaders could not stop the Western meddling in the internal affairs of poor countries with the results we all know. Consequently, internal troubles in countries such as Ivory Coast, Angola, Rwanda and Burundi have been either resurfacing frequently or continuing unabated. The dispute over the Western Sahara remains still unsettled. Even the feeble efforts of Somalia to return to a normal political life have been foiled by the US to protect its own interests. The West has been seeking to destabilize Sudan by keeping the tragedy of Darfur alive and inciting discontent in southern Sudan.

It is a matter of deep satisfaction that Cairo’s efforts to root out the Western colonialism from the African continent have been successful except in Sebta and Melilla, the Spanish enclaves in Morocco. The demise of political colonialism is, obviously, of little avail if the economic and cultural colonialism still persists.

That is why I believe that the African people have achieved only a fraction of what they have been dreaming for.

It is yet to be seen if the African leaders would be capable of surmounting the obstacles on the road to the establishment of an African economic community and common market. The Western countries, which devise strategies to exploit and monopolize the markets, would no doubt stop the emergence of such economic groupings. The unimpeded progress of the continent could be achieved, in my view, only if the African Union would deal with all issues of the continent without seeking the help of outside powers. It should not allow any foreign power to meddle in the African affairs.