Africa Day should be about decolonization, Shivambu dilivered an Africa Day lecture in Thembisa | Image: Floyd Shivambu shared via Facebook
(The Post News)- The Umkhonto Wesizwe Party (MKP) secretary general, Floyd Shivambu, says decolonization is necessary for the African continent. Shivambu delivered an Africa Day lecture at Thembisa Society Hall this afternoon.
He says that Africans were granted political independence but not economic control. “In all cases when the colonizers grant independence to African nations, they will say you can have your own flag, you can have your own national anthem, and you can rename your country, but the colonizer will never say you must take total control of your land and mineral resources. What happened was a giveaway of political power without giving economic power. Political power without economic power is meaningless,” says Shivambu.
He reflected on how colonialism brought about division and tribalism amongst South Africans. “The colonizer knows that in order to conquer Blacks, you should divide them, and that is what they did on the African continent. In South Africa, they created semi-autonomous homelands based on tribes,” he says.
Shivambu further added that the tragedy of the African continent is having leaders who endorse the legacy of colonialism. He stressed that Africa Day is not a celebration of culture but rather a commemoration of a pivotal moment in African history that resonates with Black people globally. He added that the legacy of colonialism stripped Black people of their agency, rendering them powerless and dependent on others.
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