#Editorial

In observance of ALD

May 26, 2021, 10:29 AM

Today, The Gambia joins other African countries across the continent and beyond in commemorating the fifty-eighth African Liberation Day.

African Liberation Day, also known as Africa Day, is an annual event held since 1963 to celebrate the determination of the peoples of Africa to free themselves from foreign domination and exploitation.

African Liberation Day (ALD) was born out of the conscious struggle of the African people against oppression. It was in 1958 on the occasion of the First Conference of Independent African States held in Accra, Ghana, attended by representatives from eight independent African states, that the 15th of April was declared African Freedom Day each year to mark the onward progress of the liberation movement in Africa, and to symbolise the determination of the people of Africa to free themselves from foreign domination and exploitation.

Later in 1963, upon the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), 31 Heads of African states declared May 25 as African Liberation Day. This important, historic event has been observed and institutionalised in various places worldwide every year since its inception.

In essence the day seeks to mark, each year, the onward progress of the liberation movement, and to symbolise the determination of the people of Africa to free themselves from foreign domination and exploitation.

This day has helped to raise political awareness in African communities across the world.  It has also been a source of information about the struggles for liberation and development.

Kwame Nkrumah, the founder of the modern state of Ghana, was a leading advocate in the struggle for liberation and socialism in Africa, during the 1950s and 1960s. Today, that goal remains but includes our determination to liberate ourselves from all exploitation and ensure a better life for all Africans. What is important to note is that since 1963, African Liberation day has acted as a vehicle for Pan-Africans to annually organise and help raise political awareness among African communities around the world on struggles for social, political, and economic emancipation.

Therefore, the day is a moment for sober reflection and to rededicate our aims as Africans to promote democracy and good governance.

As Africans, we should redouble our efforts to also promote socio-economic emancipation through hard work and commitment to nation building.