Africa Day
| Africa Day | |
|---|---|
| Observed by | African nations/peoples |
| Significance | Anniversary of the foundation of the Organisation of African Unity |
| Date | 25 May |
| Next time | 25 May 2017 |
| Frequency | annual |
Africa Day, formerly African Freedom Day and African Liberation Day, is the annual commemoration of the foundation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) on 25 May 1963.
The First Congress of Independent African States held in Accra, Ghana on 15 April 1958, which was convened by former President of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, consisted of Ethiopia, Egypt, Liberia, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, and Tunisia except South Africa. The conference marked each year's onward progress of liberation movement on the Africa continent in addition to symbolizing the determination of the people of Africa to free themselves from foreign domination and exploitation. Although the Pan-African Congress had been working towards similar goals since its foundation in 1900, this was the first time such a meeting had taken place on African soil. Also at the meeting, the first African Freedom Day was celebrated.
This was followed up five years later on 25 May 1963, when representatives of thirty African nations met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, hosted by Emperor of Ethiopia Haile Selassie. At the meeting, the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) was founded, with the initial aim set to encourage the decolonisation of Angola, Mozambique, South Africa and Southern Rhodesia. The organisation pledged to support the work conducted by freedom fighters, and remove military access to colonial nations. A charter was set out which sought to improve the living standards across member states, with Selassie pledging "May this convention of union last 1,000 years."
The charter was signed by all attendees on 26 May, with the exception of Morocco whose delegation was present in an observatory capacity only, due to the attendance of Mauritania and the ongoing border dispute with that nation. At that meeting, Africa Freedom Day was renamed Africa Liberation Day. In 2002, the OAU was replaced by the African Union. However, the name and continued celebration of Africa Day was continued on 25 May in respect to the formation of the OAU.
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