Africa Day: Calls for unity and solidarity across continent grow louder
JOHANNESBURG - As we commemorate Africa Day, calls for unity and solidarity across the continent are growing louder.
In Johannesburg, civil society groups and unions took to the streets to mark the occasion.
Dozens of organisations, including Cosatu, Lawyers for Human Rights, and the Palestine Solidarity Alliance, marched from Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown to Constitution Hill in Braamfontein on Saturday.
The demonstration called for stronger African cooperation and an end to growing xenophobia on the continent.
Africa Day, celebrated annually on 25 May, marks the formation of the organisation of African Unity, later succeeded by the African Union, and the liberation of African nations from colonial rule.
In South Africa, it also serves as a reminder of the country's fight against apartheid.
Mining union leader Mametlwe Sebei says the day is a reminder of how far the continent has come, and how much more must still be done.
"To emphasise the oneness of the continent and its people and that is much more important today than before in the context of a surge in rising populism and xenophobic scapegoating of African migrants and others who have been scapegoated of all the problems faced by the working class as a result of the crisis of capitalism and imperialism."
More commemorative events are expected across the country today.
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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading This echoes the state of conflicts that ravage contemporary African societies. Across the continent, wars have been proliferating rapidly since 2010. 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He was reporting from Abidjan during the 2025 AfDB Annual Meetings ** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL, Independent Media or The African.
