| Africa Day | |
|---|---|
| Observed by | Member states of theAfrican Union |
| Type | International; cultural and historical |
| Significance | Anniversary of the foundation of theOrganisation of African Unity |
| Date | 25 May |
| Next time | 25 May 2026 (2026-05-25) |
| Frequency | annual |
| Related to | African Freedom Day and African Liberation Day |
Africa Day (formerlyAfrican Freedom Day andAfrican Liberation Day) is theannual commemoration of the foundation of theOrganization of African Unity on 25 May 1963.[1] It is celebrated in various countries inAfrica as well as around the world.[2] The organization was replaced by theAfrican Union on 9 July 2002, but the holiday continues to be celebrated on 25 May.
The First Congress of Independent African States was held inAccra,Ghana on 15 April 1958. It was convened by thePrime Minister of Ghana,Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, and comprised representatives fromEgypt (then a constituent part of theUnited Arab Republic),Ethiopia,Liberia,Libya,Morocco,Sudan,Tunisia, theUnion of the Peoples of Cameroon, and the host country, Ghana.. TheUnion of South Africa was not invited. The conference showcased progress of liberation movements on the African continent in addition to symbolizing the determination of the people of Africa to free themselves from foreigndomination andexploitation. Although thePan-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.[3]
The conference called for the founding of anAfrican Freedom Day, a day to "...mark each year the onward progress of the liberation movement, and to symbolize the determination of the people of Africa to free themselves from foreign domination and exploitation."[4]
The conference was notable in that it laid the basis for the subsequent meetings of African heads of state and government during theCasablanca Group and theMonrovia Group era, until the formation of theOrganisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1963.[5]
Five years later, on 25 May 1963, representatives of thirty African nations met inAddis Ababa, Ethiopia, hosted byEmperorHaile Selassie. By then more than two-thirds of the continent had achieved independence, mostly from imperial European states. At this meeting, the Organization of African Unity was founded, with the initial aim to encourage the decolonization ofAngola,Mozambique,South Africa andSouthern Rhodesia. The organization 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 theliving standards across member states. Selassie exclaimed, "May this convention of union last 1,000 years."[6]
The charter was signed by all attendees on 26 May, with the exception of Morocco.[a] At that meeting, Africa Freedom Day was renamedAfrica Liberation Day.[4] In 2002, the OAU was replaced by theAfrican Union. However, the renamed celebration ofAfrica Day continues to be celebrated on 25 May in respect to the formation of the OAU.[7]
Africa Day continues to be celebrated both in Africa and around the world, mostly on 25 May (although in some cases these periods of celebrations can be stretched out over a period of days or weeks).[8][9] Themes are set for each year's Africa Day, with 2015's being the "Year of Women's Empowerment and Development towards Africa'sAgenda 2063". At an event in New York City in 2015,Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations,Jan Eliasson, delivered a message fromSecretary-GeneralBan Ki-moon in which he said, "Let us... intensify our efforts to provide Africa's women with betteraccess to education, work andhealth care and, by doing so, accelerate Africa's transformation".[10] The slogan of the 2023 Africa Day celebration was "Our Africa Our Future".[11] The theme of 2024 Africa Day celebration is "Education Fit for the 21st Century".[12]
In 2021 the Republic ofKenya hosted the first joint African Union summit along with theCaribbean Community (CARICOM) region virtually.[13] To commemorate this event it was decided that September 7,[14][15] would be celebrated annually as Africa-CARICOM Day throughout the Caribbean to recognize and strengthen linkages between CARICOM and Africa.[16][17] The first of August has been celebrated as AfricanEmancipation Day throughout much of the British Empire from the Trans-AtlanticAfrican Slave Trade[18] and the addition of Africa Day in the Caribbean has to come to be regarded as part of an observance known as the 'Season of Emancipation' across the Caribbean countries.
The National Library Service, in association with the Division of Culture, Prime Minister's Office, will celebrate Africa Day on Friday, May 24, at the Roy Marshall Teaching Complex, The University of West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Four years ago, on September 7, 2021 the first Africa Caribbean (CARICOM) Summit was hosted virtually by the Republic of Kenya in the aftermath of a 2003 Declaration by the African Union (AU) of its Diaspora as the sixth region of Africa. That Summit decided to establish September 7 as Africa Caribbean Day.
Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has suggested that Africa-CARICOM Day should be celebrated on September 7, in recognition of the first-ever Africa-Caribbean Summit aimed at forging stronger social and economic ties between the two global communities. Speaking during Ghana's 65th Independence Anniversary celebrations at the Cape Coast Stadium on Sunday, Ms. Mottley told the thousands gathered that African Caribbean Solidarity received a new boost on September 7, when the first African- CARICOM caucus was organised by the Presidents of Ghana and Kenya, Nana Akfuo-Addo and Uhuru Kenyatta, respectively.
In a statement for Africa-CARICOM Day, observed on September 7, 2024, the group said the first Africa/CARICOM Summit held on September 7, 2021, saw the tabling of several issues such as the removal of double taxation, direct flights between the Caribbean and African countries, reviewing whether travel visas are needed between African and Caribbean countries.
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