The Inconvenient Truth: One Africa in our speeches, 54 agendas in our decisions

In May 1963, the leaders of thirty-two newly independent nations gathered in Addis Ababa and gave the world a promise that still stirs the African soul. Kwame Nkrumah told them plainly that Africa must unite now or perish, and in that hall the dream of a continent standing together, trading together and rising together ceased to be a poet's longing and became a political covenant. Six decades later, we have kept that covenant beautifully in our songs and summit communiqués, where the words "one Africa, one people, one destiny" are recited with a fervour that would make any choir director proud. Yet the moment unity asks a country to remove a barrier, recognise a neighbour's qualification, share a contract or sacrifice a little short-term convenience for long-term continental gain, our celebrated togetherness can develop sudden and mysterious complications. We set up a committee, request further consultations, and commission a feasibility study; occasionally, after several years of deliberation, we establish a new committee to investigate why the previous committee's recommendations were never implemented. NyansaKasa (Words of Wisdom) reminds us that "a family that celebrates unity at the dinner table but quarrels over every ingredient may one day discover that nobody prepared the meal."