Africans Rising Borderless Africa Convening: The Lusaka Communiqué

The Borderless Africa – Free Movement Campaign is a product of the All-African Movements Assembly (AAMA) held from 29-31 August 2022 in Arusha Tanzania, bringing together over 600 members of Africans Rising –  Pan-African social movements, activists, human rights defenders, advocates, and key stakeholders from 55 countries across the continent and the diaspora.

The goal of the campaign is to achieve an Africa where Africans can move around their own continent without the current restrictions in place. For better trade, integration and development.

THE LUSAKA COMMUNIQUE

1. Gathered here in the land of Kenneth Kaunda for the Borderless Africa Convening, we the peoples of Africa under the umbrella of our Pan-African movement, Africans Rising, denounce the colonial borders both mental and physical and all relics of colonial exploitation, which continue to cause division and rancour among African peoples.
2. We assert our oneness as a people. We no longer want to be identified by or to live in the confines of these divisions, which were created purposefully to divide and conquer us. 
3. True to their purpose, these borders and the divisions have hampered trade among ourselves as Africans both home and in the diaspora, curtailed cultural harmony, arrested our development, limited educational opportunities, job creation and overall prosperity while leading to great losses of our young, energetic and creative people.
4. We desire to live in an Africa where we are not Zambians, Kenyans, Nigerians or Sudanese but just Africans with one passport, one currency and freedom to move within our continent. All logic and rationality since the independence struggles by our foremothers and fathers six decades ago to date confirm that this is the only sure path to our mutual prosperity and there must be no delay in its realization. Scientific studies have further confirmed this.
5. We declare that the United States of Africa is the legitimate desire of the African peoples here on the continent and in the diaspora. 
6. The form and structure of the envisioned United Africa are open to rigorous discussions guided by the timeless and enshrined African principles of “Ubuntu”, including the values of ethical governance, economic-social justice, ecological justice, respect for human rights, fellow-feeling, anti-racism/discrimination.

CALL

To this end, 

7.  We celebrate that the Government of Zambia has enthusiastically expressed solidarity and support for Africans Rising’s call for the removal of      colonial borders. We thus call on the government of Zambia to take the next logical step and ratify the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons while proceeding to remove Visa requirements for all Africans traveling from all parts of the continent and our diaspora to the beautiful land of Zambia.

     8. Through the leadership provided by the government of Zambia, we call on all African governments to operationalize and universalize free movement for intra-African travel and trade by ratifying and implementing the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons. 

COMMITMENT TO CONTINUE MOBILIZATION

We commit ourselves to;

        9. Continue organizing our people for this shared dream as the best possible way to build economic, social, and geopolitical power

      10. Create inclusive local organizing platforms in all our African Provinces (countries) to ensure every corner of the continent is touched by the vision of a free, just, united and prosperous Africa. 

      11. Collaborate with all Africans in movements. civil society, governments, political parties, private sector etc to realize this dream 

Issued, 24th May 2024

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