Africa Day (formerly African Freedom Day and African Liberation Day) is observed annually on 25 May to commemorate the foundation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) which 38 years later, evolved into the African Union (AU). It is observed as a public holiday in Nine African countries including Ghana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Zambia, Mali, and Zambia.
Other countries including Nigeria have celebrations to mark the historical day,while international cities, such as New York, Dublin, Melbourne, London, and Washington engage in academic gatherings and cultural showcases to mark the day.
Africa Day was observed for the first time the year after Ghana’s independence from Britain in 1958 when kwame Nkrumah called for a meeting of all independent African States.
At the time, only eight countries had gained independence from the colonial masters –
Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Ghana, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Liberia. While Algeria and Cameroon were not free at the time, they were represented at the meeting of independent African States.
Topics on the agenda included seeking freedom and the acknowledgement of human rights after centuries of oppression. That was the start of Africa Day, at the time known as Africa Liberation Day.
African Liberation Day was celebrated on 15 April and gained traction throughout Africa and the rest of the world. Four years later, representatives from 32 African countries gathered in Abbis Ababa.
The then-71-year-old emperor Halie Selassie, who spent over a year preparing Addis Ababa for the summit of African nations, famously said:
“May this convention of union last 1 000 years.”
The OAU was formed on 25 May 1963. It was agreed that Africa Day celebrations be moved from April to May. The OAU decided to have an annual assembly of heads of state, a council of ministers, and a commission of mediation, conciliation and arbitration.
In addition, the OAU supported the struggle for liberation in Southern Africa. The ANC and PAC received support from the OAU during the struggle. South Africa joined the OAU in 1994 after the fall of Apartheid.
On 25 May 2001, 38 years to the day after it was founded, the OAU was dissolved to be replaced by the African Union, also based in Addis Ababa.
The theme for 2019 Africa Day commemoration is “Healthy Lifestyle Prolongs Life”. This theme was selected to emphasize the significant relationship between unhealthy lifestyle and premature mortality. The theme is in line with Aspiration 1 of the Agenda 2063 which is “A prosperous Africa, based on inclusive growth and sustainable development”.