The President of the Pan African Parliament, H.E. Chief Fortune Zephania Charumbira, has implored Africa to take pride in its own identity, express its own culture and values and affirm its own self-hood if the continent is to extricate itself from the enduring impact of colonialism and accelerate its collective development.
Addressing the International Conference on Crimes of Colonialism in Africa which is currently underway in Algiers, Algeria, H.E. Chief Charumbira bemoaned the decimation of African culture and values by the colonialists and stressed that unless Africa expresses its own culture and values it can never fully develop as a continent. “Culture is the glue that binds us together and without our culture we are disunited and directionless,” Chief Charumbira affirmed.
The PAP President also decried the deleterious impact of colonial education on Africa and Africans. He pointed out that the colonial system of education had brainwashed Africans to view everything western as superior and everything African as inferior. As a result, Africans were more inclined to consume products from the west while shunning those produced in Africa. He averred that unless this mindset changes, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which is intended to boost intra-Africa trade and continental self-sufficiency will not succeed in its noble objectives.
Giving the example of Zimbabwe which has adopted heritage-based education tailored to the country’s unique culture and circumstances, the PAP President stressed the need to decolonise education to restore Africans’ confidence in themselves and their own value systems.
H.E. Chief Charumbira also cautioned the participants to brace for a bruising battle for reparatory justice as the erstwhile colonisers were unwilling to compensate Africa for the injustices perpetrated by colonialism. He pointed out that to this day Zimbabwe was still under sanctions for daring to reclaim its land which had been expropriated by the British colonial powers. However, regardless of the pain resulting from the sanctions, Zimbabwe was not going back on its decision to reclaim the land and empower its people.
The President of the continental legislature rallied Africa to move from rhetoric to action in the fight for reparatory justice and warned that if Africa is not united the fight will be in vain.
The International Conference on Crimes of Colonialism in Africa is being hosted by the Government of Algeria in collaboration with the African Union Commission in Algiers on 30th November and 1st December 2025. The Conference brings together AU Organs, Ministers, jurists, historians, academics and representatives of the diaspora, regional and international organisations for a high – level forward looking dialogue on the legacy of colonial domination and the collective pursuit of redress and historical justice.
In line with the African Union Theme of the Year for 2025, “Justice for Africa and People of African Descent Through Reparations,” the Conference seeks to reflect on the moral, legal, economic, cultural and environmental dimensions of colonialism, to assess its enduring impact on Africa and its diaspora and identify concrete pathways through which justice, reparations and recognition can be advanced.
