ABSTRACT
When one takes pride in oneself, normally it is expected that that pride can be justified. In the case of Africa, the pride of African oneness and the spirit of unity that orchestrate a progressive vision and mission from the initial Pan-African Movement and the nationalist orientation of ethnic consciousness with the attendant colonial interests in Africa constituted a weakening verve in the actualization of sustainable development of the continent. My approach to the issue of Pan-Africanism and African nationalist consciousness in relation to its primary goals and objectives with regard to sustainable development of the continent is both ethical and philosophical. It begins by raising some fundamental questions about its concepts and ideals and whether within Africa it has its roots. Did Africans ever conceive themselves as united groups of people before the advent of European incursion to the political setup by Africans in the continent? If they did, how did slave trade and colonialism thwart their spirit of unity and oneness? Or was it the case that the Africans before slave trade and colonialism never conceived themselves united given the language barriers, tribal or ethnic conflicts and wars, political and economic interests of the medieval emperors, lack of adequate means of communication and transportation within the continent, poor road network systems, and so on? Furthermore, were there adequate means of education and training to engrain and foster the spirit of unity among various and diverse ethnic groups? It cannot be denied that ignorance of the length and breadth of the continent, including the knowledge of multifarious ethnicities in the continent, was pervasive. Of course, there was and still is greed for wealth and power at the expense of unity on the part of African leaders who had made Africa what it was in the past and what it is today. This chapter recognizes the fact that Pan-Africanism and nationalist consciousness were political and social ideals of African elite intellectuals in America and Europe whose objectives were to liberate or emancipate the Black race and the entire continent from slavery and colonization and to restore the pride of the people with dignity. The chapter concludes by giving some pragmatic suggestions on how the spirit of African oneness and unity in contemporary Africa or Africa in the twenty-first century can achieve sustainable development within the web of globalization, which I conceive to be the pride of being African.
