ABSTRACT
The existing African states, usually adopting intact the colonially delimited territories and their governmental structures, have been the beneficiaries of self-determination. Moreover, despite some regional and pan-African activity, these states remain the primary locus of political power. Africa is left with its present state system. It is generally acknowledged, however, that the achievement of a broadly shared sense of national identity within each of the states is still largely a matter of the future. Nationalist parties, movements, and risings played a role in stimulating a sense of national identity, but in many countries their lifespan was brief and their penetration shallow. The established ethnic groups and the present states are two of the lines that bound the triangle of African identity. The African problem of identity is a curious one which leaves the states, despite their political centrality, with what appear to be very meagre resources for their challenging task of nation-building.
