ABSTRACT
The struggle against colonialism and apartheid stemmed, first and foremost, from the desire to improve Africa’s global power position, rather than directly from moral indignation about colonial and white minority regimes as such. There has never been any disagreement in the Organization of African Unity (OAU) about what exactly constitutes “colonialism”. If Africa and its state elites were ever to reach similar status and power for their continent, they would have to rid it from the very symbol of their past humiliation — colonialism. In the OAU colonialism referred only to European colonies or white minority governments on the African continent. This chapter provides a mirror image to the OAU’s stand on colonialism and apartheid by outlining its reaction to expansionist aspirations on the part of member states themselves. It discusses a general evaluation of the OAU’s role in the struggle against colonialism and the meaning of its anti-colonial stance.
