https://arab.news/4a4xh
Were he still alive, Frantz Fanon, the revolutionary Pan-African thinker and son of Martinique, would have celebrated his centenary this July. Hence the poignant symbolism that many of us felt when we gathered this September in Algiers — the land where Fanon joined the struggle for liberation — to mark Global Africa Diaspora Day at the Intra-African Trade Fair 2025.
As a young man, Fanon left the Caribbean to stand shoulder to shoulder with Africans in the fight against colonial domination. His core message was that Africans must stick together, regardless of where they may be now and irrespective of their personal beliefs, color, gender or political persuasion. It is a message that remains as urgent today as it was in the 1950s. After all, people of African descent continue to face marginalization, suspicion and systemic inequities in countries around the world.
Despite our significant numbers and immense contributions to civilization, we remain divided and too often defined by narratives not of our own making. Fanon’s life reminds us that unity is possible where there is a will.
Today, the challenge before us is not just political or cultural; it is economic. To address it, we must transform the global African community, both on the continent and throughout the diaspora. We must tap into our shared ancestry, identity and destiny to become a cohesive, self-reliant world-spanning economic powerhouse.
