Africa Month: a call for unity, self-reliance and cultural pride

SENSE OF PRIDE

- DR RAJENDRAN GOVENDER

AFRICA Month, culminating in Africa Day on May 25, is far more than a symbolic nod to history.

It is a deeply significant annual reminder of the founding of the Organisation of African Unity in 1963 - now the African Union - and a call for Africans everywhere to recommit to unity, dignity and self-reliance. It is also a moment to reflect on our collective progress as a continent and to ask bold questions about the future we are building for generations to come.

As South Africans of Indian descent, our relationship with the continent is often viewed through a dual lens: one grounded in the history of our forebears who arrived here under colonial rule, and the other in our ongoing cultural and spiritual connection to India, the land of our ancestors. Yet, we must be clear: while our spiritual and cultural nourishment may stem from India, we are South Africans first and foremost.

We are Africans - by birth, by citizenship, by contribution, and by destiny.

We are not guests in this land. Our ancestors may have come here under painful and difficult circumstances, but over more than 160 years, we have grown deep roots in African soil. We have built homes, raised families, contributed to the economy, and helped shape South Africa’s rich cultural mosaic.

This sense of belonging, however, is not merely historical — it must be lived and demonstrated every day. Our integration into the broader South African and African experience comes with a responsibility to contribute fully to the life and soul of the continent. It requires us to recognise and affirm our shared destiny with all other Africans. We cannot stand on the sidelines of the African project. Africa Month urges us to rise to that responsibility — not out of obligation, but out of love and pride for this land we call home.