Musing on political happenings in Africa and its Diaspora, following three days of intense discussions at the 9th African Union Summit that agreed to move towards United States of Africa despite differences over a specific timeframe, it only seems like the ‘I’ve heard-it-all-before’ syndrome. Plenty of talk - but no action.

As the AU Summit in Accra, Ghana, concluded it once again turned out to be the African trademark of rare show of rational thought and expression of ideas. The summit seems more like deja vu - beating the same old United States of Africa drum, Oh yes, the same old visionary concept by Kwame Nkrumah doing the rounds during the independence era 50 odd years ago.

The battle between the gradualists and the immediatists

Colonel Gaddafi really set the scene for the battle of the gradualists versus the immediatists by adding the fuel in the talk, who also had been vocal advocate for rapid integration but those calling for a more gradual approach similar to that of the EU eventually won out, what could have been an earth-shattering breakthrough.

With no surprises, the differences of opinion over political integration that this summit revealed, such a compromise was the only possible outcome.

How about a little African unity first?

Once again Africa’s lack of capacity to face and survive disasters ran in the forefront when the veteran anti-apartheid campaigner and legendary trumpeter, Hugh Masekela, joined forces with civil society activists in Accra, to say Africa must first deal with its crises and conflicts.

It holds true that Africa have lacked the capacity for facing and surviving disasters as it rarely looked beyond death, disease, disaster and despair. One would admit that the colonial, ravenous model of governance is devotedly re-enacted by ruling African elites and the irony is that this arc of complex and predatory appetites of its political leaders never seems to go astray. It’s as if the new ruling class has been groomed with all the ill conditioning that only infused a predatory instinct.

However, as Africa tries to escape its overstretched staggering in cultural void and moral crisis that has hindered its development for so long, it is at least an achievement that since the quest for a united states of Africa, it reached its fever pitched in contemporary times but disappointingly disqualified for a false start.