The Leader of Libyan Revolution speech at the conclusion of the Arab-African Youth Festival
At the conclusion of the second festival of the Arab-African Youth, the Leader said today in the African capital of Kampala:
(In the name of Allah
My brother, President Museveni; my sons, the Arab and African students:
I am honoured to be invited today to attend the conclusion of the Arab-African Youth’s festival in Kampala.
I thank you for your warm welcoming; I salute the second festival of the Arab-African youth; I happily agree that it was decided to hold this festival each two years instead of three; I salute those who brought this pioneering idea.
I am endorsing the cause of the Arab-African Union as well as establishment of the Arab-African Space. In October, 2000, I had a road journey in the Arab states; I called on the non-African Arabs to join Africa, because two-third of the Arabs are Africans.
For your information, two-third of the Arabs are in Africa; just one-third is outside.
Because the world’s map is reshaping under the auspices of globalization and establishment of the huge spaces, the Arabs are now torn as a result of formation of the new map and the huge spaces.
The two-third who are in Africa are in the African space .. they are in the African Union now; they are a part of it; they will be a part of the United States of Africa.
There would be a question mark for the one-third of the Arabs who are outside Africa; Where is their place on the new map of the world? The one who is not coming from huge space, huge market, huge exports, one defense area, one security area, which has strong competing power at the level of globalization, can never survive and will finish.
The Arabs who are outside Africa .. the third which is outside Africa, are actually located in Asia, a part of it is adjacent to the Mediterranean and now it is attracted by the Mediterranean and eastern Mediterranean and is swaying.
The other part is neither from the Middle East nor from the Mediterranean nor from Asia; that is the Gulf and the Arab Peninsula.. This is an area surrounded by waters and nearly isolated from all directions.
This group of Arabs from outside Africa has no possibility to form a space like other spaces where there are no basis to establish a space, in turn, they are in isolated areas and under the influence of super powers.. huge spaces.
Asia form another spaces .. ASEAN , Indian Ocean, Independent States or the new Commonwealth . China is a power and a big space in itself and even China could be part of the ASEAN in the future.
Europe is now formulating in one space that is the European Union , there is a strong call to establish the United States of Europe.
There is also the United States of America, an existing space of its own. They were lucky because in stead of being fifty independent states, they were fifty united states.
Latin America or South America, is on its way to form a new Latin Space.
You, the Arab youth here in this festival must understand this dilemma and struggle for it.
According to this new world map, there is no safe shore for Arabs who are outside Africa except by joining the African Union.
I personally call for the establishment of the Arab-African Union.
Perhaps you ask what did the one-third of the Arabs who are outside Africa tell me during my journey in the Arab states in 2000?
Answering to this question, they said: when true African Union is established, we will join it .. in this case, the matter refers to the Africans, who Arabs and non-Arabs; they have to prove that the African space and the African union is a materialized fact; it’s strong and beneficent; it’s serious issue that attracts the others, or the other third of the Arabs who are outside Africa to joint this African union.
Unfortunately, we, in Africa, are not serious as required to be, or some of us are not.
I direct this talk to the African youths, Arabs or non-Arabs .. to the African youths in this festival or to those who are not attending. The force that we rely on, is the force of youths and women in Africa; it’s better than that of the politicians, this is a big historic transformation.
Establishment of the African Union, United African States and great unity in this way is in the interest of all people, youths and the future; even in the interest of children and those who are not born yet; that means our situation in future will be in this way .. to be deservedly occupying a place under the sun and on the ground or not to be.
Politicians’ existence is temporary in all cases, but that of the African people is permanent; this is their future.
Politicians have their own daily concern and the limited term of presidency.
I do not blame African leaders who engaged themselves in elections and so on and they become governed by limited terms outside of which they can not struggle, or give, or implement or lead.
When constitution in an African country states that presidency for this leader is two terms only each four years for example … that means after 8 years , even if you are useful to your country and have an historical project .. national project to get out from backwardness to advancement to contribute to the unity of Africa, you can not because of the constitution .
What is the constitution? it is ink on paper , it means words written by a committee, wrote some thing called the constitution , this chains peoples will.
People must be free to entrust any one even for life as long as he is useful to the people.
For example, president, Museveni .. Frankly, we are here in Uganda and even if we are not in Uganda, I say this and said it in secret and publicly on several occasions, he came by a people’s revolution and rescued Uganda from barren dictatorships and from wars between Ugandans themselves. He came up with a progressive revolutionary project that can transfer Uganda from backwardness to progress and he is strong supporter in building African unity and the African Union upward on the path of the United States of Africa, God willing.
A man like this surely is beneficent to his people .. useful to Uganda because he has a serious national program , he is not a demagogic president and not corrupt; he is a revolutionary.. How come we forsake him? …It is said because the constitution does not allow you more than two terms for example, this is not permissible.
This constitution is against the desire of the Ugandan people, for example the Ugandan people say president, Museveni is useful to the Ugandan people … useful to Uganda , then he stays as long as he is able to give and build his country; besides, he did not came through election , but through revolution and he has revolutionary program he is responsible for and this program proved to be useful now, the whole world testifies that Uganda is number one country that has a serious program to fight AIDS.
Anyhow, I am talking about the African Leaders, who are controlled by the constitution and elections; their activities were paralyzed; they became to think only about elections, its campaigns and their remained term; in fact, this thing will never enable them to think about Africa, its coming generations and the establishment of the United States of Africa in a strategic manner.
In every African summit, African presidents came to me and said, don’t blame us; it’s just two months left and we say good bye .. the other said it was just half a year and good bye .. the other said it was just one year left, you can go on and complete the rest and so on.
Therefore, they did not think about the future, because they were to think only about the short term of presidency; it’s very harmful to the African liberation and unitary program.
Consequently, I advice you, the youths, to rely on yourselves.
When I say we do not rely on the African presidents, just because of this situation. Even those who were serious, they were controlled by elections, constitution and specified terms; what do you think about those who were not serious; or about those who came not to serve their people; a number of corrupt, bribed, reactionary, and colonialism’s agent presidents in Africa were overthrown, some of them perhaps are still in Africa.
Therefore, we should not rely on the presidents, we should rely on the African youths, because the unity which we are talk about, the African union which we are building and the United States of African which we are calling for are for all of you; they are your states; your future; your lives; your children and your grand children’s lives.
We are a continent historically oppressed to much , enslaved and marginalized and exploited , it was treated very very bad .. the worst kind of man’s treatment to man is that treatment that Africa was exposed to.
The Whites looked at us Africans like animals in the jungle , they hunted us like animals , chained us and shipped us and dropped us inn the ocean and seas along the way. They transferred us to America and Europe , using us as work force like mules, donkeys and horses are used.
We filled up their swamps , constructed roads for them ands we made the foundations for American and European cities .. These cities now were built by the tears , sweat and even the blood and corpses of our African grandfathers.
After they treated us like animals , they treated us like slaves and said to us this land must be owned by Whites.. They came to Congo the biggest land in Africa and said it is the property of the king of Belgium ) Leopold. They said those African who live in the jungle do not consider them humans, they own no land, nothing. This belongs to the king of Belgium and they called it Belgian Congo, and it was considered private ownership of the king and uses it as he wishes.
They also came to Zambia and called it Northern Rhodesia, and came to Zimbabwe and named it Southern Rhodesia. The said South Africa is owned and ruled by whites. they are entitled to take all its wealth and resources, while the Blacks let them live in the jungle or in huts and clean streets and serve the whites- perhaps this is still exists till now, because we did not get ride of that in South Africa as yet.
They divided Angola and called it Portuguese Angola or the property of the king of Portugal.
They overlooked our existence as human beings on African land and divided us between Belgium, Portugal , Britain, France and Italy.
They said that Libya is the fourth shore of Rome . Libya which is in Africa they said the fourth shore of Rome, look how reckless it is !!
They said Algeria is undivided part of the French soil and Libya is a stretch of France and Algeria is an extension of France.
Up till now , you see the names of our countries are carrying colonial names by whites because they scorned us. they ignored the African names of our countries and named this (Free town), ( Monrovia) , (Pretoria) ,(Johannesburg) , (Fortlami) which is the previous name of the Chadian capital.
Cameroon, a whole country, they named it after French or British Officer.
Lake Victoria, which is near here and it is the biggest lake in Africa , they called it (Victoria) the Queen of Britain, another lake in Congo was called (Albert).
They started dividing Africa as if it was a gift from heaven to the whites. look at this recklessness !!
This is our past history, they have used us like animals .. treated us like slaves and owned our land.
Now, they are the ones who brought to us elections, parties and multiparty.
We in Africa are tribes, we are a natural social system .. African tribes living in harmony with each other. They said , no.. form parties.
We do not know parties, what are parties?
They educated a group of (intellegencia) in Europe and America and told them to go back home and form parties.
Well, the parties in Europe and America these represent old classic classes , capitalist class, workers’ class, businessmen class, nobles class and common people. There they have such classes and each class can form its own party that takes part in authority. But , in Africa we do not have such classes of Lords or nobles or Commons.
We are all commons , we are all poor , we are all equal.
This is oppression .. this is not suitable to African environment.
They said to Congo we do not give you aid unless you form parties. If you want to help Africa, do that like it is with its own options , do not twist its hand and force it to accept your conditions. In Congo there are 80 parties? How come 80 parties?
This African environment is a tribal one , it does not know partisanship and that does not suitable for it.
You come to a country like Senegal where there are ( 110 ) parties, each clan formed a party of its own.
O ‘ Youth . the system that suits us is the social not the political system.. the natural social system in which we live now. people’s authority, the Jamahiri system , the system of Communes of People’s Congresses and People’s Committees.
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