‘Africans Rising’ advocates for grassroots engagement to protect wealth

Africans Rising has advocated for the power of the grassroots to be harnessed so that African’s wealth and resources will be for Africans and no longer allowed to be extradited for the benefit of foreign companies.

The Movement Coordinator, Africans Rising, Mr Muhammed Lamin Saidykan, who stated this during the African Liberation Week celebration, also said that Africans Rising takes a different approach in the celebration of the week.

 “As a movement of the people, our mobilization for the one-week celebration is done by giving control to grassroots movements. We provide a platform and encourage Africans from all over the world to take action. Through our #Rise4OurLives campaign, Africans Rising focused on the health and wellbeing of Africans and African communities, given the COVID-19 pandemic and its disastrous consequences across all aspects of life. This year, Africans Rising has expanded the mobilization to include a whole week of activities, and thus the African Liberation Day celebration has come to be known as African Liberation Week. The uniqueness of Africans Rising’s approach is in its emphasis on supporting grass root movements and activists in organising and taking action all week. This is buoyed by the understanding that grass root movements are best placed to carry out meaningful actions and spread the fervor of African Liberation among the people”. Saidykan said.

Mr. Muhammed Lamin Saidykan, noted that “Unlike other commemorations which hold grand events at the continental level, the focus on grassroots brings the conversation on African liberation to the people where it truly belongs. “Africa for Africans” has been chosen as the broad theme for this year’s African Liberation Week mobilization. “This theme highlights two key priorities: It is imperative for Africans to take ownership and control over the destiny of the continent in its economic, political, and cultural dimensions. The second is the need for Africans to take center stage in protecting the continent’s wealth, environment, people, and future”

According to the Movement Coordinator, the platform is available for networking among grassroots movements peer-learning, growth and to ensure that the needed solidarity is built

among Africans everywhere to #Rise4OurLives and build the #AfricaWeWant.

“We no longer should allow ourselves to be divided. We no longer should accept the state of affairs where corruption and bad governance reign supreme everywhere on the continent. We no longer should sit down and allow leaders to molest and harass activists, journalists, the civil society fraternity and other like-minded individuals with dissenting views for daring to challenge the status quo. Africans are rising. We are rising for our lives”.

This year’s mobilization has so far recorded over five hundred events/activities that were organized across fifty countries in Africa and the African Diaspora throughout the week from 23^rd to 29^th May, 2022.

Out of these, one hundred and sixty-seven are online events, while the rest are physical.

The main thrusts of these activities are climate change, building rural/grassroots power, women’s empowerment, support for activities and others.

Hauwa Mustapha