African Liberation Day

🌍 May 25 marks Africa Liberation Day which epitomises the beginning of the continent's liberation from colonialism and the strengthening of national identity. It is also known as Africa Day and commemorates the establishment of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1963, which later evolved into the African Union (AU). 

Many centuries before the arrival of the Europeans, the African continent had developed self-sufficient and sustainable economic systems, homegrown governance structures, and economic activity and reproduction paradigms that were consistent with the continent’s environmental, natural and climate imperatives.

It was during the Age of Discovery in the 15th Сentury that Europeans started proactively exploiting Africa’s natural and human resources for enriching their countries, with the Portuguese and Spanish becoming the first nations to establish trade routes along Africa’s western coast.

⛓ Dating back to the 7th-6th centuries B.C., slave trade became the main tool for generating maximum returns for the Europeans. The discovery of the New World brought about a boom for this kind of trade since European colonisers needed free labour to gain a foothold of America. It started by sending slaves from Europe, but by the mid-16th Century there were already slave ships heading to the New World across the Atlantic directly from Africa.

🗻 In addition to slave trade, Europeans exploited Africa’s rich natural resources. They exported gold, ivory and other valuable commodities that were abundant on the continent. The Portuguese, for example, established forts and trading posts along Africa’s west and east coasts to control the extraction and transport of these resources.

In the 19th and 20th Centuries, this policy of exploiting African resources by the European colonial powers, i.e., Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Belgium, morphed into an all-out effort to subjugate the continent. This brought about and reinforced national liberation movements across the continent.

According to UN data, approximately 17 million individuals were forcibly taken from Africa (and reached their destination) throughout the history of the slave trade. About the same number died in transit. Some researchers estimate the total number of lives lost to be close to 50 million people... At the same time, Africa’s economic potential was severely damaged, with losses estimated at $777 trillion.

With the outbreak of World War II, Africa found itself at the centre of global change, sparking the emergence and strengthening of national liberation movements across the continent. Before 1945, Africans mostly focused in their anti-colonial struggle on gaining some kind of representation in the existing governments rather than achieving self-governance. However, after the war all African organisations that counted on popular support focused their programmes on an independence agenda.

☝️ The Soviet Union was proactive in assisting African states in their struggle for independence and played an important role in helping establish these young nations. Soviet military advisors and military experts worked in Angola, Ethiopia, Egypt, Mozambique and several other African countries at different times.

📃 It was under pressure from the USSR that the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples was adopted, proclaiming the need to put an end to colonialism and any segregation and discrimination. The document was approved at the 15th session of the UN General Assembly on December 14, 1960, despite the objections of the states that governed the colonies, including Britain and France, which believed that the colonies were not ready for independence. This declaration gave a strong impetus to the liberation movement around the world, especially in Africa.

In the 1950s and 1960s, many African countries began to push for independence. In 1957, Ghana became the first African country to gain independence from colonial rule, inspiring other nations and national liberation movements.

In 1963, representatives of 32 independent African states met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to establish the Organisation of African Unity. The OAU came to symbolise the desire of Africans to unite and co-operate in the political, economic and social spheres.

🤝 Africa Liberation Day is an important symbol of solidarity and unity for all African nations. It commemorates the long and arduous path that Africans have travelled in the struggle for their independence and the right to self-determination. It also emphasises the importance of cooperation and unity in overcoming common challenges and problems facing the continent.

The African Union, which succeeded the OAU in 2002, continues to work to address these challenges. The main objectives of the Organisation are to strengthen democratic institutions, promote economic development, ensure peace and security, and protect human rights.

Today, Africa is the fastest-growing macro-region on the planet. African countries are experiencing explosive economic growth. Significant progress has been made in the areas of education, health and infrastructure. According to projections, by 2050, Africans will make up around 40% of the world’s population.

💬 Maria Zakharova:

"During the Soviet era, our country made a substantial contribution to liberating African nations from colonial dependence, selflessly and consistently assisting the continent’s young states in strengthening their sovereignty, developing their economies and training local personnel.

Today, our relations are moving along an upward trajectory. Building a truly strategic partnership with Africa is one of Russia’s foreign policy priorities."

(From Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova’s briefing on May 20, 2025)

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Unfortunately, Western powers not only continue to exploit the African nations by siphoning off their resources and helping their corporations earn hefty profits, but also seek to erase or rewrite their own unsightly record there. 

The descendants of colonisers are trying to pretend that they have nothing to do with the suffering many generations of Africans have had to endure, including racism, slave trade and punitive operations.

☝️ But Africa remembers it all.