THE International Conference for the Eradication of Colonialism which held in Abuja, Nigeria from August 12-13, 2024, was full of symbolism. Organised by the African Think Tank, the Society for International Relations Awareness, SIRA, the theme: “The Forgotten Peoples: International Conference to Decolonize the World” was a potent reminder to the rest of humanity that there are not just colonised peoples remaining, but that they seem to have been forgotten.
It pointedly reminded those who are free of the fact that there are at least 61 territories still under colonialism.
A second potent message was the choice of Lethe, the mythical Greek spirit of forgetfulness, oblivion, or concealment.
Lethe is said to possess the power to erase the memory of people and make them forget their troubles and homes. But the conference, which included delegates of colonised and oppressed peoples who flew in from the Caribbean, North America, Latin America and Europe, was a potent reminder that although some have been colonised for hundreds of years, they have not forgotten their roots.
African-American internationalist, John Thompson Parker, 64, had already written to register for the conference when, two weeks ago, DNA tests revealed that his forebears were taken from Nigeria. For a widely travelled man who had undertaken peace and solidarity visits to countries like Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Sudan, Syria and Gaza, his participation in the conference was initially in solidarity with the colonised peoples of the world and to make suggestions on how this human scourge can be brought to an end. But finding out that he was originally Nigerian, added urgency to his footsteps to be in Abuja. He said: “For Black folks in the US, it is a big deal to know where our ancestors came from.”
However, his enthusiasm was dampened when on August 10, he was refused boarding in Germany for his connecting flight to Abuja on the basis that his application for visa-on-arrival, had not been confirmed. As the aircraft that should have taken him to Abuja took off, he lamented: “They stole me from Africa and now they told me I can’t come back; that I can’t even get back to my homeland.” He later got the confirmation, so next day, he flew into Nigeria.
The leader of the Caribbean Delegation, Kandis Alana Natalie Sebro, of the Alba Movement was sent to present the regional case of the Caribbean where most of the current colonies are situated.
She spent two days travelling from her Trinidad and Tobago home, first to New York, then Frankfurt where she had anxious delays over her visa status. She was relieved making it to Nigeria where participants applauded her brilliant submission. A retired Federal Permanent Secretary remarked to me: “She is so young!” adding that with youths like her, decolonisation is irreversible.
Berta Joubert-Ceci, 75, who flew in from the United States, presented the case of the 3.3 million Puerto Rican people. The reception of her presentation indicated that the conference wants the 125-year colonisation of Puerto Rico by the US to be brought to an end.
The case for Puerto Rico’s decolonisation, using the instrumentality of international solidarity and the United Nations, was powerfully made by Esteli Capote Maldonado who turned 44 a day after the conference. She took the conference through a praxis of decolonising territories. Her presentation: “Engaging the UN System to Speedily De-colonise the World”, was based on her expertise in constantly engaging the UN in the decolonisation process.
Ambassador Oubi Bachir, Representative of the Western Sahara POLISARIO Liberation Movement in Switzerland and to the UN and International Organisations in Geneva, gave the the Keynote Address. He called on the African Union to implement the African Court of Human and Peoples Right September 2022 ruling that Morocco must end its brutal occupation of Western Sahara. He also demanded that the European Union should abide by the European Union Court of Justice rulings of 2016, 2018 and 2021 by withdrawing all companies plundering the resources of Western Sahara. The Conference said it stands firmly on the side of Western Sahara and the POLISARIO in their legitimate right to independence.
A reminder of the pains of colonisation and what it is for a country to be owned by another, was made by the Mexican Ambassador in Nigeria, His Excellency Alfredo Miranda. He took participants through: “The Mexican Experience in Three Hundred Years of Colonization.”
It was a conference of the old like former Nigerian Foreign Minister, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, who turns 80 this November, and youths, especially from the University of Abuja, Bingham University, VERITAS University, a sprinkling of students across the country and representatives of educational institutions like the NILE University.
Some parents brought their children. With youths making up some 80 per cent of participants, it was like planting seeds for freedom. Coincidentally, the title of Professor Gambari’s Opening Remarks as Conference Chairperson: “Peace can only germinate in the soil of social justice”, aptly captured this.
He said he was 16 when the UN made the declaration that all colonies must be free, and lamented that 64 years later, there are still, at least, three score colonies around the globe. Declaring his personal commitment to a free world he said: “Decolonisation needs an Action Plan and an Implementation Plan. Humanity must not endlessly wait for this human scourge to be eradicated.”
International lawyer and former President of the West Africa Bar Association, Femi Falana, in speaking on: “The Legal Implications of Continued Colonialism in the World”, submitted that the struggle for the independence of the colonised countries cannot be won without international solidarity and collaboration.
He painted a disturbing scenery of the colonies: “Apart from the ruthless exploitation of the occupied territories, the colonial powers have converted some of them to haven for promoting money laundering, tax evasion and for keeping looted wealth. They are used as holiday resorts and casino centres by members of the bourgeoisie from the United States, Europe and neo-colonial countries. Owing to lack of media coverage, all manners of criminal activities are perpetrated by the colonial officials and their home governments.”
Participants resolved to hold annual conferences to report on the impact and result of actions taken, and, to update the proposed Action Plan in order to create universal consciousness.
They also resolved to develop a common narrative, including calling the colonies by their name and not the UN’s preference of Self-Governing Territories.
They also want all colonies, including Puerto Rico and Martinique, recognised as such by the UN. The participants called on the UN to admit colonies, such as Western Sahara, as plenipotentiary Members as India and the Philippines were admitted when they were still colonies.
They equally resolved that there can be no peace in the world without social justice.