By Cynthia Masibo
The African Leadership Centre (ALC), in collaboration with the Africans for the Horn of Africa (Af4HA) Initiative, officially launched the African Public Square (APS) yesterday, June 27, 2024. This ambitious platform aims to harness Africa’s intellectual power and inter-generational agency, fostering a rethinking of the continent’s responses to its marginalisation on the global stage and the evolving challenges in managing its security and development.
A Response to Marginalisation and Norm Reversal
The APS emerges as a timely intervention, addressing the need for Africa to assert itself against established global agendas that disadvantage the continent. By offering new solutions and proposals, APS seeks to re-energise Africa’s normative and response frameworks, opening up possibilities for the continent’s renewal. The platform aims to expand the constituency of actors representing Africa, especially when traditional state and continental spaces for action and engagement are restricted.
Three-Part Intervention Strategy
To elevate Africa’s position in the world, the APS employs a three-part intervention strategy:
A Convening Platform: This element of APS will gather new and established voices, constituting an intergenerational community of African public intellectuals. By bringing together diverse perspectives, APS aims to catalyse the repositioning of Africa within the global order.
Annual High-Level Forum: APS will host an annual African/global public debate, drawing prominent African intellectuals and various interlocutors. This forum will frame and propose alternative engagement frameworks on contemporary issues shaping Africa’s trajectory, fostering robust discussions and innovative solutions.
Inter-Generational Community of Intellectuals: A key feature of APS is its commitment to co-leadership by an inter-generational community of African public intellectuals. These intellectuals will spearhead special interventions, proposing new ideas and fostering collaborations to address Africa’s challenges and reshape global engagement to elevate Africa’s status on the world stage.
Inaugural High-Level Forum
The inaugural high-level forum, a centerpiece of the APS launch, promises to be a critical platform for dialogue and debate. The forum convened an initial intergenerational group of African public intellectuals, alongside key partners, to open a public debate on a pressing question: Can Africa escape the twin tragedy of deinstitutionalisation through “militiafication” and externally imposed templates?
Focusing on the contexts of Sudan and South Sudan, the forum explored how African societies can rebuild peaceful states that serve the collective good rather than narrow interests. This critical discussion aimed to identify pathways for overcoming the challenges of militia-driven governance and external interventions that often undermine indigenous solutions.
A Vision for Africa’s Future
The APS represents a bold vision for Africa’s future, leveraging the continent’s rich intellectual heritage and dynamic inter-generational voices to drive change. By challenging entrenched global agendas and offering fresh perspectives, APS aspires to create a more equitable global landscape where Africa can thrive. The initiative underscores the importance of intellectual agency and collaborative efforts in crafting solutions that resonate with Africa’s unique contexts and aspirations.
With its official launch in Nairobi, APS has set the stage for a new era of African intellectual and strategic renaissance. This initiative embodies the hope and determination of a continent ready to chart its own course, reclaiming its rightful place on the global stage. The APS is not just a platform but a movement, empowering Africa to speak for itself and shape its destiny in the 21st century.
